Women will soon be able to pay to get fucked in Nevada - ah, the final freedom

The West Gets Wilder -- by MIREYA NAVARRO

PICTURE a pleasure oasis in the Nevada desert, a collection of luxurious bungalows featuring bedrooms with fireplaces where sexual fantasies and desires are catered to. Starting at $250 an hour.

But at this house, Heidi's Stud Farm, the prostitutes will be hunky men and the patrons women.

Heidi Fleiss is planning the all-male brothel on 60 acres in Nevada, where prostitution is often legal, and there are more than two dozen brothels of the conventional sort. Lawyers for Ms. Fleiss, the ex-Hollywood madam who served time in prison in the late 1990's on federal charges related to a high-end call-girl business, plan to apply for a license this month. Ms. Fleiss said she expects to have her house of ill repute up and running later in the year.

"The times have changed so much, with women in control," Ms. Fleiss, 40, said in a telephone interview from Nevada on Thursday. "Women make more money. They are more powerful. And it's a lonely world. People are tired of Internet dating. It's easier to go to a place where you know you'll have your dream man."

Is that possible? Are American women really ready for what will be among the first brothels of its kind? Will they pay for sex as a no-fuss transaction?

Researchers and groups that study or work with prostitutes say that American women already do pay under certain circumstances. Women as well as men can be "sex tourists," for example. While on vacation in spots like Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, women pay for sex and the companionship of usually younger men. Back home, while male escorts overwhelmingly cater to gay clients, groups that study prostitution say there is a niche in the business for those who cater to women.

More often, however, women pay for sex outside of the established sex industry, in the more informal, grayer area of a relationship with somebody they trust: a personal trainer, say, a tennis coach or, yes, a pool boy.

"Women prefer referrals, somebody safe, more intimate contact," said the director of Hook, an advocacy and educational group for men in the sex industry, who goes by the name Hawk Kinkaid.

Women have become major consumers of pornographic films and Web sites in recent years, largely because of the privacy afforded by the Internet. But women are also openly displaying interest in all things sexual, from the groups that gather for sex toy parties in private homes to the ritual of celebrating birthdays, bachelorette parties and even divorces at male strip clubs.

Though some of these sexual outlets are just erotic entertainment, some women seek more.

"We get offered all the time, 'How much for this guy?' " said Dan Remington, an owner of "Hollywood Men," a show of male strippers in Hollywood. "We don't do that."

On a recent Saturday night more than 100 women screamed, hollered and gawked at a performance of "Hollywood Men," as well-toned guys peeled down to their G-strings. The crowd included both young and older women. Would they drive or fly to Heidi's Stud Farm in Crystal, Nev., near Pahrump, about 88 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to indulge their wild side in a brothel?

"I would do it just for the experience," said Mayra Barreras, 20, a customer service representative for a mortgage company who came to the club with three friends.

"Let's face it," said Bianca Nichole, 19, a college student majoring in computer science, "there's a lot of unhappy women out there. If I were in a bad relationship, and I felt I needed something, I would go too."

Gina Pinon, a college student who was celebrating her birthday at the strip club, said she did not believe she would ever pay for sex "because I could go out and get it for free." Then she added: "But some women would pay for it, women who are in unhappy situations or who are into fantasies. I'd say: 'Go for it. Have your fun.' If men can do it, women can do it too."

Some sex experts and psychologists said a brothel for women is overdue. Many more women would avail themselves of a professional if it were legal, some experts argue, for reasons not unlike those of the men who frequent prostitutes.

A regulated business that does criminal and medical screening of its workers would find a market in women, said Patti Britton, the president-elect of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. The clients would be women who are adverse to hiring escorts or to seeking men in bars because of the risk of violence and disease. "The cultural expectation," Ms. Britton said, "is that any woman can have sex any time she wants it. All she has to do is show up in a public place. But many women are shy socially. And when it comes to sex, women feel more vulnerable and at risk than men."

But some researchers say it takes more than feeling safe for women to shop for sex. Amalia Cabezas, an assistant professor of women's studies at the University of California, Riverside, who has studied sex tourism in the Caribbean, said that female tourists interested in sex tend to shy away from straightforward cash-for-sex transactions.

INSTEAD, she said, they look for a holiday romance, for a companion who not only provides sex but affection, who will wine and dine them. If the woman is footing the bill and the man is a hustler, that fact is obscured by the ambiguous nature of their alliance.

"It doesn't normally come off as a commercial transaction," Ms. Cabezas said. "It's more about friendship and developing relationships, so there's multiple possibilities for these relationships. Women don't want to see themselves as prostitute-users."

Mr. Kinkaid said that a brothel for women would need to incorporate an element of seduction to draw customers. "Women wouldn't feel an immediate connection with the men they'll be hiring," he said. "They want someone who's charming and attentive. It would require significantly more time."

He added: "would it feel cheaper to you if you know 20 other women have hired him? Men, when they hire women, don't pretend to have emotional sensibility."

If some women seem ready for a male brothel, many others are not. Among those voicing opposition to Ms. Fleiss's plans is the Nevada Brothel Association, which represents about 26 bordellos for men and fears that the publicity the ex-Hollywood madam may give to the business would stir up controversy that could shut all the brothels down.

"We believe that in order for brothels to survive in Nevada, we've got to keep a low profile," said George Flint, a lobbyist for the group. "We don't believe Heidi is capable of being low key. The association is terrified of her."

The Rev. Keith Markley, the pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Pahrump, doesn't seem all that afraid of Ms. Fleiss. He said that he and other opponents of prostitution are adopting a wait-and-see attitude "instead of getting worked up" while the business is still just a gleam in Ms. Fleiss's eye.

Mr. Markley said he doubted that a brothel for women would attract much trade but added that he found it "equally objectionable" as a bordello for men.

"All these things are a bad idea, in a nutshell," he said. "It's bad for marriages and relationships. It's bad for husbands and wives and commitment."

Ms. Fleiss, who has struck a deal with HBO for a documentary about her venture, promises that her brothel will be like no other in opulence and in its treatment of workers and customers. She plans to start with 20 men and to offer clients services like an on-site beauty salon.

"Everybody who walks in will feel special and comfortable," she said. She called the project "challenging" - so far she is the only investor in the house she plans to build from scratch - but said she has received hundreds of e-mail messages from job applicants.

She has already lined up her first "stud," Lester James Brandt, 37, a Los Angeles actor and clothing designer who said he does not have anything on his résumé that would remotely qualify him for the job. During an interview over sushi in December, Mr. Brandt, who is 5 foot 10 and weighs 170 pounds, said he is intrigued by the idea of the brothel and hopes that the attention it is receiving will help him further his acting career, which has included roles in soap operas and television shows.

Though he has not hashed out his employment terms with Ms. Fleiss, who is telling job applicants that they would be able to keep all tips but must split the $250 hourly fee with the house, he said he expected to make good money.

He's a novice "when it comes to the sex trade," Mr. Brandt said. "I have no clue. What I have personal experience with is that when a woman needs love, understanding, attention and passion, she will look for it."