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landlords. "There's no way I wanted to offend anyone with what I was doing," she said, so she looked further afield. Eventually she received a phone call from a real estate agent about a run-down brothel available for $25,000. Everything about it was sleazy. There was a sliding peephole window where men handed over money and peered in to choose a girl. That was the first thing to go. Katrina spent $50,000 renovating the premises to match her vision. "Sex is an area I don't have hang ups about and I'd like the world to feel the same," she said. "It doesn't have to be complicated." Pandora, a worker at the brothel, has a similar attitude. "What's so wrong about getting paid for something in life that's so enjoyable? I'm quite a sexual person so the way I think about it is, 'I just got paid to have an orgasm!' I like that." Both Pandora and Chloe described prostitution as a demanding job. Every client is different. "Prostitution has become a career choice. It's not for everyone, but then what profession is?" "Married men mostly just want to be close to somebody, to cuddle; they don't necessarily want sex. They just want to be touched and feel needed. I guess it's something they're not getting at home." However, most of the males coming in are young men who come in groups and are out for fun. They're boisterous and full of bravado, but when you get them in the room they're lovely, the girls agree. Katrina expects the women who work for her to be treated with respect. They wait in their own lounge before being introduced individually to potential clients for a chat, just as a hostess introduces guests in her home. "Rejection is one of the issues we need to be careful about," Katrina commented. "Usually men come in with a fantasy about what they want. The girls need to be aware that if they're not chosen, it's not about them personally. What's important is that they retain their self-esteem." Prostitution has become a career choice. It's not for everyone, but then what profession is? Chloe likened it to being an actress. "I've always wanted to be someone else. Walking out of here, I'm Anne, but walking in, I'm Chloe, and Chloe has a confidence Anne doesn't have. I love Chloe because she's everything I've wanted to be." It's unlikely that prostitution will ever again be considered sacred, as it apparently was in ancient cultures. But with caring women such as Katrina, Chloe and Pandora working as professionals, there is the intention of encouraging respect towards our working women. Yvonne Andrew The good, the bad and the hilarious of running a brothel: 1. Katrina's workers say she is too young and attractive to be a Madam. They refer to her as 'The Pimpcess'. 2. Katrina's funniest/ awkward moment was when a young man arrived with a group of friends at the same time his father was dodging out the back door. 3. An Asian man tried bargaining to get the price down. "But I'll only last a minute," he said. 4. A paraplegic asked for help to be brought up the stairs. Several girls helped with carrying the wheelchair and the mission was accomplished. But coming down again, Katrina missed the bottom stair. Client, wheelchair and madam collapsed in a heap on the floor. Luckily the client didn't feel a thing! 5. One of the girls nipped out to buy milk at a dairy two doors away. The dairy owner spoke Cantonese to another customer who was a friend of his. The friend then followed the girl back to the brothel. The dairy owner had 'pimped her out' or 'organised a job for her'. He was determined to be a good neighbour. www.hermagazine.co.nz | 43