Costa Rica

I recently went down to Costa Rica for vacation and wanted to share my experience in case anyone was wondering about doing the same...

First of all, like Mexico prostitution is legal there but there are a few key differences compared to TJ. The women are all independents because brothels are illegal, so there is no management taking a cut or requiring a quota for fichas. You always negotiate directly with the girl. The way the sex trade gets around the brothel law is interesting:

1. Strip clubs do exist there, and AFAIK you can get FS like the Mexican clubs. I didn't check any of them out because I'd heard that they were pretty lame and/or closed because of Covid. Another knock against them is that if you're just looking to bust a nut, there are numerous other venues where you can do it a lot more cheaply.

2. Brothels do exist, after a fashion. They are known as pensiones there and the way they work is the girls basically rent a room at what is "officially" a boarding house and the house management plays no part in your negotiations with the girls. Prices are relatively cheap compared to TJ as the expectation is you're getting an hour session rather than the 30 minute standard in the Zona Norte. Pensiones will typically have around a dozen girls available so your choices can be quite limited.

3. Massage parlors are all over the place. Again, I didn't partake but my understanding is that the setup is similar to the pensiones if you're looking for a tug with your rub.

4. A few hotels are where Costa Rica seems to have got its rep as a mongering destination. In San Jose, there are a few that are well-known for being "girl friendly" like Sprotsmens Lodge, Hotel Taormina and Hotel Del Rey, and one more in Jaco (Hotel Cocal). The way they work is to allow the girls to hang out in their respective bars, so you meet them in an ostensibly social setting and anything that happens afterwards is an independent transaction that the hotel is not involved in. The hotel will, however, charge you a small fee to take an additional "guest" upstairs (Sportsmens Lodge is an exception to this rule), usually around US$20.

Aside: I tried submitting new location entries for Sportsmens Lodge, Taormina and Cocal but nothing happened... For the type of establishment I chose "Bar" because that's basically accurate. These are pickup bars where you know you're scoring later. Don't know if Founder is reading this but if so, please provide guidance and I'll do a review for each to fill in more details.

So what was Costa Rica mongeering like? I have to say that my feelings were mixed. Girl quality overall was definitely lower than what I've encountered in TJ over the years, but the expectation of an hours' time minimum with the girl is a big plus IMO. In terms of prices, the going rate in San Jose is roughly equal to TJ (US$100 is usually the starting point for negotiations), and Jaco is significantly higher (US$150+) but the girls are generally much cuter/younger. YMMV, but GPS abounds in Jaco due to its notoriety as a bachelor party destination. There are guys willing to pay the inflated asking price compared to San Jose. I never went past $120 myself, and that was for a girl that I really clicked with.

Another aside: Try to think before sharing your phone number with the girls there, because the more experienced ones will hit you up for money after. Even the girl I really clicked with tried asking me for $60 for her sick puppy after I got back home.

Finally, what was Costa Rica itself like? I was kinda disappointed. The natural beauty will take your breath away, but the rest of it is pretty forgettable. Costa Rica is like the suburbs of Latin America in a real sense. There isn't much of an indigenous cuisine for starters. Plenty of American chains but I don't travel for hours on a jet just to eat at a Pizza Hut. The people are friendly and open, but almost everyone's got a side hustle that's a little more in-your-face compared with other places. Outside of the whole eco-tourism thing, I didn't find a lot of richness to the local culture (happy to be proved wrong on this). I don't think I'll go back, not as a first choice anyway. I'd rather go back to Mexico because it has the same the natural beauty plus kick-ass cuisine and a rich cultural experience. And it's a lot cheaper overall. :-)

7 comments

  • shadowcat
    3 years ago
    I've always been intrigued by a strip club in San Jose called Tango India (https://tangoindiavip.com). It has a whole Convair240 located inside the club. 1 VIP room is inside the aircraft. But from the looks of their web site and what little reviews I have seen, the place is very expensive.

    My son is going to San Jose May2 on Company business. Maybe he will check it out for me. :)
  • booji boy
    3 years ago
    @shadowcat

    Tell him to stay at Sportsmens if he can manage it... good vibe at that place but the locals would know why he's there. :-)
  • TFP
    3 years ago
    Thanks for this info! Its good to get insight on places like these.

    Do you think the experience would be a lot tougher for a non Spanish speaker?
  • twentyfive
    3 years ago
    ^ Costa Rica is pretty much tourist oriented almost anyplace I have ever been there English was common
  • Halfnhalf
    3 years ago
    Appreciate your insight on Costa Rica. Have been curious about mongering there for some time but if what we receive in TJ is equivalent or better in terms of quality and value, then maybe I’ll take my time getting out to Jaco. Thanks again!
  • B2C_UC
    2 years ago
    Just seeing this post although, I am new to this forum. I've just finished all the logistics for an 8 day trip to CR schedule in aug while I have a shorter trip 5 day scheduled back in my old stomping ground (tj) the end of this month. Only difference w/ the cr trip, i'm taking my oldest son (21ish) for better or worse, some may see this as a bad thing while others just the opposite. I'll find out but my motivation is to minimize the possibility of him falling prey to the very first piece of ass he acquires and being led around by it for the next 20-30 years of his life until one day the rose tinged glasses fall off. I will try to provide a TR once we return. splitting the our time between hotel del ray and sl and surprisingly it hasn't set me back as much as i'd originally anticipated however, we're not on the ground yet so that will truly dictate the end-state. few years back spent 24hrs straight traveling to pattaya and let me just say, i'd spend 48hrs on a plane to get to that utopia. that was my plan to go back this year but i sumpin clicked a couple of weeks ago that told me i needed to go to cr and take my son. strange as it sounds, i immediately started the research logistics. like i said, will do my best to provide solid specs for the group.
  • PutaTester
    a year ago
    Interesting write up. Enjoyed reading your comparisons to TJ.
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