Spas, night clubs offering sexual services turning Gurgaon into Delhi's Bangkok

It is said that in Bangkok, if you throw a stone it is likely to hit a gambler or a brothel goer. In Gurgaon, it is likely to hit a spa goer or a club hopper. Spa centres and night clubs that offer sexual services on the side are fast turning the Millennium City into the Capital's Bangkok. These centres and clubs which operate from various malls and luxury hotels in Mehrauli Gurgaon Road (MG Road) specialise in offering sensuous/erotic massages to clients depending on their financial ability and preference.

The sex business kicks off in the night, usually after 9 pm, with club and spa operators deploying touts to solicit potential customers. The conversation begins with negotiation over alcoholic products before moving into 'hotter' stuff.

Gurgaon: Not just about spa goers and club hoppers

Once a customer is inside the bar, a hooker who also doubles up as the bar girl, approaches him with an open bargain ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 500 for 30 minutes. "The money is easy," says Sweta, a bar girl (name changed) working in Sahara Mall. "We earn Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per night. But 50 per cent of the money goes to the bar," she reveals.

According to her, a majority of the bar girls clinch the deal with customers for sexual services while inside the club. There are over 60 night clubs in Gurgaon alone, according to excise and taxation department officials.

A majority of the bar girls clinch the deal with customers for sexual services while inside the club.

The modus operandi in spas too is similar with women from the Northeast dominating the sector. Thanks to their facial features, they are presented before unsuspecting customers as "Thai girls" to offer "Thai massage" - a popular therapy on the menu of the parlours along with services such as Tuscany, Thai, Burger, body to body, Swiss, Ukrainian and Indian massages. Women from the Northeast are also sought after by customers due to their fair skin and "soft touch".

Though women from other countries are also involved in the business, they are mostly employed at high-end spas. They come to India on short-term tourist visas, work here and get replaced after a month or two by a new set of girls. For these women, Gurgaon is the new El Dorado.

Gurgaon's hurdles are behavioural

While an average massage starts at around Rs 1,000, it can be availed at half the rate if one goes for a packaged deal. A high-end place can also offer massages up to Rs 10,000 per session. "The charges depend on the kind of facilities you are availing. A one hour package worth Rs 699 includes 40 minutes of massage and 20 minutes of shower," says Dharampal Rathi, a regular spa goer.

But when it comes to loosening the purse strings not all clients are equal. Interestingly, the women have their own state-wise grading scale by which they measure the readiness of their clients to part with money after a rendezvous. "Men from Delhi, UP and Bihar are the worst. Some of them are real misers and ask for a discount on everything. We try to avoid them," says Rambha (name changed), a masseur. While spas officially provide only those services which are permissible under the law, more intimate services such as body-tobody massage and hand jobs are offered depending on the rapport a customer is able to strike with a masseuse.

"People from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata can easily be led on to services other than massages," says Rambha. "They are the most generous and are willing to pay what we ask," she says.

Yet another nightlife attraction in Gurgaon are the private farmhouses which are often booked for rave parties through social networking sites and serve drugs, liquor and call girls to social and business elites.

The spas also solicit prospective customers through social networking sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp by bombarding them with tariff plans, addresses, contact numbers and information regarding the availability of female therapists.

The police on their part, express helplessness in cracking down on spas that allegedly indulge in prostitution citing lack of evidence. "The biggest challenge for Gurgaon Police is collecting evidence," says Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Crime.

"The spa owners are constantly monitoring activities outside their premises through CCTV cameras installed at the gates. So whenever a raid happens, they quickly alert the prostitutes and change their operational style," he says.

Farmhouses

Yet another nightlife attraction in Gurgaon are the private farmhouses which are often booked for rave parties through social networking sites and serve drugs, liquor and call girls to social and business elites. One such party was busted by Gurgaon Police, last year, along with the Delhi-based Narcotics Control Bureau at Haryana's Bisar village. According to sources, drugs such as Ecstasy, Cristaly Meth, Hashish and cocaine are easily available at such parties.

"The entry is usually restricted to only known male and female customers with the entrance fee ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per head," says a caretaker at a farmhouse in Gwal Pahadi.

According to police, since the property is registered under individual names, what the organisers of rave party do is just obtain liquor licence for a day. Being private, the place is relatively safe from raids.