Lexicon of the Swiss erotic industry

Mandatory registration with the cantonal compensation office for any self-employed activity.

Basel advice center for sex workers.

Geneva advice center for sex workers, founded in 1982 - oldest in Switzerland.

Security routine: a trusted person knows the appointment, contact, location and checks after the end.

Swiss term for strip bar - historically closely linked to sex work.

Live sex work via webcam, often on platforms like Chaturbate, Stripchat, BongaCams.

Low-threshold testing and advice center for sexual health (Zurich, Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Lugano).

Swiss directory platform for sex work with long-tail SEO and filter search.

Swiss web design platform for sex workers with ready-made, SEO-optimized profiles.

Swiss criminal law: soft pornography is permitted, hard pornography (animals, violence, minors) is prohibited.

Sex work with a home visit/hotel visit to the client, often combined with accompaniment to events.

Collective term for salons, brothels and massage establishments offering sexual services.

Zurich specialist office for trafficking in women and female migration with national significance.

Lausanne advice center for sex workers.

Zurich municipal advice center for street sex workers.

Industry slang for oral sex (fellatio).

Permit for cross-border commuters from EU/EFTA who work in Switzerland and live in their home country.

Sex work with a relationship-like atmosphere: kissing, cuddling, conversation - no "quick service".

Sexual intercourse (penile insertion vaginally).

Human immunodeficiency virus - now controllable with therapy and effectively preventable with PrEP/PEP.

Human papilloma viruses — a common cause of genital warts and cervical cancer. Vaccination recommended.

Swiss obligation (UWG Art. 3): every commercial website needs a complete legal notice.

Appointment with the customer on the initiative of the sex worker (rare) - usually the other way around: the customer comes to her.

Industry slang for body intake (ejaculation onto the body).

Active, voluntary and revocable consent to sexual acts - a prerequisite for any legitimate sexuality.

Solothurn advice center, founded in 2002 - nationwide in DE/FR/ES/PT/RO/HU/RU.

Criminally exploiting a compulsory situation for sexual exploitation - Art. 182 StGB.

In Switzerland from CHF 100,000 annual turnover - also applies to sex work.

British subscription platform for self-produced (often erotic) content with direct monetization.

Home visit/hotel visit by the sex worker to the client.

Official permission to operate a salon or establishment.

Payment service provider specializing in the adult industry - where PayPal/Twint block.

Emergency medication against HIV after possible contact - take within 48-72 hours.

Bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the EU: EU/EFTA citizens are allowed to work in Switzerland with a permit.

Before the appointment: Clarification of identity, practices, prices and security issues.

Preventive tablet against HIV infection - subject to health insurance requirements since 2024.

Swiss umbrella organization of sex work specialist centers.

Zurich Ordinance, which regulates salon and brothel operations as well as performance boxes.

Service with a particularly explicit, porn-like character - usually with an expanded catalog of practices.

Revised Swiss Data Protection Act, in force since September 1, 2023 - also applies to sex worker websites.

Neighborhoods with a high density of establishments and sex work infrastructure.

Establishment with several sex workers under one roof, often with reception and security staff.

Optimizing a website for high rankings in Google & Co.

Self-determined offering of sexual services for a fee - legal in Switzerland since 1942.

Swiss reform as of July 1, 2024: expanded definition of rape, stealthing is punishable, “no means no” model.

Zone defined by the canton or municipality in which street prostitution is prohibited.

Secretly removing or damaging the condom during sexual intercourse has been a criminal offense since 2024.

Sexually Transmitted Infection

Offering sexual services in public streets.

Supervised, safe facility for street prostitution with structurally separate boxes for car traffic.

Bern sex work specialist office, founded in 1985.

Criminal exploitation of a person engaged in prostitution according to Article 195 of the Criminal Code.