Mention the idea of Lisbon escorts to many people and they’ll immediately assume you’re talking about prostitution. On the surface, you’d quite rightly argue that there are certain similarities between escorts and prostitutes. However, there are considerably more differences. And important differences, at that.
Unfortunately, escorts and prostitutes continue to be grouped within the same bracket by the vast majority of people. An issue that can be harmful to the reputations of established escorts, while at the same time confusing and misleading those considering such services.
So with this in mind, the following article sets out to clearly determine the differences between Lisbon escorts and prostitutes, once and for all.
What is a Prostitute?
Taking a look at prostitution first of all, prostitutes are individuals who accept money for sexual favours. The legality of prostitution varies significantly from one country to the next, though prostitution as a concept is permitted in most nations. Contrary to popular belief, it’s the activities that surround prostitution that are illegal in most places.
For example, advertising the services of prostitutes, pimping, running or working for a brothel and so on. There’s technically nothing to stop a prostitute selling their services for money, but the life of the prostitute can be extremely difficult and dangerous. In theory, the only way to legally offer services as a prostitute is to tout for business independently, with absolutely no assistance or protection whatsoever. Prostitutes often find themselves in potentially dangerous situations, due to their inability to screen or consider clients before doing business with them.
What is an Escort?
By contrast, escorts provide a considerably wider variety of services. At its heart, the escort industry isn’t necessarily about sexual favours specifically. Instead, it is about providing companionship for a variety of purposes, in exchange for money. Given that escorts do not technically advertise purely sexual services, escort agencies and general marketing are not illegal for escorts.
When an escort is hired, he or she is hired for a specific period of time in a specific place and usually for a specific purpose. It could be for a night on the town, to accompany a client to a restaurant, even to attend a meeting with a person on a business trip. Depending on what happens, the escort may go ahead and have sex with the client, but this isn’t compulsory. So while escorts are often grouped within the same bracket as prostitutes, there are marked differences to the services they provide.
Safety and Security
Another significant difference between Lisbon escorts and prostitutes is the additional safety and security that comes with working as an escort. These days, the vast majority of successful escorts do business via an established and reputable agency. Along with assisting with all the marketing and administrative aspects of the job, working with an agency can also make it easier to screen clients before agreeing to meet them. Rather than simply taking chances on random people, escort agencies approach things in a much more strategic and safety-conscious way.
Escorts working with agencies also get to tap into the knowledge and advice of an extensive network of service providers and industry experts. It isn’t simply a case of being thrown out into the wild and going it alone. Professional escorts are typically taken care of to a surprising extent.
Glamour and Sophistication
Something else that separates prostitutes from escorts is the way in which the latter often enjoys a certain level of glamour and sophistication. While everyday lifestyles differ significantly from one escort to the next, it’s still an entirely different lifestyle to that of the traditional prostitute. With prostitution, the service provider is hired, taken to a random location and expected to deliver as required. It’s often a seedy, uncomfortable and dangerous transaction that brings little enjoyment to the service provider.
Escorts enjoy an entirely different approach to the provision of their services. Along with exclusively arranging meetings in safe and comfortable locations, escorts accompany their clients to dinners, spend their evenings in exclusive hotels and even get taken on luxurious trips on a regular basis. Regular clients buy gifts for escorts, hand over generous tips above agreed rates and generally look out for their wellbeing. Not every escort experiences the same level of glamour and sophistication, but working as an escort is nonetheless entirely different to working as a prostitute.
Higher Rates
Unsurprisingly, experienced escorts are also able to charge exponentially higher rates than traditional prostitutes. Given the exclusively physical nature of the services provided by prostitutes, a typical encounter is usually over within the hour. If not 15 minutes or so. It’s the kind of quick-fix service millions make use of every day, though also isn’t the kind of service you can realistically charge a great deal for, these days.
The difference with escort services being that an escort will typically spend several hours, a full evening or even a weekend with a client. Even in instances where the duration is relatively short, a good escort will still charge a high three- or four-figure sum for their services. All the while enjoying the high-life. It’s not unheard of for experienced escorts in certain cities to take home six figures annually, along with all kinds of gifts and other luxuries.
Ease of Access
Last up, one of the biggest differences between prostitutes and escorts from the perspective of the client is the ease with which the services of the latter can be secured.
Whether travelling long distances or simply looking for an enjoyable evening at home, it’s perfectly possible to reserve the services of high-class escort ahead of time, or arrange a last-minute visit if preferred. With prostitutes, it’s typically a case of physically going and looking for available services, which along with inconvenient and dangerous could also mean breaking the law.
So next time you encounter someone who thinks escorts and prostitutes are one and the same, feel free to re-educate them on our behalf!
