Behind the Scenes Look at Life—and Love—in Nevada's Legal Brothels

A recent article in Playboy pays homage to the legal brothels scattered throughout Nevada. There are 30 licensed in the state, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and they dot counties with populations under 400,000, per state law. But a major reason that people show up at the brothels—all of which can only have 50 employees or less—isn’t for sex, Playboy reports. Many merely want companionship with no strings attached.

“Most people are too concerned with their partner judging and leaving them. Married couples die every day never truly understanding the person they spent their lives with, and never knowing the types of raw uncut truths that we will get,” Playboy quotes one employee posting in an online forum. “Sex is a perk, the true art of our jobs is all in the mind and the soul.”

Take a look at some of the popular destinations below.

A sign leads the way to the Shady Lady Ranch brothel (not in photo) in Nye County, Nevada, about 150 miles (241 kilometers) north of Las Vegas. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty)

A souvenir shop in Amargosa Valley, Nevada—near the top-secret Edwards Air Force Base detachment near Groom Lake—also includes a brothel in an annex. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Each of the legal prostitutes at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch has to apply for a work permit issued by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office. (Photo by Stephan Gladieu/Getty Images)

Dennis Hof’s Love Ranch (Getty)

Situated in the middle of the desert, about 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Nye County, is Mabel’s Whorehouse—better known as Madam Butterfly. (Photo by John van Hasselt/Corbis via Getty Images)