How did people meet escorts in the pre-internet era?

Back in the day some folks used to grow their own.

Kind of embarrassing but I was at a black tie function with my family to support my father's new position with the organization. I got bored and at 16 you can only smooze so much. I went out to the hotel bar for giggles to see if I could score some drinks....

Let's just say I certainly did, and got some....interesting offers. Of course I didn't take anyone up on it but seeing the men scurry off when my dad comes looking for me and announced my real age was hilarious. I must have radiated woman of loose morals cause I've been mistaken for his sugar baby in Vegas as well. Originally Posted by SAangel27

You must have been well developed and mature for a 16 year old.

As for the OP, yellow pages, classified ads in the newspaper-- especially the Thur, Fri and Sat editions. Also, adult bookstores usually carried local magazines/newsletters that had advertisements for local escorts and/or brothel. I cut my hobby teeth in the massage parlors in Nash-Vegas back in the late 80s and 90s. Let's just say it was better and cheaper than the Nevada brothels. The strip club scene never really worked for me. I also had some interesting times out west. It seems like every major city Dallas/Phoenix/Albuquerque had spas, AMPs, and modeling studios.

Hotel bars Originally Posted by Your Naughty Muse

And word of mouth from the hotel bartenders.
The gals knew which hotels would work.
And the bartenders simply kept the drinks and conversations flowing.

1986 the yellow pages Originally Posted by Topgun007

In Houston in 1986 the Yellow Pages had four full pages of escort ads. The only problem was figuring out which ones were legit and which were HPD. HPD had about 50% of the ads at the time.

I find this soooo fascinating.

I was once told that travelers could also get info from their taxi drivers. Originally Posted by Solitaire

Apparently, that did use to be an option in larger towns. But you had to be careful about getting ripped off.
Back in the 80s, when I lived in Houston, I ran into this African gent outside my local grocery who'd hired a cabbie at the port and asked him to take him to "the girls". Guy's English was not so good, but gathered that he'd payed the cabbie $100, or more, and the cabbie had dumped him at the strip center and drove off. He asked if I could tell him how to get to a club, or take him there, and kept pulling a role of cash from his pocket to prove he could pay. Must have been several thousand bucks. Kept telling him to put it away and not to flash it, or somebody would rob him. Luckily, we were only a few blocks from a couple of clubs, so I took him to one, explained about guarding his cash in the club, again, and drove off without accepting the couple hundred he wanted to pay me for driving him there. Figured he'd already been ripped off once and probably would be again that night, so didn't figure I should add to his troubles.

Miss Kitty, at the saloon, would send you upstairs to one of the rooms....

I found my first one in the personals of the classifieds. Next one by venturing into a massage parlor. After two or three times there I got to be known as an insider and word of mouth was all that was needed. Still today I think it's the best system.

Back in 2008, when I was a naive woman, before I even knew what escorts do, the thought of 'escorts' never even crossed my mind…I was walking around the Caesar's Palace in Vegas by myself looking for my friends, and I got asked by some guy "How much?". I was puzzled and said…"Eh?? For what?" He blushed, apologized and walked away. It took a few mins to realize that he thought I was a prostitute. LOL

One time in school, my car broke down on my way to study for finals. I had my books in a huge duffle bag. Easily 15 big books. And I was schlepping them across a major intersection to use the pay phone on the other side at a walgreens.

As I plodded across the street and stopped for a second on the street corner, and old dude in a station wagon slowed down and asked, "Are you dating?" I was clueless and my face obviously showed it and he drove off. It was years later I understood, lol.

They used pigeons . . .

Not to fuck you dirty beast but to send messages to each other. That's how texting worked in the old days. God, did I just age myself.

Spelunking

This is funny!

I am mid 40's yellow pages ( hit or miss to the worst degree!)
The best ever was in Fl, St. Pete. Beach, ( yellow pages) I called, waited for an hour..... An honest to god angel showed up an hour later....

I was working on a construction project, mid to late 90's.. I told her the Hotel was full of us construction guys working on this project... I must have seen her 10 times in the hotel after our visit.

You must have been well developed and mature for a 16 year old. Originally Posted by Cpalmson

My black corset evening gown and makeup aged me....my parents also did not believe in a "kid's table" while entertaining so I learned how to be a mini-adult early on.

Yep...ads in the sports page, magazines with strip clubs, jack shacks, escorts, etc at all the local adult businesses.