There are several establishments in locations around the city which fall into the category of Sex Clubs. They're sometimes referred to as Gentleman's Clubs or Sex Saunas. Typically these are the most expensive venues spending several hundred euros in an evening is typical. They provide bars, expensive champagne, themed rooms, jacuzzi, saunas, etc. Upon entry, the available women are lounging in the bar and lounge area. You'll mingle both with them, and with other customers. The better clubs prohibit the women from initiating contact, and you're free to stay as long as you like, but if you are interested in a particular lady, you'll invite them to sit with you for a chat and a drink. Once she's seated with you, she, or other staff, may try to sell you on a bottle of champagne something to be worry of, as this champagne can be expensive between €100-500. A woman working in these establishments receive something like half of the hourly fee for their sexual services, so they may work hard to reap a potential commission from champagne sales. She may even be prohibited by management from drinking anything else, or there may be a requirement that champagne be purchased before you can go to a room. If you find yourself in this situation, offer the lady a tip. That's usually all it takes. If you're smitten and wish to go further, you'll then make arrangements to take her to one of the rooms. Incidentally, if you are amenable to buying the lady a champagne, perhaps you'll also wonder how she can drink so much alcohol every night as part of her job. It's not a problem for her, because it's not real champagne, it's a carbonated non-alcoholic soft drink concocted to look like the real stuff, then bottled. In a very fancy bottle. The

prohibition from drinking anything else except alcohol-free faux champagne that you may find in certain clubs, has real health benefits for the ladies who work in them night after night. But of course, the profit for everyone involved is the real motivation. One other aspect to be worry of is the surcharge levied by taxi drivers your author coined the phrase "taxi-scam" many moons ago to describe this, and it's become the accepted term. You'll pay the usual metered charge and a tip, then the taxi driver will go into the club and collect his commission. This is often a whopping €75. Who pays for this? You do. It's padded into your bill by the club. There's no sense in arguing with anyone about this practice, it's simply the accepted way that things are done.

One way around this is to ask for a location nearby, wait several minutes, then continue on to where you really want to be. But be careful, the taxi drivers are aware of this trick, and wouldn't it be embarrassing to find the driver inside collecting his commission when you entered? The other way, of course, is to arrive by public transport, on foot, or by bicycle, but for the visitor this may be impractical as the clubs are located all over town. It's also been observed that certain clubs may deny entrance to anyone who arrives without a taxi, or that the club charges an excessive entry fee, mainly for the benefit of the taxi drivers.

Now if you're thinking, "Damn" the extra cost, I don't care!, go ahead, give the taxi driver your exact destination. He, or the taxi company he works for, may not have an "agreement" with that particular club, so he might inform you that the club you want to go to is closed, or has even burned down, he'll then helpfully suggest an alternative one that he does have an agreement with. Don't laugh, we've witnessed these things ourselves.

In a sex club you'll usually receive your bill after wards. This may seem convenient, but there's a reason you're less likely to notice excessive charges.

You may go to a sex club and you'll find that you have the time of your life, without a trace of anything we've said above. And it's certainly possible. But forewarned is forearmed, as they say.