Club Paradise in La Junquera is...

Club Paradise in La Junquera is a destination in itself. It advertises itself as the newest and biggest brothel in the world – or in Western Europe anyway. The first time I was there I saw at least 150 girls. No exaggeration. When the Club opened a couple of years ago there was quite a bit of negative comment in the press, alleging that some of the girls are trafficked. I detected no evidence of this myself: on the contrary, Club Paradise seems to be a magnet for girls from all over Eastern Europe and South America. Some come from Madrid and elsewhere just for the weekends and some have been there quite a while although there is also quite a turnover. Girls can stay in the hotel part and work in the Club and if they want, eat with customers in the restaurant. Some other girls came daily from a hostel in Figueras, the next big town 30 km away (not sure what that was about, though).

The Club is a purpose-built structure at the end of the town. It could be a hotel and it is built pretty much like one. As you arrive, there seems to be an underground parking option but there is also plenty of well-lit on-street parking outside, with occasional patrolling police vehicles (this operation is entirely legal in Spain).

As you enter you are faced with a choice between a VIP section and a regular section. They discourage you from circulating between the two (the glasses are different and you can’t migrate with your glass). The manager, seeing I was a newbie, took me on a tour, first to the VIP club section. You pass through a long curved bar. There were two topless bargirls but no customers whenever I was there. You then come out into a big brightly lit indoor “terrace” like a marquee, with a bar serving alcohol at one end and a dancing platform at the other, and with some comfy chairs and lover’s sofas but mostly with little bar tables and bar stools. Quite a few girls, mostly Eastern European, mostly smoking. What with the bright lights and the smoking, a bit off-putting for my taste.