Prostitution is legal in Hong Kong, but the traditional interpretation of a brothel is not.
If you are looking for a traditional brothel, where you are introduced to a line-up of ladies and led away one of many rooms, you will find that things work differently in HK. That’s because it is illegal for more than one prostitute to work in the same premises.
In this guide, we will look at the closest thing to Hong Kong brothels, as well as the type of sexual services offered at other adult establishments around Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
The One-Woman Brothel
Hong Kong law does not allow more than one prostitute to provide sexual services in the same premises.
This has led to the rise of the one-woman brothel.
In this environment, a prostitute operates in an apartment that only she has access to. She will advertise in one of two ways: either online and in print advertisements (commonly found in local newspapers), or by virtue of her location.
By virtue of her location?
Inevitably, many prostitution rings (and the triads) have found an easy way to circumvent the lack of legal brothel licensing. Even though a single apartment can only have one prostitute working in it, that doesn’t stop large prostitution syndicates from buying up entire tower blocks or apartment floors.
Fuji Building: Hong Kong’s Red Light Block
One of the most famous Hong Kong brothels — or rather, collection of brothels — is the Fuji Building located at 381-383 Lockhart Road in Bowrington.
It is instantly recognisable for its pink painted exterior against a backdrop of grey. The block towers up by 22 floors and 18 of them are devoted entirely to one-woman brothels.
In total, over 100 prostitutes ply their trade in the Fuji Building, each taking clients in to small bedsits that are marked as separate units by the following criteria:
- Only one prostitute works there at any given time
- The unit has its own water connection
- The unit has its own electricity meter
- Nobody else can access the property
So long as this criteria is met, the brothel is completely legal for both the escort and her clients.
While it is true that Hong Kong doesn’t have the luxury spa-like brothels that are found in Australia and New Zealand (as well as parts of Europe), it certainly does have plenty of high-rise living quarters where a client could go from door to door.
This video via LANLAN takes a glimpse inside the famous Fuji Building, as well as the neon-lit interiors you can expect to find inside a HK brothel:
As you can see, the women in these brothels are under no illusion over what a knock on the door means.
The Fuji Building brothels operate somewhat like the red light district of Amsterdam, except in a tower block, and with front doors instead of glass windows.
To help clients choose, the ladies will sometimes place their own sexy photos on the front door, thus leaving absolutely no doubt about the type of encounter to be expected inside…
HK Massage Parlours… Brothels in Disguise?
We’ve got an entire guide dedicated to the many erotic massage parlours of Hong Kong.
However, we see it asked a lot:
“Can I buy full sex at a massage parlour?”
While it’s inevitable that some ladies at some parlours will accept full sex for extra cash, the majority of these establishments offer a menu that stops just short of full sex.
The most common ‘extra’ for your massage is a handjob (happy ending) or oral sex, or Russian (a titty job).
Adult massage parlours often have multiple women providing services on the premises, therefore it is dangerous for full sex to become a staple on the menu. This would tick the box of a brothel with more than one women working in it, and would therefore be illegal.
Spend long enough cruising Kowloon and you will no doubt find parlours where full sex is on the menu, but if that is what you’re looking for, you are better served heading to one of the many heavily advertised one-woman brothels.
Karaoke and Sex: Night Clubs
Tsim Sha Tsui East is Hong Kong’s hotspot for the so-called ‘night clubs’, aka hostess clubs.
These venues are a front for a brothel, but the sexual nature of the arrangements is loosely defined.
Many Asian men frequent Karaoke nightclubs where the hostess will receive a steady slew of commission for drinks purchased. It just so happens that attached to many of these clubs is a makeshift hotel.
Or private rentable rooms.
The club will rent out these private rooms on a short-term basis, to the escort and her client. Perfectly legally. Meanwhile the escort will strike up a separate deal for whatever services she plans to render. Again, perfectly legally.
When you hear talk of karaoke clubs, hostess clubs, or the rampant red lit night clubs of Tsim Sha Tsui East, there’s a pretty good chance that it’s more than a little sing-song which the clientele are indulging in.
(Although they’re pretty crazy about that too!)
Have you been to any of Hong Kong’s one-woman brothels?
Are there any apartment floors or tower blocks where you have seen lots of prostitution?
Let us know your comments and experiences below.