Sex Is A Booming Business In Panama

If you’ve ever been in Panama City, there’s no denying it - sex sells. The city is full of strip clubs, massage parlours, brothels and casinos. There are thousands of girls from many countries that are in Panama working in the sex trade business. The majority hail from Colombia, the Dominican Republic and other Central American nations.

The sex trade is a long standing tradition in Panama, probably most popular while the US Forces were stationed here. Now that Panama is drawing in more foreigners, tourists and businessmen are quickly becoming some of the best clients. Many Panamanian men are no strangers to this service either. The government of Panama even provides a limited number of visas for sex trade workers wanting to enter the country legally. Sex for hire is not really taboo in Panama.

There is an almost endless list of places one can procure a date for a few hours, the evening or a weekend.

Gentleman’s ClubsÂ
There are dozens of strip clubs in Panama City and a handful in the interior of the country. Usually these venues will charge a steep cover charge at the door, which often includes a few drinks. Unlike the US and Canada, patrons are encouraged to touch the girls on stage. The spectrum of the cleanliness, safety and enjoyability of these clubs is large. Some are very seedy and others are very similar to any high class nightclub, except for the naked girl dancing on stage. Prices vary greatly as well. Lap dances can run anywhere from $10 in the less-than-stellar places to $35 for the higher end joints. Many of these clubs have private rooms with full service. Prices usually have to be negotiated with the girl. Some clubs even allow you to take the girl home for the night. In these cases you will usually have to pay a fee to take the girl out of the club and then work out with her how much her services will cost.

Pick Up Bars
From the outside, many of these bars look like any other watering hole. Inside is where you will notice the difference. These places are packed with women, alone or with groups of friends. The girl-guy ratio is usually about 10 to 1 in these places, frequently called “hooker bars”. To organize a date in these bars it’s as simple as finding a girl you like, striking up a conversation and settling on a price.

Street Corners
You usually won’t find your top quality girls hanging out on street corners, but there are still some out there. There is even a street in Panama City where transvestite hookers hang out. Prices vary by person.

Brothels
Panama City has a handful of brothels, some decent, some not so decent. The girls will generally line up and you take your pick. The going rate for full service is around $100. Many of these whore houses are located in really sketchy parts of the city, so be careful getting around. Usually the more remote/scary the location is, the lower the price for services rendered.

Casinos
Casinos are one of the most popular places in Panama for working girls to hang out. They will either be sitting at the bar, or trying their luck at a table game or slot machine. The girls all have different prices, so ask first.

Classified Ads
Scan any of the newspapers in Panama and you will see advertisements for working girls. This can be tricky since it’s unlikely the ad includes a photo. You can also find many ads online, so you can set up a date before you even arrive in Panama.

The prices for services in all of these establishments are higher for foreigners than locals. If you hear a Panamanian being charged a lower price, there’s really nothing you can do about it. That’s just how it works.

Many hotels in Panama will not allow you to bring someone back to your hotel room if you didn’t initially check in with that person. The easy way to get around this is to book your room in a casino hotel. The other option you have are the many, many “push button” hotels. These places rent the rooms for a few hours at a time and are pretty reasonably priced. The quality and cleanliness varies greatly in these establishments as well.

 

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Filed under: Country Guide, Culture, News, Reviews on July 2nd, 2008