Club Oceano formerly known as Bar Oceano is a fully licensed bordello in Lugano, the largest city in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Prostitution is legal and regulated in Switzerland. Red light districts can be found all over the country, from Zurich to Geneva. Lugano alone is home to several brothels. Oceano was established more than a decade ago and at one point it was the only venue of its kind in the region. It has managed to remain a household name despite growing competition in recent years.
The venue operates on a similar model as the German FKKs : the management rents out rooms directly to the sex workers, who are then free to conduct their business on an independent basis and negotiate their own rates with the customers. As is often the case, the prettiest women tend to command higher prices. The working women and their prospective customers meet in a public lounge on the ground floor, eventually moving into a private bedroom upstairs for a romp in the sack.
The proprietor of Club Oceano is an elderly gentleman who runs it as a family business, aided by friends and relatives including a niece. Being a legal operation, only women with a regular work or residence permit are allowed to rent. Oceano takes it upon itself to kick out women found in possession of drugs. All this goes to show what entrepreneurs and governments alike can achieve in countries where the sex trade is given due respect, as a business if nothing else.
That Oceano is doing quite well can easily be inferred from the decor in the lounge. The place has recently undergone some renovations and looks about as good as any executive club in Jakarta , although the layout is quite different. Plenty of couches and tables, a well-stocked bar, and a separate smoking area ensure that customers are made to feel comfortable.
Close to men find their way through the front door every day. As many as 90 percent of them are Italian nationals, who routinely cross the border to find respite from the sexual wasteland known as Italy. Swiss Francs and Euros are used interchangeably at Oceano.
