Wise words about a London College Student Phone directory that runs brothel ads

"Student Pages ran ads for brothels. And they don't care."

Masseuse: "Hand relief is £35. Or £45 if you want me to strip first".. She also offered ‘full sex’ and oral sex for up to £70.
http://www.londonstudent.org.uk/4issue/news/leadingnews.htm (link now broken)

Prostitution itself is not illegal in the UK, though asking for or offering sex in a public place or bawdy house for money is an offence.

Authorities tend to turn a blind eye to saunas of the kind investigated here, since given the existence of prostitution, most would prefer that it took place in those relatively safe and controlled surroundings than on the streets. But with the exception of Edinburgh City Council, no local authority in the UK admits to tacitly condoning the practice in this way.

"Stripping is well known as a valuable source of employment for students. Grants are being cut, times are hard, not everyone wants to work at Burger King or pulling pints. This actually boosts students’ income. I mean, say you’re a young student, looking for employment in the sex industry, then you could use the listings as a valuable reference." When asked about the moral implications of circulating a directory carrying such advertisements, Mr. Taggart said that he was more worried about the ramifications of carrying cigarette advertising.

When asked if he would carry listings for these known brothels in the future, Mr. Taggart said that he probably wouldn’t. He did however show an interest in advertising with London Student saying that he’d like to raise his company’s profile. He said "Maybe we could sponsor the sex issue. Sort of ‘Student Pages: get your sex listings here.’ We don’t provide any vouchers for the massage parlours at the moment, but we are very politically incorrect, and we’ll do anything if it gains us publicity.

London is dotted with ‘saunas’ of this kind: places with darkened windows and security door entry systems.

Four are listed in the Student Pages, but well over thirty more advertise in the London weekly magazine What’s On.

Several say in their ads that they appear in a publication called ‘McCoy’s Massage Parlour Guide’. This guide’s introduction says that women working in the saunas may provide sexual services - but we couldn’t possibly comment. The guide then gives the game away by listing the official prices (for sauna and massage sessions) as ‘basic’ prices.

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