Escorting in 2026: Is it too much trouble?

[JB_Studio38]

Reminiscent of price is right, I wanted to make a similar question posed by @Rudynate

 

 

But I feel this way about the industry at times. Namely the few things that really get to me are:

1) Same day appointments: I understand being horny and sometimes it can be helpful. But majority of the time, same day appointments do not work. How can 2 men who don’t know nothing about each others schedule, location or availability get in the same room? I understand if it’s a regular who is accustomed to each other’s time schedule, but so many new clients try to book a same day visits. I usually have to wrap up plans to attend.

Ironically, those same clients are rarely ever available same day themselves…when I initiate it. So it’s usually better to not do them at all.
 

2) Hotels: I just spent over $200 in the last couple days on a hotel…and although the money was set aside for it already, I haven’t quite earned it back. People often ask me to host, but the days I set aside to host, people don’t always show up. 
 

3) Dismissive/annoying men: similar to the same day request brigade, it almost seems every other day/week…there’s some prick waiting to push a button. If you’re strong willed and use templates/auto reply on rentmen messenger etc, it’s a bit easier. But overall, I hate how some random can find their way onto my phone and act like a total ass: and kill my vibe. And it’s not always Timewasters either. Sometimes it’s clients too. Check yourself and make sure your tone isn’t cock, condescending or belittling towards escorts. 
 

4) Dead Cities/States: I’ve seen many cities that used to be good 10-15 years ago, now aren’t hitting much. Having RentMen as a main male escort site is not conducive. And it’s so many guys per city advertising. Some cities, I’m hardly even getting hits from RentMen at all. Even the cities with less ads aren’t always guaranteed to be busy, and like I said in #2: a DECENT non-motel 6 hotel in many areas are $100 a night minimum. I can’t wait around for 3-4 days paying that amount with nothing confirmed. And that’s why I ask for…

5) Deposits: I rarely book without them. Some clients expect us to magically pull money out of thin air (aka our own accounts/pockets) for lodging, hotels, commute, and all that’s involved: with no money upfront. That’s unfair and just not sensible in my view. It’s one thing if a guy is just like “come over to my studio/home”, but even when I used to offer that 24/7, a good portion still wouldn’t show up as anticipated. 
 

6) Hookup apps: I feel they continue to ruin the industry. I don’t feel they compete with clients, but it’s created a culture where people are expecting bare minimum. People are willing to hook up for free and with no phone number, it’s become super trashy 🚮, and it’s unsafe. If someone harms you on a hookup app and you have no phone number, good luck being found. The fact people are doing this, is reckless at best. 
 

All that said, is it worth it? I’d say it can be…but some days it doesn’t always feel like it. 

 

[+ sync]

I can understand your feelings.  I've lived enough decades to have noticed/experienced the steady decline of mutual respect and/or neutral civility across-the-board in society.  I'm not sure where to place the blame...social media/politics/stress factors, other things, but I sense that it is escalating and pollinating into the younger generations.  Maybe, hopefully it's a cycle.

                                                                                                                                                                     

[+ Alabastrine]

I was curious if any providers have experienced an uptick in scammers posing as clients on RM in 2025/2026? I know this adds to the difficulty of wading through RM communications trying to weed out the crap from actual clients. Have any of you seen new types of scams or scam patterns emerge in 2026?

Edited Monday at 08:02 AM by Alabastrine

[JB_Studio38]

30 minutes ago, sync said:

I can understand your feelings.  I've lived enough decades to have noticed/experienced the steady decline of mutual respect and/or neutral civility across-the-board in society.  I'm not sure where to place the blame...social media/politics/stress factors, other things, but I sense that it is escalating and pollinating into the younger generations.  Maybe, hopefully it's a cycle.

                                                                                                                                                                    

 I definitely think social media and politics are main ones. Lots of articles on how narcissism and social media go hand in hand. And so many in the “community” gravitate towards the social media platforms. 
 

However most of the industry’s audience are older, so I would think it wouldn’t be as much a factor. But idk if I can say that either. 

[Mark_fl]

4 hours ago, sync said:

I'm not sure where to place the blame...social media/politics/stress factors, other things...                                                                                                               

I think one doesn't need to look much further than social media. The epidemic of 'influincers' who are completely phony and people who don't live life, but document their fake life to get views and followers is frightening. 

Maybe it's generational, but I don't have Instagram, tic toc,  or whatever else they are using, so obviously I don't follow anyone on anything except YouTube which I'm sure the new generation is long over.

But when so many think the easy path to not really working is doing these things with enough followers, instant gratification and anonymity are causing a downward spiral.

[+ sniper]

A lot of people on social media lean into their social shortcomings/anxieties and have normalized not showing up to things.

[+ Alabastrine]

I saw it more as a cultural shift in how boomers raised kids post 80's- things shifted from self reliance and responsibility to being spoiled and coddled; social media was just a soapbox broadcasting the results.The internet is somewhat a "second world" where anonymity protected people from the consequences of their shitty behavior and building fake, hollow lives.It was so widespread that I think it lead to a tolerance of this when it spilled over into real life behavior with everyone being non confrontational these days (or get socially punished for doing the right thing). It's all fucked up.

Edited Tuesday at 11:09 AM by Alabastrine

[Wings246]

16 hours ago, Alabastrine said:

It was so widespread that I think it lead to a tolerance of this when it spilled over into real life behavior with everyone being non confrontational these days (or get socially punished for doing the right thing). It's all fucked up.

I can't agree more.  Everybody (especially the young ones) is offended by just about everything every 15 minutes nowadays.  And when you attempt to rationalize normal human behaviors, you become the toxic villain, then you get labeled & cancelled & sent to HR for interrogations.  It is essentially psychological/social/cultural terrorism.  At the end, everyone is forced to blend in and play the fake-ass, politically correct game together just so that the fragile egos of the younglings (snowflakes???) can be preserved.

Edited yesterday at 03:33 AM by Wings246

[aiseeya]

A provider calling sex-for-free as 'trashy' is just beyond.....

[+ Alabastrine]

39 minutes ago, aiseeya said:

A provider calling sex-for-free as 'trashy' is just beyond.....

I read it a bit differently: more like the apps enabling people with situational horniness and no other mutual requirement- just dime-a-dozen (I think that is what the "trashy" comment may have been aimed at) to meet up relieve each other. Most people can get laid anytime they want without paying for it, it just depends on what standards they have to filter consenting partners. I would understand a provider's frustration when that makes it more difficult to find clients. 

Edited yesterday at 09:47 PM by Alabastrine

[aiseeya]

6 hours ago, Alabastrine said:

I read it a bit differently: more like the apps enabling people with situational horniness and no other mutual requirement- just dime-a-dozen (I think that is what the "trashy" comment may have been aimed at) to meet up relieve each other. Most people can get laid anytime they want without paying for it, it just depends on what standards they have to filter consenting partners. I would understand a provider's frustration when that makes it more difficult to find clients. 

As if hiring is ever based on mutual requirements on equal standing. 

[JB_Studio38]

10 hours ago, aiseeya said:

A provider calling sex-for-free as 'trashy' is just beyond.....

Read the context:

“People are willing to hook up for free and with no phone number, it’s become super trashy🚮, and it’s unsafe.”

 

9 hours ago, Alabastrine said:

I read it a bit differently: more like the apps enabling people with situational horniness and no other mutual requirement- just dime-a-dozen (I think that is what the "trashy" comment may have been aimed at) to meet up relieve each other. Most people can get laid anytime they want without paying for it, it just depends on what standards they have to filter consenting partners. I would understand a provider's frustration when that makes it more difficult to find clients. 

 

Exactly. And when I said trashy, I was referring to it in the way that people on these trashy apps normalize trading NUDE pics, but yet can’t trust someone with an exchanging a phone number. 
 

It’s not simply about free sex, it’s moreso the expectations some have. Not to mention, people on apps act so anti-escort but yet, they’re doing the same thing but with no screening and for free. 

[Elite_XL]

As a provider myself, I might agree on some of the things with you.

The dismissive and flaky clients that text you with no intention of actually meeting up? You got that everywhere, even on Grindr. However, with those you can usually tell that they have no actual intent of meeting up. Some of them get off of the idea of hiring someone. Find the pattern and move on.

Same day appointments. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. I feel like you could be over complicating it sometimes by asking too much. If you are available cool, go get your buck, if not then just say no. Not even sure why get so upset about it. Except for the typical 2-4am ones that text you lol

Cities and States. This is a good one. Each city and state has a different market that caters to different kinks, preferences, races, pictures… you name it. If you see that some location does not work for you, change your pictures or even description. An example is, New York might cater more to the party/kinky vibe. Miami might cater more to Latino boys.

Another thing greatly influences this is which season of the year you decide to travel to each city and state. A lot of people tend to travel outside during winter. You don’t want to go to places like Chicago, right?

As for deposits, I don’t see the point of asking for a deposit if you are doing an incall. Unless, in rare cases, the client is being weird or communicates in a weird way. Usually I just do it for outcalls.

On 3/2/2026 at 3:00 AM, Alabastrine said:

I was curious if any providers have experienced an uptick in scammers posing as clients on RM in 2025/2026? I know this adds to the difficulty of wading through RM communications trying to weed out the crap from actual clients. Have any of you seen new types of scams or scam patterns emerge in 2026?

The only ones that I have seen are the idiots trying to pass by sugar daddies or the clothing companies wanting to give you merch.

[+ Jamie21]

59 minutes ago, Elite_XL said:

As a provider myself, I might agree on some of the things with you.

The dismissive and flaky clients that text you with no intention of actually meeting up? You got that everywhere, even on Grindr. However, with those you can usually tell that they have no actual intent of meeting up. Some of them get off of the idea of hiring someone. Find the pattern and move on.

Same day appointments. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. I feel like you could be over complicating it sometimes by asking too much. If you are available cool, go get your buck, if not then just say no. Not even sure why get so upset about it. Except for the typical 2-4am ones that text you lol

Cities and States. This is a good one. Each city and state has a different market that caters to different kinks, preferences, races, pictures… you name it. If you see that some location does not work for you, change your pictures or even description. An example is, New York might cater more to the party/kinky vibe. Miami might cater more to Latino boys.

Another thing greatly influences this is which season of the year you decide to travel to each city and state. A lot of people tend to travel outside during winter. You don’t want to go to places like Chicago, right?

As for deposits, I don’t see the point of asking for a deposit if you are doing an incall. Unless, in rare cases, the client is being weird or communicates in a weird way. Usually I just do it for outcalls.

The only ones that I have seen are the idiots trying to pass by sugar daddies or the clothing companies wanting to give you merch.

I sense you haven’t been on here long? 🫣

I agree with you on flaky clients. Many of the dilettante types are just getting off on the enquiry. Honestly the number of ‘hey are you free today / tomorrow etc’ to whom I respond but who then simply go quiet is astounding. What do they do?… Get bored? Lose their phone? Forget they asked?. Why ask me, get a reply and then ignore it? I’ll never understand that. Or the ones that message with ‘hey’ and then silence….what’s that about? Trying to see if I’m real? 

Same day requests are annoying if I can’t do them because it feels like income foregone but I’d rather they ask me because sometimes it works. This is a service business, you do need to be a bit flexible to clients requirements, within what’s reasonable for you. If you want the predictability of a 9 to 5 job….go and do a 9 to 5 job. I certainly wouldn’t do that! I love the variety of the job. 

I don’t see many scams, it’s mostly impossibly pretty females sending me direct messages on X. If only they looked at my X they’d see its full of gay porn. They’d get more chance of me falling for it if they send me some hot topless guy asking about a collab. That I’d probably reply to 😂

 

 

[Mark_fl]

Even if not interested, treat people politely. If the provider says they're not available,  I'll thank them for responding, since not everyone does.

If there is a face Pic, I dont ask for more pics. And I'll ask the provider, should we meet, what would make it enjoyable for them,  or if there are any limits they want to make me aware of.

I want a provider to want to see me again, so I try and make it as stress-free as possible, (but that doesn't mean I will ever send a deposit).

[JB_Studio38]

2 hours ago, Elite_XL said:

Same day appointments. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. I feel like you could be over complicating it sometimes by asking too much. If you are available cool, go get your buck, if not then just say no. Not even sure why get so upset about it. Except for the typical 2-4am ones that text you lol

As for deposits, I don’t see the point of asking for a deposit if you are doing an incall. Unless, in rare cases, the client is being weird or communicates in a weird way. Usually I just do it for outcalls.

I have an active thread on same day appointments, but my last response explains why it is not always productive: but it doesn’t mean I’m “upset” about it. However, some people ALWAYS expect a same day booking. Sometimes it’s the same ones as well. 
 

You’re coming from a place that is viewing the industry “like a Grindr profile”. It isn’t nor was it ever. Even when I first started around 2008, most all my best bookings were requested a day or 2 or longer ahead. I used to often run out for same day appointments, because I didn’t know better. I also used to accept guys asking for discounts, for same day appointments at that. Nowadays, I would never. It’s extra, not less. But having an attitude like, “sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not” isn’t going to put any value on it.
 

As for for deposits for incalls: being that I have to spend extra money to host sessions, typically in a hotel set up (I stopped offering bookings from home couple years ago) I do need a deposit for that. If they don’t show, I’m out of the money for it. 
 

Many people outside the industry think, “just do outcalls”. But they don’t understand that a large percentage of clients aren’t going to book a room solely for the purpose of a session. I just spent some time up north, and I had to host 4 clients, reserving accommodations each time. Many of them would rather send me a deposit (one even dropped the deposit off to me in cash…) than to book a hotel room for our time. 
 

It’s not over complicating by any means, it’s just years of experience has showed me what works, and what is stupid and foolish as all fuck. And couple years ago I booked a Sheraton Hotel for 2 different clients, SAME DAY NOTICE without a deposit: THEY BOTH flaked out on the same day. One even mocked me, saying: “I didn’t tell you to book a hotel room”. He tried to rebook for an outcall later on and flaked again, I was like…you can send the cancellation fee or I’ll come and get it personally myself 😆 
 

Way too many idiots and time-wasters ESPECIALLY in the Midwest, but they’re everywhere. I won’t go back to working without a deposit whether it’s host/travel or a combination of the 2.

Edited 1 hour ago by JB_Studio38