This is an interesting article that appeared in a 1995 issue of Swank magazine:

Tijuana: Land of a Thousand Brothels!

Article by Tom Boswell

Just a trolley ride and a short walk from the center of San Diego lie the Mexican border and the city of Tijuana . . . it hasn’t changed very much from the perspective of our purposes here.

The Zona Rosa (Red Zone or red light district) is still the Zona Rosa. Located very close to the
border, it is home to countless bawdy cantinas and rowdy discotheques. There are streetwalkers
from young to old leaning against walls , smoking cigarettes, acting as they were extras in a
B-movie. There are terrific little outdoor food vendors hawking delicious genuine Mexican food
(genuine being the kind that could very well give you some gastrointestinal anguish, but may be
worth it). Next to every bar there are roach infested hotels where the whores take you for as short a time as possible. And there are thousands of people milling around, walking in every conceivable direction - eating, drinking, talking, vomiting, and generally having a good time.

Are you the kind of guy who enjoys drinking beer until you’re not sure who you are, going off with a woman of indubitable reputation and passing out afterwards and waking up later not quite sure
where you are, how you got there, and what happened to your wallet? If so, Tijuana is definitely the place for you.

If not, let’s talk about whether you might be able to enjoy yourself even if you only drink a few
beers, and care about what happens to your wallet. The answer is a tentative "yes," but there are
several qualifications here. First, every now and then you must enjoy a little sleaziness just for the sake of it, for there is no way around it in Tijuana. Second, you must be very careful not only with your wallet but with the stuff that goes in it, because these bars and these women are nothing if not experts in parting you from one or the other. Third, you must not be expecting even the
appearance of love, affection, or enjoyment, because that is not what Mexican whores are about.

Try as I might, I never found a halfway elegant brothel in Tijuana, nor any other classy venue for
female talent. However, I did manage to find some very attractive prostitutes. Interestingly enough
I found them at all levels of the sex-trade in Tijuana—among the street walkers, in the bars that
cater to poor Mexican men, in the tourist and service men cantinas, and in the more upscale bars off of Avenida Revolucion, just as I found old, fat, and ugly whores in all of these venues as well.

I think the problem is that Mexican prostitutes take no pride in their profession. Rather than feel proud for the money they are earning, for the services they are performing, and for their
independence and self-sufficiency, they feel merely shame. When a Mexican woman becomes a
prostitute, no matter how young or pretty she may be, she seems to feel that her life is over. So
she may as well work in any environment, consort with any class of man, as long as she feels
nothing, gives away nothing, and lets no emotion sneak in. Thus, even the young and attractive
ones don’t really bother to try to work in the more classy places. Nor do they try to do anything to make the experience more pleasant for either you or themselves - they just lie there. In the words of a Mexican doorman who I met at one of the clubs, "It’s like fucking a dead person."

Some men like this. They just want to put it in a dark moist place where they can satisfy it as
quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively as possible, with no involvement whatsoever, If this is you, and I don’t say this disparagingly - it’s just not what I like - you might have a terrific time in Tijuana. But if you are looking for a more totally satisfying experience, than maybe you should look elsewhere.

The Clubs Near Avenlda Revolucion

The main tourist area of Tijuana centers all around the northern part of Avenida Revolucion. Here you will find the upscale restaurants, discotheques, bars, as well as tourist shops, leather goods, jewelry stores, pharmacies, etc. Up and down Avenida Revolucion and just around several corners you can find bars and nightclubs where there are usually a few bar girls to help make you happy and part you from your money. The names of some of these clubs are San Soici, El Zorro, Four Queens, Bambi, Isis, Unicornia, Bisco Salsa. Some have topless dancing, some don’t. I don’t recommend any of these places.

Few of the women are attractive, and many are older, fat and a little scary~ looking. At first they will try to get you to buy them some drinks, and some will probably never even suggest a walk
upstairs. They’d rather just try to get your money from you down at the bar. When you ask about
more private sports, they will try to charge you too much—perhaps $100 for an hour - as much as
you would pay for a terrific Korean masseuse in Los Angeles and not nearly as satisfying. You can
usually talk her down to under $50.00, but be prepared to pay $10.00 or so for a room for the hour. The fact is that these women aren’t worth it at any price, so look elsewhere.

The Zona Rosa

Closer to the border, a little Northwest of Ave. Revolucion, is the Zona Rosa - Red Light District.
Here you can find women in three kinds of clubs: servicemen’s cantinas, local cantinas, and the
street. The Zona Rosa beats Ave. Revolucion because it revels in its sleaze and there is no pretense to be anything else. Although I very rarely recommend considering women from the street, in Tijuana it makes some sense. First, there is no nonsense. She’s not trying to get you to buy multiple drinks at outra-geous prices. Her rates are reason-able—usually $20.00 for as long as it takes, but not too long (like not more than 30 minutes) plus $3.00 for the room. Moreover, there are usually some attractive girls on the street in Tijuana. They are a nice Mexican mixture of Spanish and Indian, still young enough to have a nice veneer of baby fat that hasn’t yet turned into real fat. The down-side is that all of them are what I call "skirt lifters. They just lift their skirt, and indicate that you should get it over with as soon as possible. None of the plea-sure of undressing or embracing the woman, smelling her, stroking her, watching her. Just slam, bam. Thank you, Mister. I would bet that even for $1000 you couldn’t talk any one of them into spending the night with you and re-ally making love.

On the other hand, if you just need to take care of yourself and your hand isn’t working properly and you don’t have a copy of SKANK with you, these girls may be the next best thing. You will find them mainly on two streets - Avenida Constitution between Calle Benito Juarez and Calle Coahuilla, and on the street just south of Coahuilla between Avenida Constitution and Avenida Ninos Heroes.

The Servicemen’s Cantinas

Then there are what I call the "servicemen’s cantinas." There is still a major naval base in San Diego, and boys will be boys (Although since girls will be girls, as the navy becomes more coed far fewer servicemen seem to need to cross the border than in the past.) Many of the bars near Avenida Revolucion cater to servicemen as well, but the guys in the know go to the bars in the Zona Rosa. Some of them feature 30 or 40 relatively young, attractive women, many of who seem to have a nice time dancing and drinking with the guys. The customers are servicemen, young male tourists, some Mexicans and every• now and then a few old farts like myself. The drinks are not too expensive and the girls will do the nasty with you for $40.00 or less, although they seem to prefer to remain dancing and drinking. The hotel rooms are usually next door and cost under $10.00 for a short time.

Again, talking one of these women into going back to your hotel with you for the night is probably
more difficult than talking the prom queen from your high school into giving you head in your father’s Buick (not now when she’s put on weight and wrinkles - back when she was the Prom queen.) You can find these Cantinas mainly on two blocks of CalIe Coahuila between Avenida Constitution and
Avenida Martinez. My favorite of these is Adelita Bar, which seems to have the most girls and some
of them are reasonably attractive. It’s also the most popular and crowded with young American men.
The New Yorker has a surprisingly good (and sexy) floor show (every night at 9 PM), and some
attractive girls. Other clubs worth look-ing into are Las Chavelas, Guadalajara de Noche, and Afro
Bar (which had some unusually attractive girls the night I was there).

Also worth mentioning just around the corner on Avenida Constitution is Molino Rojo just because
it’s so unashamedly sleazy and therefore real-ly gets you into the Tijuana spirit. It looks as if it’s been there since the pro-fession began, and some of the "girls" look as if they worked there from the very beginning as well. However, I found that they had some fun raunchy banter and being there felt like being in Tijuana in the old days. Note: The manager of Molino Rojo told me that in Tijuana there are a couple of very elegant Casa Privadas (Private Houses) with beautiful surroundings and gorgeous young women. The prices, he said, started at $500 - for millionaires only. Of course, he said, if I could prove I had sufficient capital, and I paid him $100, he would be happy to take me there. I almost went for it, too, until I looked in my wallet. I don’t know whether he was making it up or not, but one day one of you will try it out and let me know.

Local Bars

Finally, there are the bars that cater to Mexican men. First of all, don’t even think about it if you can’t speak a little Spanish. Second, don’t even think about it if you don’t like your women on the chubby and homely side. Third, don’t even think about it if you don’t like loud Mexican music. Fourth, don’t even think about it if you want more than a few women to choose from. Fifth, don’t even think about it if you appreciate cleanliness. If you are still thinking about it now, then you are going to have a terrific time in Tijuana.

If you want to visit one of these, they’re all over the Zona Rosa (which is the area within a few
blocks either way of Avenida Ninos Heroes and CalIe Coahuila). Walk around. Visit a few. No one
will bite—unless you pay them to. My advice for most of you, unless you are in Tijuana anyway, is to look elsewhere. If you just want to get laid, you’re better off going to a local neigh-borhood Asian massage parlor or call-ing an escort. If you’re looking for a goodweekend getaway, go an
hour-and-a-half further to Ensenada If you’re planning a vacation of a week or longer, spend a little more money and take yourself to Honduras, Costa Rica, or the Dominican Republic.

On the other hand, I must admit that I’ve gone down to Tijuana several times and not just to write an article. Sometimes when the phoniness of everyday bourgeois American life is getting me down and I want a taste of how the world really is, I find the raunchy sleaze of this border city to be exciting and invigorating. Sometimes I even like the challenge of trying to get one of these Mexican prostitutes to actually enjoy sex. So far I’ve been totally un-successful, but I’m still trying.

So for those of you who like sleaze and raunchiness and rowdiness and the nauseating smell of beer and vomit on the floor and whores who truly look like the whores who your mother warned you about (or forgot to warn you about), then by all means go on down to Tijuana and have yourself a great time.

Ensenada

About 11/2 hours south of Tijuana is the seaside city of Ensenada. If you want something a little
more relaxed, a little less sleazy, with some nice beach-es to enjoy during the day, then Ensenada
is the place to go. It’s an easy drive from Tijuana on the new toll road, or you can get a bus (round trip is $6.50) which leaves every hour. The bars in Ensenada are much like those in Tijuana, only a little less crowd-ed and a little less tawdry. Moreover, there are one or two more upscale places that leave Tijuana in the dust.

First on your list should be Anthony’s, at the corner of Miramar and Costero. Anthony’s could be a middle class neighborhood discotheque in the San Fernando Valley, or on Long Island. The girls
there seem to be nice middle class Mexicanas just out for a good time, no knockouts, but most are
presentable. They dress tastefully, don’t wear too much makeup, and just sit at tables like proper
girls waiting to be asked to dance.

However, before you’ve been there very long, a strange little man approaches you and asks if you
want to meet a girl. You pick one out and let him know. In no time at all she’s sitting with you as
though she’s your date for the evening. After that, it’s the standard drill. You can stay there, buy her drinks (from which, of course, she makes a little profit), dance, and talk. When you’re ready you can leave for a nearby room and get a little more intimate. The price is about $40 for an hour or so. A whole night would take a lot of persuasion and even more dinero on your part.

Another nice club to visit is Seignoral [eiditor’s note: I belive he meant the Senorial Club] on
Matteos just south of Miramar. Seignoral’s features topless dancing, although somehow the tops
usually re-main on. Much of the dancing is above par compared to most such clubs in Tijuana and
the girls were more attrac-tive and alive. They are all available to go upstairs with you, also for
about $40 plus about $5 for the room.

Within a short walk of these two clubs are dozens of more "local" clubs that cater more to the local
men or very low rent tourists. If you like that sort of thing, you can have a good time exploring on
your own. I was brave enough to ven-ture out by myself and I had no feeling of danger. And the
girls I talked to were far more afraid of crime in Los Angeles.

Also nearby are numerous clubs and cantinas that don’t feature working girls. They attract both
tourists and many young Mexicanas who are probably not averse to meeting nice American men (nice, in the sense of not slobbering drunk). You can try out these clubs and if you find yourself too
frustrated, drop by Seignoral or Anthony’s.

While Tijuana might be worth seeing just for the curiosity factor, Ensenada makes a much better
vacation site. In particular, if you already live in Southern California, Ensenada can be a great
getaway for a long weekend.

I started going regularly in early 1996, not too long after the article came out. I don't think the ZN I saw would be too much different than when the author would have been there. That said, I didn't have, and still don't have the somewhat negative take on the ladies that he expressed. I definately think I can get a better time in TJ for $100 than with a U.S. massuse.

Tom Bosweenie

I hope you are now doing something more commensurate with your skill level,like mowing lawns for a living,you certainly can't write and unless the zona has undergone a radical change in the last 5 years, your research skills are sadly lacking. Thanks for posting it anyway El Cabrio,it shows that anyone can come down to TJ for a short time,go home write an article and not have a clue about what little they just experienced.

I too must say that I have found MANY chicas in TJ who are willing to at least pretend to enjoy the sex, not to rush, and who take pride in their profession. And for more money (but still a pittance by U.S. standards), do an even more spirited job of acting.

Most especially:

Sofia, legendary CC girl (alas, retired)
Tania, legendary AB girl who puts Hoover to shame
Ariceli, SG - the Worlds best way to spend $23
Lisa, another talented, attractive, young fresh SG

I DO wish that Ariceli and Lisa would move up to a better class of short time rooms. I'd gladly kick in another $3-5 for clean sheets and running water

HAH! This paragraph summarizes the Tijuana experience so incredibly well !!!!!!

First of all, don’t even think about it if you can’t speak a little Spanish. Second, don’t even think about it if you don’t like your women on the chubby and homely side. Third, don’t even think about it if you don’t like loud Mexican music. Fourth, don’t even think about it if you want more than a few women to choose from. Fifth, don’t even think about it if you appreciate cleanliness. If you are still thinking about it now, then you are going to have a terrific time in Tijuana.

Amen to that brother

DMan

Better yet tell Ariceli and Lisa to start working AB or CC circuit so I can taste them myself. Several SG'd have made the move recently.

I don't agree TJ's chicas are better than US escorts, I am at an even 100 chicas in a year and half and 20% have been outstanding which is not bad considering I am shallow and go mostly for top tier chicas from AB and CC.

Sofia and Tania were good ones but toward the bottom of my list of outstanding providers. But again YMMV. Sofia did want to marry me to move to U.S., she even lied to me and told me she loved me.

Great summation Nevervana, and it still rings 99% true to this day. Will still be the truth years into the future. On the funny side, but darn accurate. Thanks.