Brothel wants to add men to lineup, awaits state approval

By Marshall Allen

Published Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 | 12:46 p.m.

Updated Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 | 5:17 p.m.

UPDATED STORY: New era: Health authorities open brothels to male prostitutes

The Shady Lady Ranch, near Beatty, bills itself as a brothel for the working man.

Pretty soon it might put some men to work.

If state regulators give the go-ahead Friday, male prostitutes may be working at the brothel as soon as New Year's Day.

Brothel owner Bobbi Davis's plan to provide male prostitutes to her clients hit a snag when it was discovered that current regulations are female gender specific — they required cervical examinations to test for sexually transmitted diseases.

Thus, the Nevada State Board of Health will consider a waiver Friday that would allow urethral examinations for male prostitutes to test for venereal diseases.

"I expect it to go through without any problems," said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the Nevada ACLU, who is representing the brothel.

George Flint, lobbyist for the Nevada Legal Brothels Association, had a sour attitude when asked about the male prostitutes.

"I'm fine if you don't want to talk about the Shady Lady," Flint said. "I have no comment."

When asked if he would attend Friday's hearing, he said: "None of your damn business."

Other brothels tried hiring male prostitutes decades ago but they never caught on, Davis said. More recently, Hollywood madame Heidi Fleiss tried to open what she called a "stud ranch" near Pahrump.

Davis thinks the increase in female executives and women's liberation could provide a client base.

Davis said she'll hire one or two men for the position. Four men have applied so far, she said.

She's hiring the men to respond to demand from female clients, but the prostitutes can determine whether they will also serve men, she said.

The gigolo rates will be close to what the female prostitutes charge, she said, about $200 an hour.

The base rate might include longer time periods to allow the men to "romance" their female clients, she said.

So who's the perfect man for the job?

"I'm not expecting any real muscle men, but they have to be in good shape," she said.

And they have to be prepared to perform once or twice a day, she added.

"Some guys can. Some guys can't."