Want to know more about the sex scene in Delhi?
With a population of almost 19 million people, Delhi is a sprawling metropolitan area and includes historical Old Delhi as well as the modern city of New Delhi. It is one of India’s most popular tourist attractions and receives around 2.3 million visitors each year. As well as business travellers, the city is the gateway to India for many international tourists and the city must put its best foot forward to represent the nation. Fortunately, Delhi is well equipped to do so and this modern global city has a huge variety of ways to entertain its guests. As well as the cultural gems of The Red Fort, India Gate and Old Delhi, the city has hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants.
In this guide, we take a look at the adult industry of Delhi.
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Prostitution in Delhi
Prostitution in India is partially legalised as long as it takes place in private residences nor contravenes any other law such as coercion, trafficking and underage sex. The law also extends to cover the ban on running brothels, pimping, soliciting and pandering.
Because prostitution is restricted to private residences, this means that paying for sex in a hotel is illegal; however, this is very common and can not only be arranged by many hotels but is generally not policed.
Speaking of police, Delhi (like other Indian cities) has a degree of corruption in their forces and this can be seen when authorities turn a blind eye to certain practices. For the most part, tourists who are discreet and are not using the services of an underage prostitute or involved in other criminal activities can be assured of not being hassled.
Though sex is cheap, prostitution in India is a profitable market and one that is worth over $8.4 billion each year, making it the 7th largest in the world. There are a few official red light districts where brothels can be found, the largest of these is in Kolkata. The government is believed to be considering formally legalising the trade in an effort, not only to cash in on some of the tax revenue the industry could yield but also, to help improve working conditions and health care for prostitutes.
The majority of sex workers in Delhi are Indian but there are also plenty of other nationalities represented in the red-light areas including those from neighbouring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as European prostitutes. The latter group often demand a huge premium as Indian men will pay more for sex with white women.
The cost of sex in Delhi covers a huge range of budgets, starting at the price of a few dollars in the GB Road red-light district up to several hundred dollars for an escort in the city.
It is difficult to know the actual figure of sex workers in Delhi but conservative estimates place the figure at anywhere between 50,000 and 200,000.
Lastly, as is the case with prostitutes across much of South Asia, condoms are not widely used and the rate of HIV infection is high.
Delhi Escorts Guide
There are a lot of online directories where escorts in Delhi advertise their services.
A simple search of Google will uncover dozens of agencies, directories and classified websites.
Sex in Delhi
The main method of paying for sex in Delhi is via an escort with few international tourists being prepared to try the red-light areas or attempt a visit to one of the many brothels on GB Road (see below). However, there are other ways to get your rocks off in Delhi including swingers clubs or with a happy ending massage.
Brothels
Brothels, although illegal, can be found in their plenitude along the GB Road (see Red Light Districts below). However, these establishments are often very unsanitary and the general hygiene can be quite poor.
The price of sex at a brothel in Delhi is very cheap and customers can expect to pay no more than $5 at any given location.
Swinging Clubs
Swinging is not as popular in India as it is in Europe, North America or in Australia and you won’t find organised groups and clubs in Delhi. However, there are plenty of couples, some of whom are expats whilst others are locals, who indulge in the lifestyle. Finding polyamorous couples to hook up with is a case of using well established forums and websites and there are quite a few that cover swinging in Delhi to start you off with.
Erotic Massage Parlours
Delhi has hundreds of massage parlours in almost every area of the city ranging from modern spas that offer tantric massage to small back alley parlours that will give you a rub and tug for a few dollars. Some will offer happy endings whilst others provide more sensual treatments.
Prices reflect the kind of establishment you are visiting and the larger salons can charge as much as $150 for an hour. This is unusual and you should expect to pay around $30 for an hours treatment with happy ending.
You can also find various classified listings for salons that offer happy ending massage via Locanto.
Strip Clubs
Strip clubs are illegal in Delhi and you won’t find any pole dancing or lap dancing bars like you can in Europe, North America or even in parts of south-east Asia.
There are some illegal venues that often run strip events but these tend to move around and are generally of a very poor quality, often run for tourist scams and can be quite dangerous to visit. Several of the more popular venues have been closed down due to a ‘community backlash’ and even erotic dancing is off the menu in the city.
The closest you can get to a strip experience in Delhi is using an escort for a private performance or just head to one of the dance clubs and get up and close to a freelance prostitute.
Street Prostitutes and Red-Light Districts
Officially renamed Swami Shradhanand Marg in 1966, the former Garstin Bastion Road is ‘affectionately’ known as GB Road. It is the city’s only red-light district and is one of the most famous of all of India’s official red-light districts.
In general, the area is home to most of the city’s brothels as well as street hookers. But, before you get your hopes up, the area does not compare to any red-light areas you will be used to in the west, or even in other parts of Asia. GB Road is a dirty part of Delhi and there is a lot of poverty, crime and disease here.
Often touting for business in saris, the women as well as pimps tour the area for business or parade in the windows and balconies of the upper storey bordellos.
Most of the brothels will welcome foreigners but, be warned, many are not the most sanitary of places. Some have a better reputation than others.
Sex Shops
Sex shops aren’t common in India and most people buy their toys online as this offers both convenience as well as privacy. There are a few places in the city where you can pick up sex toys, like the market sellers in Ghaffar Market, Sarojini Nagar, Palika Bazar and Crawford Market.
However, the standard of products isn’t assured, and you have no means of recourse if you find they are shoddy in any way after you have completed the sale.
Online retailers can often deliver to hotels so, if you are after something specific, it is recommended to use a reputable online sex shop in India.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons.