Real-Life Pimp Dennis Hof From HBOs ‘CatHouse’ Explains All The Rules The Girls Need To Follow At The BunnyRanch Brothel

Editor’s Note: Don’t lie, you’ve watched The Cathouse on HBO at 1 AM at least once in your life. Dennis Hof, the proprietor of the world-famous Moonlite BunnyRanch brothel in Nevada and the so-called “P.T. Barnum of prostitution” has a new book on the shelves today. It’s called: “The Art of the Pimp: One Man’s Search for Love, Sex, and Money” and features illustrations from famed artist Robert Grossman.  With permission from his publisher, we’re publishing an excerpt from the book about Hof’s rules for girls at the ranch.  It’s called “The Bunny Bible.” 

The Bunny Bible is required reading for new girls at the BunnyRanch. It runs more than 100 pages. Much of it is confidential, but I’ll share a few excerpts:

You will only use the “panic button” in case of emergencies. FYI, no one has ever used the panic button for an emergency since it was installed in 1996.

Remember: Your room is your stage. Keep your room neat and clean.

Never go into another girl’s room uninvited or without knocking.

There will be no T-shirts, Levis, or Levi shorts worn by the ladies while they are working.

You are on notice that the BunnyRanch uses shoppers. If you do not use condoms, your contract will be terminated immediately.

Important and mandatory: All girls must do a “DC” (Dick Check) on the customer after the negotiation. Look for any abnormal or unusual bumps, marks, or sores.

In Nevada, it is a felony to give prescription drugs to anyone. When you violate this law you risk going to prison. If you are arrested on drug charges while under contract, we cannot and will not support you.

It is against federal/state law to discuss specific pricing for sexual services across state lines. Consider the following reply: “We are not allowed to discuss prices over the phone/Internet. Each of the ladies here is an independent contractor and our prices differ. However, we wouldn’t be in the business for forty-seven years if our prices weren’t affordable.”

Never never never never get a PIN from a customer for their credit card.

Ladies: We expect you to give good parties and receive good tips. All tips will be turned in immediately after the party. Don’t jeopardize your work contract by not reporting your tips. The first time you don’t turn in a tip, you’re gone.

You may accept casino chips for bookings. They must be local chips only: Reno, Carson City, and Lake Tahoe. Do not take any potato chips.

The Message Board is essential to your success. Use it to build up your clientele and create repeat business. The sky really is the limit!

We now have a personal trainer for your gym needs. He will be here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. You do not need to make an appointment.

If you have a complaint, take it to management. Do not discuss your complaints with employees!!!!!!

In the course of a negotiation, you don’t have to take no for an answer. You don’t have to accept what is offered or back off from what you deserve. You will learn that you have recourse, that there are ways to turn a NO into a YES, and that you don’t have to settle for table scraps when you deserve a sumptuous meal… To become a better negotiator, you need to start by standing up for yourself.

The ranch does not feel it is a good idea to bring your children to your place of work. The same holds for husbands and boyfriends.

The Bunny Bible also walked the girls through client negotiations. When the front bell rang, if a girl wasn’t already engaged with another client, she had to hurry to the front parlor and join the other girls for the lineup. Suzette would welcome the client to the BunnyRanch, hand him a menu with a list of options, and then escort him into the parlor to meet the girls. Once he made his choice, the lucky girl would take him to her room and they would discuss his interests. The menu spelled out many of the options — girlfriend experience, massage, hand-relief party, vibrator show, blow job, half and half, overnight stay, Jacuzzi fun, around the world, etc. — and the girls were sometimes called upon to explain the terminology. Blow job was self-explanatory, but some men had never heard of around the world (making use of three holes, with the idea being that you finished where you started).

If I believe in a girl, if I see she has real potential, I often take her aside and give her the kind of pep talk that I perfected during my years in sales. Good grooming, eye contact, positive attitude. Or, one of my perennial favorites: “A bright smile is far more valuable than a big pair of tits.”

These girls had the potential to make a quarter of a million dollars a year and more, but they wouldn’t get there unless they were driven. I urged them to think strategically about their careers and to plan on being at the ranch for the shortest possible time. I know this sounds counterintuitive — I’m telling my best workers to make as much as they can, as quickly as they can, then go home — but it actually makes perfect sense. The hardest-working girls give the best parties, and good parties are what keep the customers coming back for more.

If they have potential, I do my best to help them. I tell them to start by making a list of all the things they’re going to miss from their previous life, to have a good cry over that list, and to get ready for the next chapter. I also teach them what I used to teach my other sales teams — specifically, to put all their shit in a box when they’re at work and to leave it there until they get home. “If you’re thinking about your problems all day long, you’re never going to be productive, you’re never going to succeed,” I explain. “But if you leave that shit at home and deal with it at the end of the workday, when you can give it your undivided attention, you’ll succeed on both fronts — in work and in your personal life.”

To me, prostitution isn’t about selling yourself; you’re selling a service. And there’s a big difference. Please don’t talk to me about exploitation. Many of my girls are here out of need, of course, but they are in a safe place and a (more or less) wholesome environment. Under my roof they don’t have to worry about the law, because they aren’t breaking it.

Excerpted from The Art of the Pimp: One Man’s Search for Love, Sex, and Money by Dennis Hof. Copyright © 2015 by Dennis Hof. Published by Regan Arts. Used with permission.