Ever heard of a wellness brothel? That’s Artemis. It stands as one of Germany’s largest brothels. Here, prostitution is legal and widespread. Artemis opened its doors in Berlin in September 2005.
This four-story building boasts a pool. It includes three saunas and two cinemas. Artemis has room for up to 70 prostitutes. It can accommodate 600 customers.
Some say the name is blasphemous. Artemis was a Greek goddess. She pledged to remain a chaste virgin.
Artemis sits near the west end of Kurfürstendamm. Find it in an industrial area of Charlottenburg. It’s close to the Westkreuz metro and railway station. The ICC congress center is nearby. Berlin’s Olympic stadium is a little further.
Haki Simsek created Artemis. He invested about €5 million. German financier Florian Homm provided early investment. One review described the interior as bizarre. It’s a cross between mid-1990s Las Vegas and a cheesy British film.
Artemis operates as a sauna club. Customers and prostitutes pay an entry fee. This lets them use the facilities for 24 hours. The entrance fee costs 90 Euros. Taxi drivers and pensioners get a discount on Sundays and Mondays. Half an hour of sex costs 70 Euros. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are included. Alcoholic beverages are extra. They start at EUR 10 for a beer.
Fifty women work here on a typical night. Most are nude or near nude. Wednesday is lingerie day. Women work in two shifts. One shift starts at 11 am. The other begins at 7 pm. Sexual services include oral sex without a condom. Sexual intercourse uses condoms. Payment goes directly to the women. The house regulates prices and services. It doesn’t take a cut.
The brothel has 49 employees. This is in addition to the prostitutes. They are not officially employees. But they must follow house rules. Each prostitute pays a pre-tax of 30 Euros per day. The brothel collects this for the government. Officials interview the women regularly. Prostitutes can rent rooms on the fourth floor. This area is off-limits to customers.
Customers spend about 25 million Euros each year at Artemis. About half goes to the prostitutes. Artemis’ annual profit is estimated at 3 million Euros.
In the early morning hours of August 17 2012, four guests refused to pay. One shot at the doormen. Three were injured. The gun fired plastic bullets. A Russian resident was later arrested.
Five topless members of Femen chained themselves to the entrance in 2013. They protested the purchase of sex.
In 2016, 900 police raided Artemis. They investigated human trafficking and tax evasion. Police suspected the Hells Angels forced women to work there. One woman testified against her pimp. He was a former football goalie. He was sentenced to 7 years for trafficking, coercion and extortion. The brothel reopened the next day.
In 2023, Berlin paid the brothel €250000 compensation. This was over the police raid. The city apologized for the pre-trial detention. They also cited disadvantages suffered by the accused. The lawyer called the settlement a good signal. It restores confidence in the rule of law. The operators planned to compensate the female employees. They would donate the rest to charity.
Artemis: a complex story of legality, mythology, and modern Berlin.