Sex workers have reported a rise in demand for their services which they say is driven by the UK’s loneliness epidemic, with thousands of people seeking “platonic companionship”.
Classifieds website Vivastreet, which hosts escort ads in the UK, told MailOnline it has seen a recent rise in male clients seeking sympathetic ears and a “judgment-free space” to talk openly about their struggles, fears and anxieties.
It comes in the middle of ‘Blue Monday’, the third Monday in January, which is supposedly the ‘most miserable day of the year’, due to a combination of bad weather and a post-Christmas crisis.
One sex worker reported a marked change in services requested by clients in January, with many seeking a more “emotional” session.
Gigi Patsy, a 28-year-old three-year-old escort from Hertfordshire, said January is a particularly busy month, when men tend to especially need a friendly ear.
“Talking has become as much a part of my job as sex is,” he told MailOnline.
Gigi, who charges £250 a session, said many of her clients are suffering the consequences of what she calls a “post-Christmas crash”.
“Some men are not that interested in sex, they book the session because they want someone to be nice to them for an hour,” he said, adding that a client recently thanked him for “saving lives.”
Three-year-old escort ‘Gigi Patsy’ from Hertfordshire, 28, says she is helping to combat loneliness on ‘Blue Monday’, considered the most depressing day of the year.
“There are people struggling with work, a breakup, problems at home… some just say, ‘Oh, it’s been such a long day’… or maybe they don’t have friends to talk to,” she said.
She also said there had been a noticeable increase in the number of men looking to spend their time with her in a more emotional and conversation-focused way.
“People who come to see me will set aside a certain amount of time and want to talk for part of it,” he said.
‘They’ll lie in bed, we’ll do whatever we want and then there’ll be that bit of “aftercare” where they’ll be talking to each other.
“I’ve noticed a lot more of my regular customers coming in and just wanting to ‘catch up’.”
Middle-aged men and those with autism are the most likely to request non-sexual, “emotionally based” sessions, he said.
Gigi recalled spending four hours with a man interested in cross-dressing in a “marathon session” in which very little sexual intimacy took place.
She detailed how this involved helping him with wardrobe choices, having drinks together and chatting casually.
“When he was leaving he gave me a big hug and a card that said, ‘I wanted to give you this, I had an incredible time,'” she said.

Speaking to MailOnline, Gigi, who charges £250 per session, said she is seeing around a 25 per cent increase in clientele in January and a marked shift in men looking for a more “emotional” session.

Gigi said some weren’t that interested in sex and booked the session because they simply “wanted someone to be nice to them for an hour.”
‘And then he said to me: ‘People like you save people’s lives.’
Gigi often advises her clients to seek professional mental health treatment, and on one occasion even helped a man find a suitable therapist after he confessed that he was struggling following a “death in the family.”
‘We talked a lot and he talked about his anxiety and how his family now expected so much of him.
“You could see how he had weight on his shoulders.”
She added that many clients seemed to feel more comfortable talking to her than to a therapist.
Gigi attributed this to the intimidating nature of hiring professional help and admitting you have a problem.
“A big part of my role is to be non-judgmental and make people feel comfortable, so I think they feel like they can be vulnerable with me,” she said.
‘They feel like they can’t open up to their partners and don’t want the stigma of going to see a therapist.

Data has suggested that Britain is experiencing what has been called a loneliness epidemic, with some studies finding that men report higher levels than the general population.

The latest figures suggest that around 7 per cent of the population – around 3 million people in England – often or always felt lonely. This graph shows the percentage of the population reporting regular feelings of loneliness by year in the Government’s ongoing Community Living Survey.
“What we do on a date is so distracting that they may not even realize they’re talking about their problems.”
Data suggests Britain is experiencing what has been called a loneliness epidemic, with some studies finding that men report more isolation than the general population.
A 2019 survey found that almost one in five men admitted to having no close friends and a third did not have a best friend.
The latest figures suggest that around seven per cent of the population, around three million people in England, often or always felt lonely.
This is an increase from pre-pandemic, when only six percent of people reported such feelings.
When broken down by gender, eight percent of women report feeling lonely often compared to 6 percent of men.
However, some charities warn that men often feel a stigma for expressing loneliness and are therefore less likely to admit it when asked.