Top 13 Amsterdam Red Light District Facts in 2024
Posted on: December 1, 2024
13x Amsterdam Red Light District Facts
We listed the 13 most common misconceptions about Amsterdam’s Wallen area and answered them with the right Red Light District facts.
1 | Sex workers have high debts because of high rental costs
Not true!
Red Light District Facts: Sex workers rent their window brothels on a day-to-day basis and have to pay the rent before they start their shift. If the sex workers can not pay the rent, they won’t get a window brothel from the brothel operator. The large majority of window brothel operators require the rent to be paid upfront. The chance to incur debts with your landlord is therefore minimal.
2 | Sex workers in the Red Light District do not earn much
Not true!
Red Light District Facts: A really good night can bring in around 1000 euro for a sex worker. For normal evenings profits can range between 200 to 600 euros. Evenings that bring in less than 200 euros in profits are considered to be bad evenings. There will of course always be less successful sex workers, not every self-employed person can be successful after all.
The income of a prostitute in Amsterdam strongly depends on the day, the work location, her appearance, the weather, the competition, the season and the times.
3 | Sex workers have to accept every customer
False!
Red Light District Facts: Sex workers run their own business and can reject any person they want. Very often men are refused at the entrance of a window brothel. It could be that they offered too little or that they want something that the sex workers don’t offer.
4 | Sex workers earn just 50 euros or less per customer
Red Light District Facts: The starting price for negotiations is usually 50 euros for 15 to 20 minutes. For additional services customers have to pay extra. This does not automatically mean that the sex worker also has to spend more time with a client. It is very common for sex workers to earn more than 50 euros per customer.
Click on the button below to read the ‘Amsterdam Prostitution Menu‘. That article offers more information about Amsterdam’s Red Light District, (window) brothels and escorts.
ALL SERVICES & PRICES >
It is recommended to make clear agreements in advance with sex workers about the services and the corresponding prices. This prevents confusion & hassle and usually results in a better experience.
5 | Sex workers work at different window brothels every day
Incorrect!
Red Light District Facts: In general, sex workers prefer to have the same workplace for every working day.
6 | Rents for window brothels have risen drastically in the last 10 years
Correct!
Red Light District Facts: The supply of window brothels in the Red Light District has decreased considerably in the last 10 years due to the Amsterdam’s purchasing of window brothel real estate. However the scarcity in window brothels has not led to a drastic increase in rent prices.
On average, the rent price for a window brothel in the Red Light District is 165 euros. The price has risen by 15 euros over the past 10 years. That is a price increase of around 1% per year.
Currently, Amsterdam’s Red Light District has 288 window brothels. Before the municipality of Amsterdam launched the gentrification project – called Project 1012 -, there were 369 window brothels in the Red Light District. In other words; 77 windows have been closed down by the local government.
7 | Sex work in Amsterdam Red Light District is not safe
Incorrect!
Red Light District Facts: Amsterdam’s Red Light District is one of the safest prostitution areas in the world. This is due the following reasons: Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal, strict legislation applies, there is a lot of police and social control present.
Recent research in the Netherlands has shown that sex workers who work outside the licensed circuit are at significantly greater risk. Working in a massage parlor, hotel room or at home brings greatly increased safety risks. Working in a window brothel or a erotic club yielded a number of significant protective results. Some comments on safety by sex workers from the research paper:
‘I find the work in a massage-parlor much more dangerous than other types of sex work. Especially because it is not clear in advance what the service entails and what the customer can expect.’
Moulin Rouge offers sex shows.
8 | There are many male sex workers in the Red Light District
Red Light District Facts: There are no male sex workers in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. Male sex workers in the Netherlands tend to work as escorts and thus don’t need a window brothel to offer their services. There are however some transgender sex workers.
9 | The minimum age for sex work in the Red Light District is 18
False!
Red Light District Facts: The minimum age for sex work in Amsterdam’s Red Light District is 21. The minimum age for sex work is arranged locally, not nationally, as result of this sex workers can work as an escort from the age of 18. We listed the 10 best escort agencies in Amsterdam in this free article.
10 ESCORTS IN AMSTERDAM >
10 | Sex Workers spend a lot of money on STD testing
Not true! STD testing for sex workers is free in the Netherlands. Sex workers do check ups on a regular basis. These check ups are not mandatory though.
11 | Amsterdam’s Red Light District does not contain coffeeshops
False! There are 14 coffeeshops in the Red Light District – including two of Amsterdam’s oldest ones.
12 | The Red Light District does not have any residents
Incorrect. The neighborhood has 4,295 inhabitants, which is 0.5% of the total number of residents of Amsterdam. (Source: Amsterdam Red Light District Wiki)
13 | The Red Light District is not open on Sunday
Nope! Amsterdam Red Light District is always open. It can always be visited and people live and work here too. Also on Sunday’s 😉
Amsterdam Tours
Also read:
30x Amsterdam Fun Facts
Amsterdam Red Light District Rules
