By Max Michor and Glenn Puit
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Neighbors and county officials are concerned about the existence of an alleged sex doll brothel and sex club operating in a central Las Vegas neighborhood.
According to its website, Las Vegas Sex Dolls Experience offers customers the chance to spend time “interacting” with sex dolls in a private room at an undisclosed hourly rate.
Sex Dolls Experience does not appear to be licensed in Clark County and operates out of a “fluid gender social lifestyle club” called The Studios at 5150 S. Pecos Road, near Tropicana Avenue.
Benjamin Hager
Las Vegas Review-Journal @benjaminhphoto
Cyndi Robbins lives in a home just down the block from The Studios. She said she’s heard rumors that the building is a sex club and is concerned about living near the property.
“I think it’s sick and it’s wrong that it should be anywhere near a residential area,” Robbins said. “We’ve got apartments and houses on the other side of the road on the other side of Pecos, and we’ve got houses over here with children. It shouldn’t be allowed, and I didn’t think by law it was.”
A spokesman for the county said The Studios is under investigation by Clark County code enforcement on suspicion of operating abusiness without a license.
County records show that The Studios was licensed in 2016 to operate as an educational institution under the name Fluid Lifestyles Learning Center, but it advertises itself online as a private residence that the owner or owners use as a “social venue.”
Photos from The Studios’ website showcase rooms outfitted with beds, couches, televisions, at least one stripper pole and bondage equipment.
Robbins said that on Friday and Saturday nights, club attendees park in front of her home and others in the neighborhood. The Studios’ website warns that cars parked next to the fire station across the street from the building will be towed.
“I don’t know these people, and I don’t know what kind of people they are,” she said. “And, I know they are not here to visit people in the neighborhood because you see them walking on up to the club.”
Changes
A representative of The Studios could not be reached for comment. Sex Dolls Experience declined to comment and made several changes to its website after being contacted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
At first, its website invited customers to “indulge in the ultimate sexual experience,” but the next day it stated that Sex Dolls Experience allows prospective buyers to “try” sex dolls before purchasing them.
On Wednesday, a “What to Expect” section of the website described an appointment with one of the dolls, including meeting a host on arrival, picking out a doll, wig and costume, and being escorted to a reserved room for a prenegotiated period of time.
On Thursday, only the description of meeting a host remained, and the rest was replaced with “We are not a brothel!!”
Other neighbors said they weren’t too worried about the club, aside from issues with parking and litter. Elaine Pierce lives in a home near the intersection of Reno Avenue and Pecos, not too far from The Studios.
She said she’s more concerned about homeless people squatting under some trees near her home.
A licensed sex worker living in Las Vegas recently spoke out against the Sex Dolls Experience. Roxanne Price is concerned that sex dolls could prove to be stiff competition for her and other sex workers in Nevada.
Prostitution is illegal in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, but licensed sex workers can work at legal brothels in neighboring counties. Price, 25, works in Pahrump.
Sex workers in Nevada are required to pass a background check, undergo weekly testing for sexually transmitted diseases and pay out of pocket for their doctor’s appointments and licensing fees.
“While human prostitutes are mired in legal red tape, doll brothels don’t have to worry about complying with any restrictive legislation,” Price said. “It’s as if sex dolls and sex robots have more rights and freedom than actual human sex workers.”
