Cosmopolitan Magazine about running a high class escortservice

In March 2017 the Dutch Cosmopolitan published an online article on running a high class escortservice. This interview was condoned for the section Love & Sex. Marike, founder and owner of Society Service was interviewed. The article was published in Dutch but below you can find a short summary in English.

Marike is the owner of high class escort agency Society Service

And she answers every question you never dared to ask. Marike is the owner of a high class escort agency. Together with an other woman she founded the escortservice Society Service and is now running the agency alone. A special and interesting profession, which is why we asked her some questions about her life and her work.

You have a rather special job: you own an escort agency. How did this happen?

"During my studies Business Administration I met an other woman with the idea to start a high class escortservice. She had a background in sociology and was looking for a partner with know-how on how to run a company. It was a match, two weeks later we founded our company at the Chamber of Commerce. Luckily, I like being an entrepreneur in this industry. I enjoyed it soo much I did a buy-out of the other woman and proceeded with Society Service alone.

What do people say when you tell them you own an escortservice?

"In my face, usually pretty okay. Most people are surprised. Apparently I do not meet the stereotype they had in mind. When they get used to the idea, they start asking questions. Why? How does it work? Who does such a thing? What happens? But after that people realize at the end of the day it's just a job like any other. It's really not that super exiting. Sometimes, people are very positive to me. How fun and cool it is. But behind my back they say something completely different. Well, I can't be bothered by it. I often choose not to tell what I do. Not because I am ashamed but it's not suitable ab the moment, for instance when there are children around. I do not want to provoke others with my work. In addition, I don't always feel like talking about my work. As soon as people hear what I do, I'll be spending the rest of the night talking about my work. Luckily, I can now refer them to the book I wrote in 2014 with Romke Spierdijk: The Escort Bijbel. This describes exactly how it works, from my perspective as well as the perspective of the escorts and clients."

Are there many prejudices? And if so, are they true?

"Yes, there are many prejudices. I often hear the association with human trafficking, coercion, criminality and drugs. I can't speak for other companies in this industry, who also operate in different segments of this industry, but I can speak for the high class escort industry. I work with confident young women, who make a very conscious choice to do this type of work, with pleasure. They enjoy their sensuality and femininity, like meeting new people, see this type of work as an adventurous addition to their day to day job or studies. That's very different from what people often think. For some people it's just hard to imagine a woman can make the conscious choice to do sex work, and just like their job."

You say your agency is an high class service. What does this mean to you, the escorts and the clients?

"Let's make one thing very clear; high class escort is also sex work. In my opinion, the difference between a high class escort and a regular escort is the experience she provides to her clients. A regular escort is mostly booked for erotic pleasure. A high class escort offers her client much more than eroticism. She is not only booked because of her beauty and how sexy she is, but also for her company outside the bedroom. A high class escort can spend several days with her client."

What are your days like?

"That can be different from day to day, and one of the things I love about my work. My days usually start with sports (I love to swim) and answering emails, but from then on it can be anything. Setting up bookings is just a part of my work. Keeping the website and administration up to date, photoshoots, organizing courses for the escorts, recruitment and so on. Some days I work just a few hours, other days are 20 hour working days. I work from home, the office, a tropical island. Not a day is the same."

Can anybody work with you or are there certain requirements?

"Not everybody can work as a high class escort. There are many requirements regarding appearance and other statistics, ach as dress size, age, nationality, languages, and so on. And yes, you must be a very beautiful woman, somewhere between 21 and 40 years old, with a nice body. This part of the recruitment process is the easiest part, 90% of the applicants do not meet the requirements. We receive between 500 and 1000 applications per month at Society Service, so the 10% that is left is more than enough. After that we check her motivation and if that all sounds good we schedule a meeting to see if there's a match. At the end, we select 1 or 2 ladies per month, with who we believe we match and start working with them."

Do you check if the ladies are not coerced in any way? How?

"A lady who is not doing this under pressure will want to make a lot of money, as fast as possible. An application at Society Service takes 2 to 3 months. There's too much time between her first application and her first booking, reducing chances she is being pressured into this. In addition to that, there are some practicalities we check. But most important would be my intuition. In 11 years I've worked with hundreds of escorts. I am convinced I can tell when a lady is being forced."

Why do women want to do this type of work?

"Because they think it's a fun way to make some money. They enjoy sex, the adventure, meeting interesting people, travel, luxury, excitement, and so on."

Would you do this work yourself?

"No, my passion is entrepreneurship."

Do you ever receive crazy requests from men?

"Yes, but usually they are fake requests from people who think it is funny or exciting to share their bizar fantasies with us, not actual clients. When a client has very special preferences, he will most likely not book with us as there are much more suitable services available specializing in such requests. Of course, our escorts get to deal with sexual preferences they would not be introduced to outside their work, but nothing too bizar. I am referring to things such as bisexual threesomes, clients who enjoy being spanked, visiting a luxurious erotic party, special lingerie, that sort of thing. A high class escort does not need to bring an arsenal of whips, nipple clamps and buttplugs to her booking."

Can every man book an escort with you?

"No, a client (male or female) must be at least 21 years old, respectful towards the lady and be fluent in a language she is fluent in as well. Clients with a physical disability are welcome, clients with a mental disability are not. When making a match between escort and client, we take the preferences of the escort into consideration  But eventually, clients up to all ages, of all races, backgrounds and nationalities are welcome to use our services."

Have there ever been dangerous situations?

"In the 11 years I have been the owner of Society Service, there has never been a booking that escalated into a dangerous situation. I screen my clients well and make demands to them and the bookings. For instance, we do not send out ladies in the middle of the night, only visit the better hotels and refuse clients under the influence of drugs. I listen to my intuition and we teach the ladies to do the same. If your gut feeling tells you something is wrong, it's time to leave."