Online Encyclopedia
Atlantis (brothel)
Atlantis was one of the largest German brothels, located in an industrial area of Altenstadt, some 30 km north of Frankfurt am Main. It was opened in the fall of 2000 and was closed by authorities in March 2004 because of (as yet unproven) charges of large-scale tax evasion, pimping and trafficking in women.
The brothel resembled a spa, with indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzi, three saunas, professional massage, and a bar with free non-alcoholic drinks. Pornographic movies were shown on several TV screens. Men walked around wrapped in towels, women were nude. Entrance fee was 65 euros, for men and for women.
About 30-60 women sold sexual services. The standard price was 50 euros for half an hour of sex which normally included french kissing, oral sex without a condom and sexual intercourse with a condom. The money was paid directly to the woman, after the act. She got to keep it all; the brothel itself was financed from the entrance fees alone.
An average woman could make about 4,000 euros per month. In principle, the women had to pay taxes on this amount, but few did since it was a cash-only business. Atlantis had an attached hostel where women could stay for 15 euros per night, sharing a room with three others. Some women had pimps who pick them up after the shift ends at 4 am.
The majority of the women working in Atlantis were foreigners, mainly from Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, Thailand, and Africa. Some of them lacked legal work permits, and this is why the police occasionally carried out raids in Atlantis. Prostitution itself is legal in Germany, so the legally resident prostitutes and the customers face no consequences during these raids (except embarrassment), unless they carry illegal drugs.
Mandatory health checks for registered prostitutes have been abandoned by the German government since January 1, 2001, but Atlantis required regular STD and HIV tests from the working women.
In March 2004, police raided Atlantis and closed the club. Some 17 women were arrested for immigration violations. Two operators of the club were arrested under charges of tax evasion, pimping and trafficking in women; a third operator who was not present at the club during the raid fled to Spain and was arrested there soon after. A policeman was also arrested: he is accused of having informed the Atlantis management of police raids ahead of time.
As of mid 2004, there are two other clubs in Germany that operate like Atlantis and have a similar size: FKK Oase and FKK World, both in the area north of Frankfurt. Apparently, they have different owners. Several dozen comparable but smaller clubs exist all over Germany; they are typically advertised as "Sauna clubs" or "FKK clubs" ("FKK" abbreviates the German Freikörperkultur which means nudism). Most German brothels operate quite differently, however; see prostitution in Germany.