s ▁in ▁Lima ▁Peru ▁and ▁Santiago ▁Chile . ▁White ▁American ▁and ▁French ▁sex ▁workers ▁were ▁considered ▁the ▁most ▁des irable ▁and ▁charged ▁the ▁highest ▁prices . ▁Many ▁French ▁sex ▁workers , ▁for ▁example , ▁became ▁very ▁wealth y ▁since ▁they ▁were ▁act ively ▁sought ▁at ▁the ▁sal o ons , ▁g aming ▁tables , ▁dance ▁h alls , ▁pe ep ▁shows , ▁etc . ▁and ▁as ▁esc ort s ▁to ▁prosper ous ▁min ers ▁and ▁business ▁men . ▁Typ ically , ▁the ▁l ighter ▁complex ion ▁a ▁woman ▁had , ▁the ▁higher ▁price ▁she ▁could ▁ask . ▁Sex ▁work ▁occurred ▁in ▁organized ▁bro th els , ▁individually ▁r ented ▁rooms , ▁and ▁in ▁sal o ons , ▁g aming ▁h alls , ▁or ▁fand ang os — which ▁offered ▁dan cing , ▁g amb ling , ▁alco hol , ▁and ▁sometimes ▁sex ▁workers . ▁In cre asing ▁populations ▁of ▁min er ' s ▁and ▁business man ' s ▁w ives ▁and ▁their ▁families ▁helped ▁further ▁st ig mat ize ▁sex ▁work ▁when ▁middle - class ▁mor ality ▁began ▁to ▁come ▁to ▁California ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 5 0 s . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 0 ▁San ▁Francisco ▁had ▁ 5 3 7 ▁registered ▁sal o ons . ▁There ▁was ▁little ▁opportunity ▁to ▁do ▁anything ▁except ▁visit ▁the ▁sal o ons — very ▁little ▁else ▁existed . ▁California ▁sex ▁workers ▁suffered ▁from ▁a ▁lit any ▁of ▁problems ▁common ▁to ▁sex ▁workers ▁then ▁and ▁now . ▁Un w anted ▁pre gn