Sex work is an industry like no other. Escorts and sex workers offer services that require very intimate interactions with different clients. The job can be exciting, pleasurable, and a whole lot of fun – but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
Aside from the safety concerns that many sex workers face daily, there’s also the risk of developing feelings for a client.
When a person’s profession relies on intimate interactions with clients, it’s hard to avoid developing feelings for certain clients. This is something that many sex workers face at least once in their careers, and it can be a delicate situation.
There’s nothing wrong with finding yourself falling in love with a client, as these things happen in the industry. That said, navigating your way through these feelings can be tough.
- Falling in love with a client: Why does it happen?
- The dangers of developing feelings for a client
- What to do when developing feelings for a client
- A guide to keeping things professional
- The takeaway
So, let’s take a look at the complex reality of falling in love with a client, from why it happens, the dangers of developing feelings for clients and what to do when it happens.
Falling in love with a client: Why does it happen?
There’s nothing inherently wrong with falling in love with a client as a sex worker. This is a very intimate job, and having multiple intimate interactions with a person can cause you to develop feelings, especially if the two of you are compatible. Many sex workers face this problem when on the job, and everyone develops feelings for different reasons.
Like in most relationships, you may start developing feelings for your client because of a physical attraction. Numerous sex workers have shared stories of falling in love with clients, and the attraction typically begins when the worker finds the client attractive.
If there’s a physical attraction between the escort and client, developing feelings may happen quicker than you think. Due to the nature of the services sex workers offer, there’s a high chance they will spend a lot of time with the client in an intimate setting, which can cause them to develop feelings quickly.
This can happen with new clients, old clients, and repeat clients. Love is a complex emotion, and everyone experiences it differently. There’s no harm in falling in love with a client, and there are times when you can’t avoid it.
However, these are very delicate situations, and it’s always best to proceed with caution when developing feelings for your client.
So, let’s get into some of the risks that come with developing feelings for a client.
The dangers of developing feelings for a client
Escorts and clients have a unique relationship. While they get to know each other on a very intimate level, the baseline of the relationship is still professional. At the end of the day, this is supposed to be a transactional relationship wherein one party offers a service, and the other party compensates them for that service.
This gets complicated very quickly because sex and intimacy typically go hand-in-hand with an emotional connection. This is why some escorts can develop feelings for a client and vice versa.
That said, these types of feelings can damage your work and your current relationships with your client. While there are some escort and client relationships that develop into something more, the initial power dynamic can make things very complicated.
Additionally, falling in love with a client may prevent you from getting other work with new clients. It’s pretty rare for escorts to fall in love with clients, as the opposite usually happens. However, when escorts do develop feelings, it can make their professional and personal lives quite complicated.
Again, there is nothing wrong with developing feelings for a client, as there are times when you can’t avoid them. That said, it’s important to accept the reality that developing relationships with a client that goes past your professional meetups will be a complicated endeavour.
What to do when developing feelings for a client
If you’re an escort and you start developing feelings for a client, there’s no reason to feel ashamed. It’s not unheard of for an escort to fall in love with a client, especially due to the nature of their job. That said, it’s important that you ask yourself what you want and whether you’d want to explore further possibilities with the client.
At the end of the day, it’s best to follow your heart when dealing with your feelings. There are definitely valid reasons to avoid pursuing a relationship with a client if you develop feelings for them. To start, most escorts don’t know much about their client’s personal lives, so there’s a chance that the client will be completely different when you get to know them outside of work.
But if you decide that you really want to pursue these feelings and try building a relationship with your client, you have to tell them about your feelings. This is the first step, as it gives the client an opportunity to tell you if they reciprocate and whether they’ll be okay with building a relationship that isn’t escort-client.
A guide to keeping things professional
There are reasons why you may want to avoid developing feelings for a client and would rather keep everything professional. If so, here are some tips you can follow to help you do that.
Set boundaries on your services
Firstly, you may want to set boundaries when it comes to your services. For example, many sex workers refuse to offer the “Girlfriend Experience”. This is because it requires a more intimate connection with your clients, and it may cause you to develop feelings.
Understand when to end the relationship
Another tip if you don’t want feelings for a client to get out of hand is to stop offering them services. Again, you may want to avoid maintaining a relationship with a client you’re falling in love with, as it may get in the way of other work. So, if you don’t want to pursue a relationship but start feeling deeper feelings for a client, it may be time to end the partnership.
The takeaway
It can be rare, but falling in love with a client as an escort is possible, and it has happened before. It’s a delicate situation that can go many different ways. However, if you find yourself in this situation, what’s most important is to try and ask yourself what you want and follow what your heart wants.