This Is What It’s Like To Work At Moonlite BunnyRanch, A Legal Brothel In Nevada

When it comes to prostitution, the saying “location, location, location” is especially true in Nevada, the only place in the United States where prostitution is legal.

The Moonlite BunnyRanch is one of the most famous legal brothels and was the setting for HBO’s reality show Cathouse.

Sarah Greenmore is one of bunnies at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. If you have any pre-conceived notions of what a sex worker is like, Sarah will dispel those quickly.

She’s a whip-smart beauty who’s been talking about her life as a prostitute in all different kinds of media including podcasts, websites/magazines, and a Reddit AMA (which went viral). I’m positive there are book deals, television shows and perhaps even a career in politics in her future.

One of the things Sarah seems extremely passionate about is decriminalizing prostitution, and what life really looks like in a legal brothel. In a piece she wrote for The Independent, she works to clear up some misconceptions about sex work.

Sex work is lazy — and easy. While she works a 12 hour shift, usually from 4 PM to 4 AM on weekdays, and 4 PM to 6 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, she does have some down time.

She described her typical day: “I generally wake up around 9:30 AM and head to our private gym on site. We have a personal trainer five times a week that works with us there, but I prefer to work out alone.

By 11:30 AM, I’m showering and getting ready. Shaving, lotion, self-tanner, dancing around in my underwear, false eyelashes, etc. At 1 PM I’m generally ready for the floor.

There is a doorbell that rings throughout the house when the clients walk in to greet us. We all line up and introduce ourselves. The client picks one (or two or three) ladies and we take him on a tour, talk to him about his desires, negotiate a price, and book an appointment.

So, from 1 PM to 4 AM I’m going to lineups, hanging out with clients, taking a nap, hanging out with my coworkers, and eating lunch/dinner.”

https://twitter.com/SarahGreenmore/status/645041313386106880

She’s says there’s lots of downtime and like everybody else, she watches YouTube videos, surfs the internet, watches movies, plays games and hangs out at the pool.

“It’s really relaxed. On days that it’s busier though, you’ve still got time to sit and eat and relax.” She works hard, but she isn’t forced to work every minute of every day. She also has to manage her social media, interviews, writing, and cleaning.

“Sex work is a physically intimate therapy session for most of our clients,” Sarah says. She has to determine what her clients really want and need, and has to make them feel comfortable.

As she says on her bunny-page, “I enjoy many different appointments; from walking virgins through intimacy and sex for the first time, to wild and intense BDSM, kink, role play, and fetish appointments, and couples looking to add in a beautiful woman for fun. I aim to please. I also provide services for women, the disabled, bachelor party entertainment, sexual lessons/teaching, pool parties, Nuru massage, outcalls and more.”

She sounds like a sex therapist, teacher, and social worker all rolled into one.

In Nevada, it’s required by law that sex workers have mandatory STD testing every week. Nevada brothels are proud that there’s never been a case of HIV reported in the brothel system.

“We use condoms for all of our services — including condoms for blow jobs and dental dams for cunnilingus,” Sarah says. No matter if someone offers more money or any other kind of incentive, Sarah always insists on condoms and dental dams. It’s non-negotiable.

As far as her room is concerned, the bedding is hers and washed weekly. A flat sheet is put over the top, and put into the laundry after each appointment. Between clients, Sarah says, “I do a ho bath: rinse/wash from the tits/pits down. I also change my outfit 3 to 6 times a day.”

Sex workers have to give all their money to their pimp or manager. And while Sarah can’t discuss pricing online or on the phone, or what she makes per appointment, she did say that she makes nearly $10,000 in 13 days.

The house takes 50 percent of the fees that the women collect, and the women also have to pay $500 for licensing, along with other expenses such as makeup, lingerie, and travel costs.

https://twitter.com/SarahGreenmore/status/646493413483778048

Still, in the long run, both the management and the workers seem pretty happy with the arrangement. All the girls in Nevada are IC (independent contractors) status and do their own taxes as 1099, and they’re responsible for all their taxes, credits, and retirement.

Sarah has heard or read every cliché about sex workers — everything from “I wonder how much drugs she needs to get through a shift,” to “Her parents must be so proud.”

Sarah’s family is aware of what she does for a living and she says, “My family is very supportive of me, not necessarily my job, but me as a person. They still love me, of course.”

Just because Sarah is a sex worker, and you may not approve, she’s still a human being worthy of love and respect.

“The notion that my profession is a last resort for a broken, uneducated woman with a drug habit is a disservice to the range of people who choose to be sex workers. It’s dehumanizing and allows the continued violence and social stigma against sex workers to thrive.

We are human beings, who, for many different reasons, but one main one — to provide for ourselves — have chosen sex work as our occupation. It’s a valuable and desired service, and will always exist. So, we need to bring sex work into the realm of decriminalization or legalization, and provide safety, social services, and basic human rights to some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Life in a legal brothel is truly more compassionate, political, fascinating, and human than what most of us have been lead to believe.