“She felt safe from judgment, and was able to relax and get there because she didn’t feel obliged to please him.”

Plus, a few stories from Reddit (here, here, and here).

"Basically, the payment erased the people-pleasing obligation in the dynamic because he was already getting his, no matter what. When she told me about it, I was like, yes, this is genius.

I also have another friend, very studious, who worked hard in school and then did a million years of med school, but never dated. Once she was in her 30s, she said her virginity felt like a burden and became too much pressure on early emerging relationships. She said she wanted a proper romantic first time and didn't want it to be part of a new relationship. She never actually confirmed whether she paid for it or just found someone excited by the idea, but she said she found a guy online and he delivered on the fantasy perfectly, and I know she had been looking at male sex workers."

"The men who do this sort of work have (in our experience) either been very straight (focused on the older, wealthier female clientele), or very gay and not wanting a woman in the room. As such, we haven't done this for some time, even though we'd like to.

I should mention that we are from Australia, where this is all quite legal and reasonably safe for all concerned."

"Yeah, they aren't unheard of in Europe, either — you can find them in places like Mykonos or Bodrum if you know what to look for. They're escorts in a slightly more literal sense; more like temporary boyfriends for the duration of the woman's vacation than straight-up sex workers."

"I reached out for another massage a few weeks later and during our texting conversation I mentioned the turn down from the previous massage. He stated that he was trying to be professional, but found me very attractive. For the next massage, I was completely nude on his table. He was getting a little frisky and asked if he can continue on. I allowed him to massage and explore every part of my body. Sex with someone half my age was amazing. He has so much energy and loves to explore what I want. We continue to schedule massages once every two weeks."

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.