The Moonlite BunnyRanch (often misspelled Moonlight, though that is the correct spelling of the road on which it is addressed) is a legal, licensed brothel in Mound House, Nevada, United States, some 6 miles (10 km) east of Carson City. The ranch is owned and operated by Dennis Hof. The Love Ranch (previously known as the BunnyRanch Two), a branch of the company and a separately licensed brothel, is located about a mile south of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, very near two unrelated, competing brothels (the Kit Kat Guest Ranch and the Sagebrush Ranch). The BunnyRanch pays tribute to its profession in its address (69 Moonlight Road) and its local telephone number (ending in 3825, which spells out F-U-C-K on a telephone pad).
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History
The brothel now known as the Moonlite BunnyRanch first opened in 1955 as the Moonlight Ranch. There is a historical marker on the premises, found just inside of the property's original main gate (on Moonlight Road), as the ranch is located near a stop on the original Pony Express. It operated discreetly until 1970, when Nevada began regulation of houses of prostitution. Dennis Hof, a frequent customer, purchased the business in 1993 for $1 million and invested another $500,000 in upgrading the facilities and decor. With an eye toward legitimizing sex workers, he has declined to call his workers "prostitutes."
Dennis Hof subsequently purchased another nearby brothel, then known as Madame Kitty's Fantasy Ranch, located about one mile (1.6 km) away. To better capitalize on the "BunnyRanch brand name," as he put it, he rechristened it BunnyRanch Two in 2004. Hof has since renamed this establishment yet again, as of June 2008 it became known as The Love Ranch.
Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler and Governor of Minnesota, wrote in his 1999 autobiography I Ain't Got Time to Bleed that he visited the Bunny Ranch in the 1970s, had sex there, and received $10 in return for his Navy SEAL belt.[1]
On April 23, 2001, an article about Dennis Hof and the BunnyRanch appeared in The New Yorker.[2]
In July 2003, Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, a regular customer of the BunnyRanch, was charged with battery after a prostitute at the ranch alleged that he grabbed her around the throat and threw her against a wall[3].
In February 2009, a new main entrance to the Moonlite BunnyRanch with direct access to U.S. 50 opened to traffic. Constructed by the Nevada Department of Transportation as a business access road, the new street was officially named BunnyRanch Boulevard by Lyon County.
In early 2009, due to the recession, State Sen. Bob Coffin (D) had proposed legalizing prostitution statewide for tax purposes. Hof was prominently featured in a number of media reports saying he would expand into Las Vegas given the opportunity, and was already eying some closed casinos as property.[4] However, the Nevada lawmakers had refused to consider the proposal of statewide legal prostitution during that legislative session.[5]
In the media
The Moonlite Bunny Ranch was featured on HBO's America Undercover show specials, Cathouse (2002) and Cathouse 2: Back in the Saddle (2003). This led to the series Cathouse: The Series, airing in two seasons in 2005 and 2007. The ranch was also featured as a supposedly "haunted house" in an episode of Proof Positive and is frequently mentioned on the Howard Stern Show, usually to announce that another porn star has started to work there.
In 2008, Moonlite BunnyRanch prostitute Brooke Taylor was featured in the web series "Who's Sleeping with Your Husband"[6], speaking candidly about the reasons she believes men visit brothels and revealing the most popular menu items.
On Friday, Nov. 13, 2009, Oklahoma City police said the 22-year-old Brooke Phillips, who worked at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch that was featured on an HBO reality series, was among four people found dead in a burning house earlier that week.
Publicity stunts
In June 2003, Hof announced that the first 50 servicemen who showed up at his brothel after returning from the Iraq war would get a free session of sex; for another 50 days, all returning servicemen would receive a 50% discount. A similar offer of free sex was made to 200 soldiers around Thanksgiving 2005. This was an attempt to implicitly advertise the ranch, since official prostitution ads on TV or radio were then illegal in the state.[citation needed]
In September 2008, a 22-year-old woman calling herself Natalie Dylan announced on The Howard Stern Show that she would auction off her virginity on the BunnyRanch's website, and that the act would be consummated at the ranch.[7] While Dylan's sister worked at the Bunny Ranch two years ago, she insists her sibling had nothing to do with her recent decision. "My sister definitely didn't pressure me into doing this," she says.[8] A recent women's studies graduate from Sacramento State, Dylan planned to use the money to finance graduate school and said "I feel empowered because I am being pro-choice with my body."[9] She retained the right to reject the winner of the auction and pick another bidder, claiming that several bids had exceeded $1 million. She also said in a radio interview with Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough that she may not go through with the auction at all. Dennis Hof is to receive half of the winning bid.[7]
Workers
Many of the prostitutes at the BunnyRanch are current or former strippers, porn stars, or other types of workers in areas of the "adult" entertainment industry. Several well- or semi-well-known personalities have worked at the Ranch.
Porn star Sunset Thomas worked at the BunnyRanch from 2002 until some time in 2004 or 2005 when she broke up with then-boyfriend, BunnyRanch owner Dennis Hof. Porn star India had also cut down on making adult films to work at the BunnyRanch in the early 2000s, claiming that it was more profitable. Another well-known long-timer is Air Force Amy. Divine Brown, mainly known from her arrest while servicing film star Hugh Grant, has also worked at the BunnyRanch. Asian porn star Mika Tan has recently been added to the roster of working girls and fellow porn star Sunny Lane has worked at the Ranch at various different times throughout her career, as did Isabella Soprano, and Bridget Powerz.
See also
References
- ^ Jesse Ventura. I Ain't Got Time to Bleed, Random House 1999, ISBN 0451200861
- ^ Rebecca Mead. Letter from Nevada - American Pimp - How to Make an Honest Living From the Oldest Profession. The New Yorker, 23 April 2001
- ^ "Motley Crue Singer Accused Of Attacking Prostitute". MTV News. 2003-07-30. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1475015/20030730/motley_crue.jhtml?headlines=true. Retrieved 2006-09-16.
- ^ http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6815445&page=1
- ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29181044/
- ^ "Who's Sleeping with Your Husband? Mistresses Tell All, momlogic.com, June 2, 2008.
- ^ a b Buy a virgin, The State Hornet, 17 September 2008
- ^ INTERVIEW: Virgin Sells Her 'First Time' , momlogic.com, 14 January 2009
- ^ My Exclusive Interview with Natalie Dylan Who is Auctioning off Her Virginity, Blogging in America, 26 September 2008
External links
Coordinates: 39°13′06.95″N 119°40′14.7″W / 39.2185972°N 119.67075°W
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