Sex and Business in China

[Valmy]

I definitely understand the appeal of these clubs.

Explain.  Why not just go to a strip club?  They have those in Japan as well.

[Jacob]

People with experience of Asia would understand.

Is it because in their cultures of shame they long for acceptance?  But I don't think Korea is like that, just Japan.

Apparently in Korea, hostess bars are called "Room Salons" and even a quick perusal of the internet makes it pretty clear that depending on the establishment, different additional services may or may not be negotiable.

Prostitution is illegal in South Korea, unfortunately it is also openly advertised on fliers that litter the street at night and on loud neon awnings that offer "massages." At room salons (aka hostess clubs) men will have the pleasure of chatting and drinking with beautiful women, as well as their "services." There is also semi prostitution with differing levels, including businesses that sell make-out sessions. This type of illegal lust is part of the dark side of Korea that no one likes to talk about. It's kept hidden away from non-Koreans to portray the squeaky clean image that Korea wants. But pretty soon, the undergrowth of Korea's sex world becomes more and more evident, and soon you start to realize that sex sells (literally) on nearly every street corner.

http://seoulistic.com/travel-to-korea/7-deadly-sins-seoul-lust-clubs-bars-and-sex/

I don't think it has anything to do with "cultures of shame" and everything to do with displays of status and the enjoyment of flirting and sex.

[Admiral Yi]

Explain.  Why not just go to a strip club?  They have those in Japan as well.

More social interaction in a hostess club.

[Valmy]

I don't think it has anything to do with "cultures of shame" and everything to do with displays of status and the enjoyment of flirting and sex.

Wait so I need an understanding of Asian culture to understand prostitution rackets?  Pretty sure we have those everywhere.

[Valmy]

Explain.  Why not just go to a strip club?  They have those in Japan as well.

More social interaction in a hostess club.

The dancers will talk with you and do all that crap.  Or at least so my friends tell me.

[Admiral Yi]

The dancers will talk with you and do all that crap.  Or at least so my friends tell me.

Dancers will give you an extended sales pitch for lap dances/private dances.

[Jacob]

I definitely understand the appeal of these clubs.

Explain.  Why not just go to a strip club?  They have those in Japan as well.

You phrase that as if stripping as a way of perving on pretty girls for money and negotiating sexual services is somehow simpler and more natural than hostess bars or any of the other variations elsewhere.

High level they're the same thing - you go to a place where there are pretty girls; they will pay some attention to you; and further services of different kinds are negotiable.

Hostess bars et. al. have a bit more of individualized attention, simulating hook-ups and dating, while strip clubs have more of a "watching a show" vibe, while Karaoke Clubs (of that certain kind) have more of a "partying together" vibe. In the end, however, it's about spending money for female attention and getting your rocks off.

As for going to a hostess bar where there are no sexual services available, the parallel is not "going to the strip club", it's going to Hooters or the Tilted Kilt or any of those upscale lounge places where they have minimum neck-line-plunge and above-the-knee requirements for the pretty waitresses.

[Valmy]

The dancers will talk with you and do all that crap.  Or at least so my friends tell me.

Dancers will give you an extended sales pitch for lap dances/private dances.

And the hostesses will try to get you to do things to get money out of you as well.  Or at least that is what the wiki page says.

[Josquius]

Snacks aren't hostess clubs. Sort of.
As I say whether the girl is attractive isn't necessarily so. I actually have a few female friends who work/have worked in such places and they aren't whores (well, except my ex, duh).
My first experience with one was actually by mistake, me and some friends thought it was just a cool little Japanese bar only to be hit by a $20 cover for our 1 beer each.
The standard of snacks is a little box room with only bar seating, maybe 6 customers or so at a time.
These ones I went to when I worked with a Japanese company....I guess some were of a somewhat different genre, Philippine Clubs. But some used the name snack; Big places where as well as the bar women there are women paid to mingle with the guests, pour them drinks, listen to them bitch about their boss, etc...
Hostess bars are pretty famous and I'm sure everyone knows those at least. Snacks...They're similar but much cheaper and more casual.
The company I worked for in Japan wasn't exactly top class afterall.

[Valmy]

As for going to a hostess bar where there are no sexual services available, the parallel is not "going to the strip club", it's going to Hooters or the Tilted Kilt or any of those upscale lounge places where they have minimum neck-line-plunge and above-the-knee requirements for the pretty waitresses.

Ah gotcha.  See?  That was not so hard for somebody not from Asia to understand.

[Jacob]

I don't think it has anything to do with "cultures of shame" and everything to do with displays of status and the enjoyment of flirting and sex.

Wait so I need an understanding of Asian culture to understand prostitution rackets?  Pretty sure we have those everywhere.

That's kind of the opposite of what I was saying. First off, I think the various forms of prostitution in Asia are driven by the same impulses as drive the ones in the West (so no specific Asian cultural understanding required), and secondly I think the whole "culture of shame" concept isn't particularly relevant to understanding the regional differences between prostitution.

[Jacob]

As for going to a hostess bar where there are no sexual services available, the parallel is not "going to the strip club", it's going to Hooters or the Tilted Kilt or any of those upscale lounge places where they have minimum neck-line-plunge and above-the-knee requirements for the pretty waitresses.

Ah gotcha.  See?  That was not so hard for somebody not from Asia to understand.

[Josquius]

I think the culture of shame thing is somewhat relevant to prostitution.
In Japan it is sort of expected that your husband will cheat. The key is; will the wife/her friends find out.
Wheras in the west we come from a cultural background of "The great beyond will see me and judge me", in Asia its more about actually being seen and the community finding out.
Which is probably key to why professionals are so in  demand rather than doing it the normal way
They do have quite a different approach to such things.

[Valmy]

secondly I think the whole "culture of shame" concept isn't particularly relevant to understanding the regional differences between prostitution.

Why do you keep harping on this?  I brought it up once a wild guess and then immediately said it probably did not apply to Korea so probably was not the reason. Does Japan not have a shame based culture?

[Admiral Yi]

And the hostesses will try to get you to do things to get money out of you as well.  Or at least that is what the wiki page says.

I've been to a room salon about 10 times and the price has always been fixed.  The girls might hustle for a bigger tip, but hustling consists of doing their job.