Brothel manager Catherine De Noire reveals surprising detail

A manager of a legal brothel has revealed the surprising side of the industry that many have no idea about.

A manager of a legal brothel has revealed the surprising side of the industry that many have no idea about.

Catherine De Noire regularly pops up on social media to share the behind-the-scenes of the brothel she manages. She never reveals precisely where it is, just that it is one of the biggest brothels in Europe.

Speaking to news.com.au, she revealed she was studying psychology with plans to become a therapist.

That’s when she discovered neuropsychology, which examines the connection between thoughts and brain structures and what forms them.

“I discovered this field and it was amazing. I always had this passion for research, my father is a researcher. I thought it was my career,” she said.

One night, she discovered a paper from a manager of a brothel. It was called They Call Me A Pimp But I Protect Women. In the paper, the business, the way women are treated and the legalities.

Catherine De Noire is a brothel manager. Picture: Supplied

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“It basically said how this business is the same as any other business,” she said.

“It got me thinking. I finished the article and I was like ‘I want to do this. This is my dream job’.”

Ms De Noire had no experience in sex work. She decided to track down the company the paper’s author worked for.

“I wrote them an email. I told them I didn’t have any experience. I was 22, had no experience managing people. I didn’t even have my degree,” she said.

“The company, at the time, was only hiring managers with psychology qualifications.”

A few days later, Human Resources called her for an interview. She was eventually offered a job.

“It’s been eight and a half years now,” she recalled.

Ms De Noire revealed the moments that surprised her when she started.

“I remember, I was standing in front of the building. I was wondering, would they be like ‘proper pimps’? Would they be wearing fake fur, these kinds of stereotypes,” she said.

She was stunned by how 'normal' it all was. Picture: Supplied

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“But when I walked in, everything was so normal. There was receptionists, security, HR department, IT department and a marketing department.

“I was like, this is a normal company. The owner is such a sweet guy. If you could see him, you’d say he was very lovely.

“That was the first shock.”

Ms De Noire also had to learn a lot, saying it was hard to be seen as a manager because she was just 22. She said some of the women she was working with were older than her, and at times they needed a mother, a friend and a boss.

“It’s very hard to balance this,” she said.

Ms De Noire isn’t the first person to speak about the extremely corporate side of the sex industry. Angela White, an Australian adult star, said it was no longer a “shady” industry.

In reality, the pornography industry – outside of filming a scene – is filled with incredibly corporate compliance checks that Jim from accounting can relate to.

She has worked in the industry for close to nine years. Picture: Supplied

“A lot of people still think it’s a shady industry, when in reality it is very corporate – there is so much compliance,” she told news.com.au in 2024.

“There is so much paperwork.”

The paperwork Ms White refers to includes 2257s — which makes performers verify their ages and name to prevent child exploitation. Before each scene, each performer must show identification to prove they are of age on video.

Then there is a boundary checklist that includes every sex act you can imagine, which performers go through together with a model liaison.

“We go through and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ask for clarification,” she said, adding that this exercise can take anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes,” she revealed.

She said that even if you’ve performed with someone countless times it was still vital to have the checklist done each time as boundaries can change day to day.

Originally published as Brothel manager Catherine De Noire reveals surprising detail