Obviously, for the most part, the reason is: S-E-X. But clearly there’s a lot more to it than just that.

To chat through this topic, The Hook Up enlisted sex worker, activist and noted geek, Lucie Bee, and Jules Kim, CEO at Scarlet Alliance, Australia’s peak sex work organisation.

First up, do your research

It can all be quite overwhelming, says Lucie. Before getting into the industry she had experience on the other end, when she was booking a sex worker for herself. She finds that one of the issues can be that there’s “so much variety”. It can be hard to know what to look for and how exactly to choose.

But she does recommend starting off with a search to find the best provider for you: “Google where you are and who you want to meet. If you’re after a specific service – kink, for example – then maybe more of a refined keyword search is the way to go.”

Then you’ve got to go deep. “Obviously photos are the first thing that are going to give you an indicator, or might be the first reason you click on a profile, but beyond that it’s just really important to just have a read through because we are literally giving you a guide about how to get the best out of your booking.”

There are so many rules around advertising when it comes to sex work that it can be quite hard to decifer. “Unfortunately a lot of the rules and laws are quite ridiculous and are fairly arbitrary and vary state-by-state,” says Jules. “That is where a lot of that online advertising has provided a certain degree of freedom.” But there are still certain words that can’t be used and descriptions will need to be “a bit veiled.”

“For me, a lot of [research] would be going on social media,” says Lucie. “I think you can get a really good vibe and see people and the way they interact with other workers. And see if other workers are promoting them as well.”

OBVIOUSLY be respectful

Ideally you want everyone to feel good about the experience. While you’re booking, think of it like any other appointment you’d be making and consider how you would talk to any other human. And then, when it comes to the booking itself, pay attention to what the worker is saying and asking of you.

Most importantly, both you and the workers need to feel safe and usually they will have been clear about their expectations and boundaries. “We’re not trying to be the fun police,” says Lucie. “We are definitely here for the fun and we want to make sure that we get to the fun as quickly as we can but there’s a few things that we have to consider as providers and that you should also consider going into it. And if everyone’s treating each other with respect – the same way you would a service provider in any other industry – then you’re gonna have a good time.”

What if you live in a remote area?

According to Lucie a lot of workers will tour rurally. “I know a lot of this stuff is done online but you can check the classifieds,” recommends Lucie. “A lot of workers who are travelling rurally will advertise in the classifieds and a lot of different advertising sites are broadening and making it so we can list our tours when we’re going to places that are a little bit off the beaten track.”

“There’s also nothing wrong with having a look around and seeing if there’s a worker who goes to places in and around your area and just saying, Hey, I’d love to see you around here sometime. Or asking if they know anyone who does go there. Sometimes they’ll answer your question, sometimes they might ask you to do your own research. But if you’re very polite and nice with your request, people will do what they can to help you. And it’s nice to know where people want to see us.”