Escorts and masseurs during a recession

[+ 7829V]

For those who have been hiring for a long time what happens when there’s a recession regarding escort and masseur rates? Do they lower their rates? Do customers stop hiring or hire less frequent?

 

I’d imagine that this industry is very sensitive to recessions and is very affected by it.

[+ Pensant]

I don’t recall a big downturn in 2008, at least in SoCal. However, the Coronvirus has certainly diminished my appetite for the hobby.

[+ nycman]

I don’t ever remember prices going down.

 

When I have less discretionary income I hire less.

[MscleLovr]

IME in a recession

(a) rates are not lowered by experienced guys but newcomers offer lower rates to get business;

(b) regular clients become much more desirable;

© with less disposable income or capital that’s available to spend, clients may be fewer in number; and

(d) more men may want to supplement their incomes.

 

This time MAY be different in that it is a supplyside shock first, then a demand shock to the economy. Any downturn might be short-lived if the pandemic is not so severe and not long-lasting.

[rocky]

Hi all. With the virus and all, I actually have more disposable income since I've had to cancel my cruise and other travel. I'm not noticing any changes by those providing services changing their rates. That usually isn't a thing for me but I'd welcome more providers in my area.

[+ GregM]

I have a day job, the s/o has retirement and we also own a business. I'm not worried about a recession.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[Guest]

I'm worried about a depression.

 

Not hiring for health and economic reasons...

[down_to_business]

The simple answer to your question is yes to all, but it isn't immediate and it's very dependent on variables we don't fully know.

 

Hiring will go down because as these headlines continue to make it real (i.e. a famous actor like Tom Hanks or a professional basketball player and the NBA & MLB are postponed while the NCAA tournament is cancelled and even daily TV shows stop filming in front of a live audience). Every day another case is reported and another festival or concert is cancelled. People begin to realize while they may survive the coronavirus fine and make a full recovery, they could unknowingly spread it to their elderly parents or grandparents and kill them.

 

Travel becomes dangerous, restricted or impossible (some examples)

* Passenger on JetBlue flight from New York to Florida tests positive for coronavirus... A medical emergency prompted the flight's 114 passengers and crew members to be stuck on the tarmac of Palm Beach International Airport for roughly three hours. Two elderly passengers were taken off the plane around 11 p.m. wearing masks and gloves, WPBF-TV reported. The flight originated at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

* President Trump told reporters on Thursday that restricting U.S. domestic travel is a possibility if the coronavirus becomes “too hot.” According to The New York Times, the president said limiting travel within the country to states like Washington and California—which have been hit hard by the virus—has not been discussed. “Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot,” ...

 

Businesses close or suspend operations. What are (for example ..cruise ship employees, entertainers, even waiters) going to do for money? More people try escorting and supply and demand kick in. The longer this goes, the more that do.

 

People with assets or disposable income do feel the reality of losing 20% of their wealth overnight with no end in sight.

 

Escorts and masseurs and clients begin to realize that while they can protect themselves from STD's etc by requiring condoms, they can't protect themselves from asymptomatic partners who may not even know they are carriers.

 

The best escorts who have a stable of LOCAL regulars will be hurt less and slower than others, but even the best of the best more than likely have clients where travel by at least one party would be required. What happens when people wind up not even being able to take a subway or uber to an appointment. This is going to hurt everyone and very deeply the longer it goes on.

[+ bashful]

I could still probably hire for an hour or two every couple of months, or maybe my first overnight, which I'm thinking of doing, with my current income because the pensions and social security will not change.

 

However, I've been planning on doing needed improvements in my home, and I was going to use accumulated money in the the retirement accounts for that. Now, I'm afraid to look at them for fear they are in the toilet. If I forgo the improvements, a plumber, and tile guy are getting less/no work. And, if I do the improvements, I'll have to use monthly income for the improvements, which means less money left over to hire.

 

I'm going to have the plumber and tile guy come over in a couple of weeks for an estimate. By then, I will hopefully have looked at the damage to the retirement accounts.

Edited March 13, 2020 by bashful

[MassageLoverSD]

For those who have been hiring for a long time what happens when there’s a recession regarding escort and masseur rates? Do they lower their rates? Do customers stop hiring or hire less frequent?

 

I’d imagine that this industry is very sensitive to recessions and is very affected by it.

Great question, 7829V. I've been wondering this myself the past week. With something that is simply an economic downturn, I could see this being the case. But with the coronavirus there's also a supply problem--lots of masseurs/escorts will simply stop offering services. That mean's prices won't necessarily go down. In fact, they could even go up...

[+ stevenkesslar]

I think STD rules apply here, in ways we don't know yet.

 

The smartest people I'm listening to are using the word "roller coaster" to describe this ride. There will be a big wave and a crest. Maybe this summer it will seem like the coast is clear. Maybe warmer weather will suppress transmission. We don't know. In the Fall there may be a second wave, which we are better prepared for.

 

I'm going to keep comparing this to gonorrhea. Or a bad flu. Except with the flu you know you have it, and it is obvious. With the clap, you very well may not. So you could have a test from a week ago saying you are clean, and it's irrelevant.

 

The reason this is relevant is that in normal times, anybody is always taking some risk - even if they are hiring someone they have known for years.

 

I'm playing crack psychologist, but I think what will matter is the feeling that things are relatively safe.

 

I checked and something like 100 people died in NYC last year simply going to work. They were a pedestrian that crossed a street, or a young guy on a bike. That didn't create a widespread feeling of fear, or stop people from going to work.

 

Somehow, we'll arrive at a new normal. Just like with STDS, having really good policies that inform the public, and test, trace, and treat quickly, will help create confidence.

 

In this particular market of generally older men, I think this has to be thought of as a "hospital-demic". Several times I've been with clients where one of us had to get medical care. One client tripped and hit his head on a sidewalk and bled pretty badly. Or I got a sinus infection. It was a minor drama, but really no big deal.

 

It's very different when you are in this risk group where you have maybe a 1 in 5 chance of needing hospital care. And the entire hospital and public health system are totally fucked before you even get near the emergency room door.

 

While it's apples to oranges, I think on COVID-19 the best example of how we learn to live with this is South Korea. They have it down in the last week to where less than 100 people a day test positive. That's in a country with 50 million people. Not everyone gets tested. But the odds of you getting sick are extremely low. And if you get sick, the odds of you coming out fine after a few weeks of minor drama are very high. If you need a hospital, you won't have a problem.

 

That's radically different than California, which has over 1000 cases. That number is just a fraction of the number actually infected. And the Governor says maybe 25 million people will become infected this Spring. Those are not very good odds,

 

I think this is a good time to embrace uncertainty. We'll figure it out as we go. For now, go for the vibrator. Not the ventilator.

Edited March 22, 2020 by stevenkesslar

[Guest]

I'm worried about a depression.

 

Not hiring for health and economic reasons...

 

New York (CNN Business)The Federal Reserve is signaling it will do whatever it takes to save the coronavirus-ravaged American economy from a depression.

The US central bank massively accelerated its rescue plans Monday by announcing unlimited bond-buying, three new credit facilities and an upcoming Main Street lending program.

Taken together, the Fed said the new programs will provide up to $300 billion in new financing to an economy getting crushed by the crippling health restrictions aimed at fighting the pandemic. The Fed is going all out to prevent the health crisis from turning into a full-blown financial crisis.