Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Spanish food recipe: Pollo Asado

Prepare a perfect Spanish roast chicken by following Sandra Piddock’s recipe.

Top 10 restaurants in Madrid

Here's our pick of the top ten restaurants in the Spanish capital.

Spain's North-South divide

Sun-seeking pensioners live in southern Spain, while arty young entrepreneurs move to Barcelona or Madrid. True or just cliché?

Favourite restaurants in Barcelona

Blogger Jeremy Holland on where to find good, old-fashioned American hamburgers, rich authentic Italian pasta and traditional Catalan bocadillos.

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Life in News Focus Current crisis hurt prostitutes in Spain

08/09/2008Current crisis hurt prostitutes in Spain

Brothels and clubs are offering discounts and more as Spain feels severity of the economy slump.

A madame - or mami, in the current jargon - introduces the girl as Ana. She is very young and beautiful, and quite unassuming. She is wearing a Spanish national soccer team t-shirt and a thong.

"She is natural, empathetic - that is always the way with Spanish senoritas," explains Ana's madame. Ana exhibits a dull gaze and a soft smile as she greets the client, and says she is just getting started in the business.

It is early morning at a high-end prostitution club that is well known on the Mediterranean coast.

This is just one of many similar businesses that charge anywhere from a few euros to 200 per service.

But both the low-end and the high-end establishments would normally be charging a lot more than that, if it were not for the economic crisis.

Some clubs are open 24 hours and wake the girls up when there is work. The daytime schedule makes it easier for clients to drop by at lunchtime. The discretion with which business is conducted and the special offers starting at EUR 20 have lured a mixed crowd ranging from businessmen in suits to workers in overalls.

More Spanish girls turn to prostitution
Brothels and clubs such as this one are mushrooming due to lack of legislation. And for the first time in many years, they are showcasing their Spanish girls as the main attraction.

The boom of foreign prostitutes that took place in recent years had all but relegated Spanish girls to the most marginal markets such as industrial parks outside small towns.

But now, newspaper and local television ads are screaming out their presence. Sometimes they go as far as to specify the region the prostitutes are from: Catalan senoritas, Andalusian chicas and others.

According to Laura, the owner of a massage parlour in downtown Valencia, "each day there are more national girls offering their services".

0 reactions to this article

participate in the forums
ask your question
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

Jobs

Part Time Work Needed in Madrid and Barcelona, by marthaa

Soapbox

Books on Spain for Christmas, by shuggie

Travel & Transport

backpacking in Australia, by Zuri

Discuss Spanish Culture

Are Spanish people Tactless and arrogant or just forthright?, by john4efc66

Jobs

cvExpres, work in Spain as a teacher in a private school or academie, by santi21

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Before you head out to explore the new city, make sure your paperwork's all done by referring to our guide.

Job hunting in Spain

Job hunting in Spain

Looking for a job just got harder with the global recession. Here’s a guide to make things a tad easier.

How to open a bank account in Spain

How to open a bank account in Spain

Expatica's guide to opening a bank account in Spain.

Unique festivals in Spain

Unique festivals in Spain

Too many fiestas and too little time; Expatica presents our pick of the top monthly festivals in Spain so you won’t miss out on the action.