Gotham City brothel under fire as dozens of sex workers post horror stories online

Whistleblowers from Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne claim their wages, licenses and passports were withheld if they refused to have unprotected sex.

A notorious South Melbourne brothel coerced women to have unprotected sex, whistleblowers have claimed.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one sex worker claimed managers at the Gotham City brothel on Clarke Street refused to pay her for a four-hour shift because she insisted a client wear a condom.

Another woman who applied for a management position at the venue late last year alleged she had walked out of her job interview after being told “if a girl didn’t do the services … the rest of their wages for that day would be withheld”.

The Herald Sun does not suggest any of the allegations against Gotham City are true, only that they were made.

The allegations come as dozens of other sex workers have posted horror stories about the venue online.

The social media firestorm was sparked by former sex workers’ defence of the venue in a TikTok posted last month, with the video attracting over 200 comments in ten days.

Interior of Gotham City brothel. Picture: Supplied

“I did a two-hour booking there and wasn’t paid a cent because I didn’t allow natural [unprotected sex] at the end of the booking,” one commenter alleged.

Describing the venue as “predatory”, a second commenter alleged it was known for “forcing workers to do things they don’t want to do”, while another accused the venue of “withholding payments … withholding licenses and passports”.

Speaking under the alias Ranni, a sex worker formally subcontracted by Gotham told the Herald Sun the venue withheld her pay when she refused to have unprotected sex with a client.

“He [the client] asked and I said no, then he immediately got aggressive and started swearing and said ‘this is bullshit I’m being ripped off’,” she said.

When the client stormed out, a then 19-year-old Ranni claimed she was berated by the manager, who yelled at her for “not following brothel rules”.

Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne. Picture: David Crosling

“[The manager] was extremely aggressive and demeaning … there was definitely swearing,” she added.

Despite having worked the floor for 4 hours, Ranni claims “they didn’t pay me anything, and that was hundreds of dollars worth of hours”.

When asked if she had any other concerns about the venue, Ranni alleged many of the girls looked “completely out of it,” while others, she claimed, “couldn’t speak English fluently enough to even form a sentence”.

Speaking under her work name, industry worker Tommi said she first became aware of how Gotham treated its workers when she interviewed for a management position there in November last year.

“I decided to walk out of that interview because I knew I couldn’t possibly work there, nor could I treat my girls like that,” she said.

Interior of the Gotham City brothel. Picture: Supplied

“He [the interviewer] said that for all the workers, so everyone in the venue, that we could not leave until he said we could leave.

“If you had worked a 12-hour shift and you were like, ‘Okay, I’m done’, and they were still busy and didn’t want you to leave, then you could not leave because you would not be paid”

Tommi added: “When I got a job somewhere else and started talking to other full-service sex workers, I was like what was that about?

“They told me it went as far as, if a girl didn’t feel comfortable with a man, or if a girl didn’t do the services, because they’re subcontractors and shouldn’t have to, the rest of their wages for that day would be withheld.”

Now a manager at a different venue, Tommi said the practices outlined to her in the interview were not industry standard.

“I absolutely adore my girls, they can choose who they want to do things with and what they do. They are subcontractors, they are not our employees and they are not Gotham’s employees either,” Tommi said.

Gotham City brothel is experiencing a social media firestorm. Picture: David Crosling

Describing the allegations as “false and defamatory”, a representative for the venue told the Herald Sun: “The service providers who work at our establishment are independent, self-employed individuals who rent rooms from us.”

“They are responsible for setting their own schedules, and their clients pay them for services rendered. We do not withhold or control their earnings in any way,” she added.

The representative also said the venue only takes possession of ID cards temporarily to ensure the sex workers are above the age of 18.

Gotham City has a long history of interactions with the law, with the company previously claiming it was left $700,000 out of pocket after a failed prosecution by Victoria Police.

The venue was also raided by police in June 2019 following earlier accusations from former staff regarding the drug possession and unlicensed operation of a sexual service. Those charges were dropped by police in 2023.

Originally published as Gotham City brothel under fire as dozens of sex workers post horror stories online