Getting patrons at Nevada brothels takes some enticing — and marketing

PAHRUMP — The sex isn't going to sell itself at Sheri's Ranch. 

Sure, the 310-acre resort 60 miles west of Las Vegas comes with the standard 20-something women offering the age-old allure of forbidden lust. And they do most of the work once customers get onsite.

But getting the patrons there takes a little enticing — or at least marketing.

That's where a guy with thick, black-framed glasses comes in.

No, not literally into the room with tie-dye fabrics, a Jim Morrison poster and a circular bed that could pass as Austin Powers' psychedelic shag party.

But via press releases, blog posts and tweets from Jeremy Lemur, the Sheri's Ranch PR man. Lemur makes a living shining a spotlight on the world's oldest profession, vying for the brothel's piece of the upscale sex consumer pie.

Part of his campaign includes some prose on prostitution from workers themselves. One of his blog posts includes a workout regimen — cross-training and running, not unlike your next-door neighbor's — that would keep anyone in ship shape in or out of them gym.

An August press release, penned by Lemur, invited journalists to write about and photograph legal prostitutes training for a "sex marathon." It quoted Olivia, one of the brothel's licensed prostitutes.

"When a young guy or an older gentleman that just took a special blue pill wants to basically have a sex marathon, I have to be ready for the unexpected," she said in the release. "I can't really 'tap out' or just lay there (unless it's a necrophilia fetish)."

Champagne, souvenirs and lobsters

Double entendre is nothing new, neither are gimmicks. But the business model is.

Over the past two decades, the number of licensed brothels in Nevada — the only state with legalized prostitution — has dropped to 18 from 36.

Barbara Brents, a UNLV sociology professor and co-author of "The State of Sex: Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland," said it's competition, particularly the illegal variety, that has forced rural brothels to change.

Competition from escort services, nonlicensed sex workers and consolidation of other local brothels, like those owned by Dennis Hof, who owns the Moonlite BunnyRanch, featured on HBO's "Cathouse," Brents said, mean Sheri's has to do things a little differently to stand out.

So the ranch, opened in 2001 by former Chicago police homicide detective Chuck Lee, has a gym. And a romance suite. And a pirate suite. An Egyptian-themed suite. And a King Arthur bungalow — like some properties on the Strip.

As were packages that Sheri's started selling in 2014, at a base price of $2,100. Besides a voucher for some services, amenities included transportation from Las Vegas, a two-night stay, and a souvenir from the gift shop. Add-ons included extra nights, champagne and a steak and lobster dinner.

Lemur didn't want to get into current prices but said there's something for just about everyone who's of age. Even on a budget.

He doesn't want them to think, "'Oh, I could never afford to be at Sheri's Ranch,' Lemur said, "when the reality is of course they can."

"You could understand that it could give people the wrong idea," Lemur said.

Practicing safe sex

A tour of Sheri's showed the stark contrast between Nevada's regulated sex trade and the one that lives in shadows.

Added safety measures in a brothel includes trained staff for security, doctors who provide regular checkups and screenings for sexually transmitted diseases and the mandatory use of condoms.

It's a stark contrast to Tropicana Avenue west of Interstate 15, which Las Vegas police commonly refer to as "Tropicana Corridor." On the mile-and-a-half stretch between the freeway and Decatur Boulevard, a nightly dance between hookers and pimps often ends in violence.

Earlier this year, police found an 11-year-old girl selling sex.

But in Pahrump, it's out in the open.

A sign reads "girls, girls, girls." It leads to the ivory-colored parlor.

Madam Dina gives the rundown.

"So, when you do the line up, you sit on that sofa there, and all the ladies that are available line up for you. And you pick one out of the line up, and then she brings you back to your room."

There's a sports bar, with a menu that includes chicken tenders, nachos and the five-patty "Gut Buster Burger" — free for those who can eat that with all the sides and fixings in 30 minutes or fewer.

And then go have sex with a woman who's in excellent shape.

"More-monied" clients are what ritzy brothels such as Sheri's are after, though, Brents said. The atmosphere attracts tourists typically interested in purchasing an "experience," rather than a quick sex act.

Brothels in even more far-flung areas often are clusters of mobile homes, meant to appeal to to truck drivers, who are often in a hurry.

It depends what the customer is looking for, according to Erin, who didn't give her last name.

For the redhead who bills herself as a Marine veteran, that means keeping in shape. She also has an affinity for Star Wars and video games.

Oh and sex toys.

"You make as much money as you're willing to work hard enough to make," Erin said. "It's really the ultimate sales job."

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV