Roxanne, you don’t have to leave that light on from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Monday, Reuters reported on how the economic downturn is affecting Germany’s sex industry. Since tough times have hit the country, where prostitution is legal, its brothels have begun offering bargain-basement deals to keep johns paying for sex. The promotions include free shuttle buses to brothels, senior discounts, and the incredibly grody “day pass.”

I believe that women and men should be free to sell sex for money. I think that process should be legal and closely regulated. But I don’t know if I can get behind the day pass:

Berlin’s “Pussy Club” has attracted media attention with its headline-grabbing “flat rate”—-a 70-euro admission charge for unlimited food, drink and sex between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“You’ve got to come up with creative solutions these days,” said club manager Stefan, who requested his surname not be published. “We’re feeling the economic crisis, too, even though business has fortunately been more or less okay for us so far.

“Our offer might sound like it’s too good to be true, but it’s real. You can eat as much as you want, drink as much as you want and have as much sex as you want.”

I sincerely hope these “creative solutions” include health regulations that keep the sex away from the food and the very drunk away from the sex. I hope that “as much sex as you want” doesn’t preclude the prostitutes from taking the breaks they need. I hope the “fuck all” attitude still establishes strict boundaries for every encounter. And I hope I can somehow scrub my brain of the vision of a client drinking, eating, and fucking as much as he can to get the most out of 70 euros.

Photo by Mr. T in D.C.