Escorts Vaccinated or not? The choice is possible

To ensure the safety of clients, massage parlours and sites are increasingly checking the vaccination status of women or requesting tests.

Vaccinated or not? It's a question that is stirring up the world of prostitution. The Covid certificate is not required for clients, but massage parlours and websites are getting ahead of themselves when it comes to prostitutes. The independent escort directory bemygirl.ch has created a pictogram to highlight its vaccinated members. A blue shield with a drawing of a virus mentions "certificate Covid controlled by Bemygirl" when passing the mouse over it.

Indeed, the company, in addition to meeting and photographing each of the girls, offers to check the Covid certificate of the escorts. "It's not something we require, but if they want this information to be mentioned, we can check their application and their paper certificate," explains Antoine Maillard, account manager of the site. The new feature is intended to meet a need of customers and girls. "We noticed a decrease in the flow of meetings due to Covid. Some of the clients were reluctant and this information brings clarity, allowing them to make a decision with more serenity," says Antoine Maillard. For the escorts, it allows them to recover a clientele that needed to be reassured.
 

"We are giving them until the beginning of the school year in January so that they all have their health pass."

In the massage parlours, it is not specified on the website whether the prostitute is vaccinated or not, but it is guaranteed that a good number of them are already. This is the case at Venusia, the largest centre in Geneva, which had already implemented multiple protective measures. We don't impose it, but we ask them to do it," says Lisa, head of the centre. About half of the girls there now have their two doses. Eventually, they will all have to be immunised. We're giving them until the beginning of the school year in January to get their health pass," says Lisa, the manageress. However, I don't know yet whether we will be able to demand it because, for example, we cannot demand a blood test to detect sexually transmitted diseases. The manager says that more and more girls working at Venusia are being injected. "They do it more for the safety of the clients

They do it more for the safety of the clients and their relatives than for their own safety because they are young and don't think they are at any particular risk," says Lisa. It is also possible to demand a vaccinated prostitute. "There has not yet been such a request but it is quite possible, just as when a client wants a girl performing a particular service," says the manager.
 

Regular tests

Another canton, another practice. In Bulle (FR), the Centre Relax, the largest salon in Fribourg, does not dwell too much on vaccination. It does, however, place special emphasis on testing. We can't force them to be vaccinated, I think it's up to each individual to decide whether or not to do so," says Loïc Duc, the salon manager. On the other hand, all girls coming to work must provide a PCR test on arrival, regardless of their origin, whether they are from Switzerland or abroad. They then have to do a rapid test every week and a PCR every other week.
 

"All girls coming to work must provide a PCR test on arrival. They then have to do a rapid test every week and a PCR every other week."

The Confederation is considering charging for testing. If this were to happen, the exhibition would "improvise. But we will then find a solution to continue to guarantee the protection of our clients." The Relax Centre says it does this screening of girls to answer visitors' questions. "When people call us to make an appointment, they ask us if there are tests," reports Loïc Duc. No one has yet asked us for a girl who has been vaccinated, but if that were to be the case, we could ask the girl who has been chosen whether she is or not." It should be noted that, like Venusia, the Relax Centre has no knowledge of any prostitute or client testing positive after sex.

Julien Culet