PAHRUMP, Nev. — Two sex workers operating out of a Nevada brothel have revealed that they have been married to each other for about two years, making them the first married couple to work together at a legal brothel in the state.
Violet Vause and Kayden Blake are a same-sex married couple working together as licensed prostitutes at Sheri’s Ranch, a Las Vegas-area bordello and adult vacation resort.
Earlier this month, the 20-something couple disclosed their marital status in a post on the brothel’s blog.
“Kayden and I have dealt with stigma all of our lives,” Vause said. “Being in a same-sex marriage and employed as sex workers means that we are doubly stigmatized, so we feel that we have a responsibility to be forthcoming to our co-workers, customers and families about our relationship and our shared profession – and to be open about the joy both bring to us.”
They have been together for more than seven years and married for more than a year and a half.
Although they overcame many of the societal challenges that came with their sexual orientation, early in their relationship Blake and Vause struggled to make ends meet.
“Before I began sex work, I spent three years working an accounting job at a construction company,” Blake said. “I was giving my all to this company, working 50-hour weeks and training to become the head of the accounting department, but I was getting paid less than the receptionist.
“I was miserable; I didn’t feel valued and I wasn’t being taken as seriously as some of my older colleagues.”
Vause was having similar luck as she tried to keep her head above water.
“I was working three minimum wage jobs, training to be a life insurance agent, exhausted every day from working multiple schedules and yet still not having enough money to survive. I discovered an ad for fetish modeling on Craigslist, and it opened my eyes to a world that I had previously been blind to,” Vause said.
Vause entered sex work as a cam performer and soon started to do online sex shows with Blake. The couple skyrocketed in popularity and began to see the earning potential sex work offered.
“Within a year we had both left our dead-end jobs and moved into our first apartment, and a year after that we moved into a three-bedroom home in Nevada,” Vause said.
Today, the couple call their sex work at Sheri’s Ranch a “family business.”
“My wife and I are successful business partners and sex work is a family business for us that has allowed us to build a prosperous life together, on our own terms,” Vause said.
The pair both said that many customers who make the 60-minute trek on Blue Diamond Road from Las Vegas to Pahrump are couples.
Sheri’s Ranch offers a fantasyland of suites and bungalows with themes such as Lustful Locker Room, Naughty Classroom and Geisha Girl Bedroom. It sits on 20 acres and offers a pool, Jacuzzi and tennis courts as additional amenities.
Couples “yearn for a nonjudgmental experience with women that can not only deliver a fulfilling erotic tryst but also provide sincere advice and lend a compassionate ear,” Vause said.
“Our clients, particularly those who are couples, trust us because they know we’re facing and overcoming many of the same relationship and intimacy challenges that they face,” Vause said. “They want to be with us and seek guidance from us because we’re real. [We’re] really in love.”
Check out Vause’s profile at Sheri’s Ranch here. Check out Blake’s profile here.
