When CC Land, Japan's first soapland for women, opened in Fukuoka in February, the ladies flew in from across the country to get their taste of paid, institutionalized sexual services from its male employees. Soaplands had been around for ages, but until then it was a men only affair. Clients would pay 30,000 yen for 90 minutes in a private room with a bed, a bathtub, and a woman who performed sexual services. Now, finally, women could do the same.
Most of CC Land's clients were thirty-somethings. There were some in their early twenties; others were well into their fifties. They came from Tokyo and Nagoya, even though Fukuoka's in the southernmost island of Kyushu. And the club's web site was getting tens of thousands of hits a day. Women were able to select their "host" for their visit on the site—though the ones in highest demand could only be booked on the spot. The employees were plucked from extant host clubs in the area. (If you don't know what a host club is, watch this documentary.) Drinks and food were provided free of charge.
CC Land was generating revenue of about 6 million yen a month, but its popularity tapered as the number of clients dropped. Unlike the men, who came week after week after week, the women seemed to just want to experience it once.
On September 28th, the owners announced that they would be closing the joint in a month. They offered a 10,000 yen discount to their customers, and made plans to reopen by year end as an escort service for men. The employees got their old jobs back as hosts at regular host clubs.
Why doesn't the soapland model work for women? Some speculate that it was because women seek a more emotional experience than men do, even from paid sexual services, and they weren't getting that here. (By contrast, the clientele at regular host clubs is booming—even though sex is in no way guaranteed at these expensive teaser joints.)
(Photo: Pink Box, Joan Sinclair)
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