Honolulu Adult Services Providers on the street seldom have an online presence

Before the internet the options for sex workers were to work in an establishment often fronting as something else. It is unfortunate that people once used massage as a front bc massage is skilled work not prostitution. Today, establishments without licensed massage therapists on site cannot use the word “massage” in their names so they call themselves “relaxation parlors.” I have heard, but I cannot confirm, they are staffed by Asian immigrants, many illegal and without options. I have heard human trafficking of unwilling participants in sex work (sex slaves) happens in some establishments where women work and live in a country where they cannot speak the language. The only person they know is the contact who placed them in the establishment. Police raid them from time to time but rumor has it the right people get their cut so authorities ignore them.

If women were introduced to someone who had escort ads in the yellow pages, they could become escorts who go to locations when the advertiser receives a call. These women are called escorts and bc they are requested they are perceived as being special enough to satisfy upper class tastes. They are stigmatized but also glorified and they make the most money. In Hawaii they were paid a relatively cheap$300/hr but in other states I have heard of $1000/hr.

They could slowly walk, or stroll, down the street in an area known for prostitution. These streets are colloquially called “strolls,” or “the track.” In downtown Honolulu the streets near Safeway are referred to as “the backstreets” or “town.” These are the women labelled streetwalkers and they are most stigmatized and the lowest paid. They are the usual targets of police action to curb prostitution. They are often but NOT always addicted to substances and, increasingly, gambling. They stay with different people who trade access to a residence and shower for drugs, see, or companionship.

Things are different today BC you need not set Ine foot outside. There are various sites that can help you hook up with men. You can meet them where ever or not at all. But with the pandemic there has been a proliferation of sites that show limitless adult scenes. A woman does not need to connect with someone who wants to exploit her. Why does anyone work the streets if there is a way to make money without even having to meet people? A number of reasons:

The Logic of working the streets

• It is impossible to keep a phone on the street bc other homeless people will steal everything they can when another homeless person falls asleep. I am told people used to look out for each other. They absolutely do not support one another now.
• When you are on the street the focus is on surviving, not the latest internet trends.
• Time spent without using technology leaves most homeless people behind in their skill level. Many people who could make money in one if those sites has no idea how to go about even finding the site, much less participating.
• Street life is about being surrounded by people who cannot pull you up. You are isolated away from technology and away from anyone who could help you use it or connect you to beneficial people.
• There will always be guys who look for sex workers in the street because they find it exciting and/or they do not trust technology to maintain their anonymity They believe anything dine in the internet is on a record somewhere and that includes the IP address of their phone or computer. Perhaps the video they are watching is watching them back. These are not crazy ideas.
• Guys will go to downtown Honolulu and there won’t be a record on their phone for their other half to find