I don't normally write reviews. A lot of the time what I like and what someone else likes will be different, so a star rating isn't very informative. A steak house is a bad place for a vegetarian even if it's 5 stars, after all.
In this case, I'm making an exception. I'm frustrated by how misleading one of the reviews below is. Specifically, the 1-star review from Sidney (whose average yelp review is below 2 stars). I wanted to respond to the points raised in his linked ripoff report.
Claim 1: House rules are secret until paying. False
Before I visited, I emailed the lady with whom I wanted to meet, gave a brief overview of what I was looking for, and received confirmation. When I arrived, we spent 5-10 minutes discussing the scene itself, including limits and rules. The house rules are basically "be safe and legal" along with a few hard limits. My donation was not even mentioned until after this pre-scene conversation and its accompanying consent form were completed.
Claim 2: Misleading advertising: you get only 45 minutes per hour paid for. False
My scene lasted 60 minutes per hour paid for. To my surprise, this didn't even include the time spent on our pre-scene conversation mentioned above. On that point, though, I might have just gotten lucky that it wasn't an exceptionally busy time.
Claim 3: Ladies are unaware of male anatomy. False.
I can only speculate about what this references, but the lady I met was obviously aware of male anatomy.
Claim 4: There is no skin-to-skin contact. Mostly false
As mentioned above, there is no illegal activity, so certain contact is not allowed. However, there is certainly no outright ban on any physical contact.
Claim 5: Male orgasms are discouraged. False*
This was false in my case, but I'd assume it can become true if that's what you're after.
Claim 6: Condoms are mandatory. Mostly false
This was false in my case, but much like claim 4, there may be specific situations where they become required. I just didn't encounter any myself.
Claim 7: There is no aftercare. False
When I visited, there was. This was discussed in our pre-scene conversation. I don't know whether or not aftercare is included by default if it isn't mentioned, so it's possible Sidney assumed it "went without saying". When in doubt, communicate early and often.
Claim 8: There is no follow-up. True
Since my visit, I have not been contacted my fantasymakers or anyone who works there. I wasn't expecting any such communication.
Claim 9: Your name & driver's license (including picture) are recorded. Mostly false
I was not required to show my driver's license (or any ID). No picture of me was taken as far as I know. They did ask for a first name on the consent form mentioned above.
Claim 10: They are a business. False
This is more of a legal distinction than anything else.
Claim 11: To quote the ripoff report, they "will usher you out if you can only afford $100/hr or less, (or probably, anything less than $175/hour)". True (presumably)
I think the fact that this sentence appears at all reveals a great deal about it's author. To "discover" this, one would have to make an appointment, arrive, and then attempt to offer less than what was expected (the amount is on their website and was mentioned during my initial email exchange). My guess is that, if I attempted to "negotiate" on arrival, I would be asked to leave. For obvious reasons, I haven't tried it myself.
I recognize that the expected contribution isn't trivial, and that means it's not for everyone. However, negotiating on-site after someone has already made a trip simply shouldn't happen. This isn't the place for haggling.
Claim 12: They don't have blogs/forums/Fetlife. False.
This might have been true at the time it was written, but at they have a twitter and tumblr. Their site has a fetlife link, but I'm not on fetlife so I can't confirm that one.
Claim 13: No communication with male visitors. Laughably false.
In addition to all the points mentioned above, clear communication was maintained throughout the scene.
Claim 14: No sense of humor. What?
This was mentioned twice in all caps. I can only speculate about what it might reference. Maybe someone didn't laugh at his jokes? In any case, this isn't a comedy club.
Claim 15: Their competitors in the bay area are extremely good. True.
The bay area (and east bay in particular) is fortunate enough to have several above-ground and entirely legal options for adults.
In case it isn't obvious, I enjoyed my experience with fantasy makers. They were professional, communicative, safe, personal, and private. If anyone is considering them, take a look at each of the members' pages to see where they specialize. That's what I did, and after reading through to find out who would be a good fit for me, I'm happy with the result. read more