ABSTRACT

Given the often sensational accounts of sex work in the media, it may be a surprise to hear that researching sex work by immigrant, migrant and racialised women in Vancouver, Canada and Melbourne, Australia was, for the most part, a relatively straightforward and undramatic process.1 That is not to say that discussions with sex workers were not rich, lively and illuminating-they were, very much so. But rather than introducing this study with a dramatic anecdote, I offer a simple walk through some of the sex workspaces in both cities, in order to set the scene for the conversations that follow. In Vancouver, a significant part of research involved visiting massage shops in various neighbourhoods.2 For the most part, this was relatively straightforward. In Vancouver, these are typically small-scale shopfront businesses, often located beside neighbouring restaurants, shops, grocery stores and other small businesses in a wide socio-economic range of neighbourhoods. In terms of appearance, they are not ‘hidden’ or ‘underground’, but they are discreet and more or less blend in with local neighbourhood economies. They are perhaps most noticeable by the reduced presence of shopfront advertising, in contrast to the busy windows typical of neighbouring businesses. Interiors leaned towards simple spa furnishings, with massage tables as the norm in most workrooms (as opposed to beds, which are permitted in Melbourne’s licensed brothels). Decor was often feminine, which could perhaps permit an easy transition or ‘passing’ as a spa or beauty salon for female clientele. Indeed, there were a few businesses where the nature of services provided was ambiguous. In some of these businesses, workers confirmed that a range of services was available, including both sexual services (e.g. masturbation, oral sex, body rubs, intercourse), which may constitute the majority of an establishment’s business, as well as non-sexual services such as cosmetic treatments for a minority of male and female clients. The feminine, standardised decor of workrooms across different establishments contrasted with the much greater diversity and individualisation of workers’ lounges (i.e. staff rooms, break rooms). In contrast to the tidy and somewhat homogeneous workrooms, staff lounges often included a comfortable jumble of sofas, chairs or beds for workers to recline on, small lockers or bureaus with lockable drawers for individual workers and stacks of magazines, take-out menus, clothing and cosmetics on various surfaces.