Amsterdam’s sex district open for business

With no kissing allowed, how will the famous red-light district operate?


Amsterdam, Netherlands, became one of the world’s leading sex tourism destinations in 2000 when prostitution was made legal.

The city’s famed Red-Light District typically attracts an estimated more than 1,000 tourists each week, making the industry a major contributor to the national tax coffers.

However, as with all aspects of business, commercial sex work has also taken a massive blow due to the global lockdowns created by the coronavirus.

A worker cleaning a sex worker’s room in Amsterdam.

“During the lockdown, a lot of sex workers ran into financial trouble so we’re very happy that we can finally start our job again,” Felicia Anna, the chairwoman of the Red-Light United trade union, told The Guardian.

Brothels in the Netherlands were meant to remain shut until September this year, but the reopening date was brought forward to July 1.

Anti-coronavirus masks adapted for kink.

Felicia Anna, a 34-year-old Romanian sex worker, said it “felt very good” to be back at work, while Foxxy, a sex worker and activist at the Prostitution Information Center in Amsterdam said she was already fully booked for Wednesday.

So, how are brothels going to operate under the new normal?

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