Artemis is one of the largest brothels in Germany, where prostitution and brothels are legal and widespread. The "wellness" brothel opened in Berlin in September , a four-story building complete with a pool , three saunas , two cinemas, and with room for up to 70 prostitutes and customers. Some newspaper articles have pointed out that the brothel's name is somewhat blasphemous, as Artemis was a goddess in Greek mythology who pledged to remain a chaste virgin.
It is a little more than two kilometres from Berlin's Olympic stadium , famous for hosting the Olympics and the venue for several games of the FIFA World Cup. Artemis is organized as a sauna club, similar to several other German brothels: both customers and prostitutes pay an entry fee and can then use the facilities for 24 hours. The entrance fee is 80 Euros 40 for taxi drivers and pensioners on Sundays and Mondays ; half an hour sex costs 60 Euros.
Alcoholic beverages can be purchased at the bar and start at EUR 10 for a beer. Fifty women work on a typical night; they are mostly nude or near nude, except on certain days such as Wednesday, which is "lingerie day". The brothel has 49 employees, [6] in addition to the prostitutes who officially are not employees, but have to follow the house rules regarding services and dresses.
Customers leave about 25 million Euros per year in Artemis, with about half of that money going to the prostitutes. Annual profit of Artemis is estimated at 3 million Euros. The German prostitute support group Hydra has endorsed the transparent concept but has reserved judgment until the working conditions of the women could be evaluated. Several comparable clubs exist in Germany, most of them in the area north of Frankfurt. One of them, Atlantis , was closed in after legal troubles.
Norman Jacob, the lawyer of the owner, was quoted in one article as saying "Football and sex belong together". In the early morning hours of 17 August , four guests refused to pay their bill at Artemis. One of them drew a gun and shot at the doormen, injuring three of them. The group then fled by car. The gun was a modified alarm gun that shot plastic bullets.
