Twenty years Society Service, part 2

Twenty years of high end escort agency Society Service

In part 1, I shared how I started as a student, how intense those first years were, and how 2008 became the moment I truly fully committed to Society Service. With my name, with my face, and with the willingness to live with the consequences. What I could not have known then is that this choice would not only give me a business, but also an intimate window into people. Into what they're missing, what they long for, and the impact of allowing it.

When people think of an escort service, they quickly think of sex. Which makes sense. But at Society Service that has never been the whole story. After twenty years, this is what I mainly see: people are looking for warmth, attention, pleasure, and connection. And my work is often far less spectacular than people imagine. Most of the time I am simply organising, writing, coordinating, and safeguarding.

Part 2: Intimacy, misconceptions, and why my work is actually quite “ordinary”

When you talk about the “positive difference”, where do you feel it most?

Marike: "In what I read and hear back every day. We always speak to the escorts after a booking, sometimes late at night, sometimes the next morning. And in the end, we also receive feedback from the client. Of course he thought she was beautiful, sexy, and fun, but what really stays with him is an intense sense of fulfilment and “I can take on the world again”. That is the part people completely underestimate."

You often talk about clients, intimacy, and what people are looking for. But of course you don’t run this on your own. What makes your team so strong, and what are you secretly most proud of when you look at what you’ve built together?

Marike: "That we genuinely deliver it together, time after time. It is not assembly line work. Every match requires attention, and every booking requires coordination. And what I find beautiful is that the escorts truly understand that. It is not just about showing up, it is about making contact, sensing what is needed, adapting, and at the same time simply having a good time. I am proud of how much effort they put in and how seriously they take it, without it immediately becoming heavy or overly loaded. And yes, I also find that loyalty special. In a long term collaboration, I know for sure: she is consciously choosing the way we work. That really feels like a team."

You define intimacy much more broadly than just sex.

Marike: "Intimacy is warmth and intimacy is passion. Intimacy is sensuality, eroticism, trust, desire, sharing something beautiful, involvement. And after twenty years I am sure: good intimacy is not just about sex."

What do you think is the most underestimated effect of a long term lack of intimacy?

Marike: "Getting used to it. People get used to the absence and accept it as normal. It is not that they think every day: I miss this or that. But slowly a feeling develops: is this all there is? And only then do they start to examine where that feeling comes from. Often they explore sex first, and then they realise: that is not it. It is about attention, seduction, the build up, being together, a sense of connection. And only when they experience that again do they understand what they have been missing all along. That can be quite confronting."

You mentioned the biggest misconception about this work.

Marike: "Yes. That sex work is inherently bad, that there must be something wrong with sex workers, and that clients are, by definition, creepy men with extreme fantasies. While what I see is that many people are looking for intimacy in the broadest sense of the word, which feels good for both parties, including the escort. But that human side is often not seen, because people jump straight into judgement."

You are also very down to earth about your day to day work.

Marike: "Yes, because people sometimes think it is all spectacular. As if I spend my days in high heels drinking champagne while processing bookings. Absolutely not. I sit behind a computer. I process bookings. I organise, coordinate, write, set boundaries, manage the website, administration. The subject is different, but the entrepreneurship looks a lot like that of any other business owner."

You often say your work is ‘less spectacular than people think’, but surely there are also hilarious, sweet, or unexpectedly touching moments. What’s a typical Society Service moment where you think afterwards: this is so human, I just have to laugh?

Marike: "Definitely. Sometimes it’s those tiny moments nobody on the outside ever sees. A client who takes his preparation so seriously it becomes almost endearing. Or an escort calling me the next morning saying: ‘Marike, it was so lovely, but he genuinely made a playlist as if he was about to give a TED talk.’ Or someone saying afterwards: ‘The best part wasn’t even the sex, it was how much we laughed.’ That’s exactly why I enjoy this work. The whole picture is what makes it so special. And that’s precisely why I get so much fulfilment from what I do."

And when you are not working?

Marike: "Preferably, I play the piano, go powerlifting, or cook a great dinner for my friends and my partner. And yes, I often have to interrupt that because the phone rings and I need to arrange something for a booking. So I am not completely off, but it still helps me unwind."

You also said something about visibility. When do you share it, and when do you not?

Marike: "If I talk about my work, or if I am somewhere in a context where it is relevant, then I am honest about it. I do not hide it. But at parties with a lot of alcohol, for example, the questions often get more and more blunt. Then I sometimes just say I am an accountant or something boring, because I do not feel like it. And at the hairdresser, the dentist, while travelling, it is not always convenient either. Not because I am ashamed, but because I do not feel like being treated differently or getting weird reactions. It is not always necessary to share everything, and I also do not use my work to provoke or to make others uncomfortable."

What do you hope people see first, before they form an opinion about the industry?

Marike: "That I am simply Marike. And that this is simply work. An unusual industry, yes. But I am not a character. I am a business owner who gets things done, just like anyone else."