Looking for sex in Galway?
Galway, known as Ireland’s cultural heart, is a bustling city with a population of around 80,000. Though smaller than Dublin or Cork, it attracts millions of tourists annually. And if you’re on this page, we’re guessing you’re looking for the more… NSFW side of the attractions. 😉
Though Galway doesn’t have an open red light district, the city has a discreet sex scene with plenty of local sex workers, escorts and a tiny handful of adult attractions. Let’s take a closer look.
Galway’s Adult Entertainment
Sex and Prostitution In Galway
In Galway, as is the case across Ireland, buying sex is illegal.
Selling your own services isn’t a crime, but any third-party involvement can get you in trouble. The 2017 Sexual Offences Act bans paying for sex (first-time buyers face fines up to €500) and defines a brothel as just two or more sex workers operating from the same place.
A pretty loose definition, and one that prevents the so-called AirBnb ‘apartment brothel’ setup.
Ultimately, this means no legal brothels or red light districts in Galway. Everything is arranged online or very discreetly.
Galway is actually known for its lack of street prostitution… virtually all commercial sex here is coordinated via websites and phone, unlike the bigger Irish cities that had streetwalkers in certain areas.
In fact, one survey in late 2014 shockingly found 87 women “for sale” in Galway advertising online on a single day. Almost of the girls were foreign nationals, which mirrors a familiar nationwide trend: about 94% of sex workers in Ireland are migrants (commonly from Brazil, Romania, Nigeria) with very few local sex workers actually being Irish.
Gardaí do monitor the scene, but enforcement isn’t always the best. Still, there have been a few busts in the city over the years, like back in 2016 when four Romanian women were caught operating an apartment brothel via EscortIreland ads.
The police confiscated cash and fined the women (though suspected the real bosses were elsewhere).
Prostitution is still commonplace in Galway, but it’s mostly kept away from the public eye, with a very small community of mostly foreign sex workers.
Escort Industry
Ireland doesn’t really have the ‘escort agency’ setup that is so popular in major European hubs, partly due to local laws, and partly because the escort scene is so dominated by independents.
If you’re hunting for an escort in Galway, online is the only way to go.
The go-to platform is still Escort Ireland – the country’s largest escort listing site (despite the name, it now operates from servers abroad). Dozens of Galway-based profiles can be found there on any given week; there are 48 ads live in Galway at the time of writing.
The other major source is actually the classified sites. Both Locanto and VivaStreet are packed to the brim with escort ads under Personal Services > Escorts.
The downside of using the classifieds is that there are no reviews and punters are much more exposed to scams. At least with Escort-Ireland, it has a (partially hidden) review section.
We took a look through the listings for Galway and it’s clear that many of the available call girls are on tour, or just passing through the city for a small number of days.
It reflects a quite transient scene.
Galway Brothels
Officially, there are no legal brothels in Galway.
Not surprising, since running one will get you a €5,000 fine or jail time.
That said, the area is known for pop-up brothels that often involve two or more women working together for a short stint. They fly under the radar, sometimes using Airbnb rentals or short-term leases to evade detection.
One notorious area has been St Bridget’s Place (a residential neighborhood near the city center). Locals have complained about certain houses there turning into temporary brothels – with a parade of men “constantly pacing up and down the street on their phones” looking for the right door.
Another known spot was Bohermore: in 2016 Gardaí raided an apartment (as we mentioned above) at An Larnach, Bohermore, and found four women operating a brothel, advertising online and servicing a “large number of men”.
One punter left in a hurry after admitting that he paid €70 “for sexual favours”.
Whatever the case, there are no legal brothels in Galway, and anything that does pop up is likely to get shut down just as fast.
Red Light Districts
Galway is unique in the sense that virtually all prostitution is indoors and online.
There is no active red light district, and certainly nothing resembling an ‘official’ zone.
Historically, Galway’s docklands and industrial outskirts had a bit of street action in the past (as in many port towns), but today there’s effectively zero street solicitation.
The Price of Sex in Galway
How much does sex cost in Galway?
Recent reports suggest punters can expect to pay around €80–€100 for a half-hour of full service and €180–€250 for an hour with an escort. Galway’s rates tend to mirror the national average, albeit with less choice.
High-end touring escorts or fetish specialists will charge more (in some cases, upwards of €300/hr), but Galway isn’t exactly flush with luxury courtesans and those numbers are not representative of the true market.
If we go back to the reports of the 2016 brothel raid, the going rate at that time was €70 (although we have no idea what he paid for!). Covid and inflation has surely seen those numbers rise.
Sites like Escort-Ireland are pretty explicit in listing full menus and services offered, so pricing is not typically hard to find for professional outcalls/incalls.
Erotic Massage Shops
Galway has plenty of massage parlours and therapists, but erotic massage is a much touchier subject. Excuse the pun.
No legit spa will offer sexual services, and if you blatantly ask, you’ll likely be shown the door (or laughed at).
We’ve seen reports of two Thai parlours in Galway City (we can’t publish details obviously); both have had reports of offering happy endings, but this is very hit and miss and is likely to be whether you get the right girl on the day or not.
Expect to tip around €20 for a standard happy ending, on top of the massage fee.
The classified sites are another common way of finding an erotic massage, and you’ll find a number of Galway practitioners offering everything from suggestive body slides to tantra sessions.
I mean, some of these on Locanto are pretty suggestive…
Sex Clubs In Galway
If by “sex club” you mean swingers’ clubs or BDSM dungeons, Galway has… well, none.
There are no dedicated sex/swingers clubs operating openly in the city.
That said, the swinging and kink communities do exist. Swinger parties or meet-ups in Galway are usually arranged informally on sites like SDC, FabSwingers.com or FetLife.
We recommend SDC as the best starting point for immersing yourself with Galway’s swinger scene. Events and meet-ups are posted regularly, and you can chat directly to likeminded couples near you.
FabSwingers also has around 600 swinger profiles listed in the Galway area. YMMV.
Galway Strip Clubs
Looking for a lap dance?
Galway’s strip club options are slim to none.
In fact, at the moment there are no fully operating gentlemen’s clubs in the city. Previously, there was a venue called Le Paradis Club (on Upper Dominick Street) which billed itself as Galway’s only lap-dancing club.
It has since been closed down and replaced by Taylor’s Bar (not a strip club!).
Back in the day, Paradis was a short walk from Eyre Square, with memberships for regular customers and discount admission for large group bookings.
As far as we’re aware, it opened in the 2000s and had a semi-successful run, but was hammered by some pretty abysmal reviews. Like… really bad. 2.2 star rating bad.
One visitor quipped “I’ve been to sexier morgues.”
Probably why it went down the shitter?
Local Sex Shops and Adult Stores
Galway is also short on adult retail outlets, but it does have one famous store:
Laura Jane Adult Boutique
20 Dominick Street Upper, Galway (West End)
Also on Dominick Street, literally across the road from where Paradis used to be, this is Galway’s longest-established adult shop. And unlike the old nudie bar, it has some fantastic reviews for its knowledgable staff and friendly service.
It sells a wide range of sex toys (vibrators, dildos, butt plugs), male toys (strokers, rings), sexy lingerie, lubricants, and some bondage accessories.
Any other options?
Not really.
There used to be a somewhat infamous sex shop (with a 24-seat adult cinema in the back) over at the Liosban Industrial Estate. It was closed for “lack of planning permission” lol.
Other Notable Adult Attractions
Alright, in this grab-bag, we cover the odds and ends of Galway’s remaining adult industry.
Anything else worth noting?
Dogging Hotspots
Dogging in Ireland has grown in publicity over the last decade but has always been a popular nighttime (and daytime) sport.
Galway is no exception.
Sites like Swing4Ireland do a decent job of tracking the ‘movements’ of the local scene.
Peep Shows / Live Sex Shows
We were asked if they exist.
Sorry but to our knowledge, there are none in Galway. These are basically non-existent in Ireland.
Top Hookup Hotspots
Galway’s nightlife is legendary, punching above its weight for a small city. The Latin Quarter and West End are packed with bars where the craic is mighty. Start your evening in the bustling pubs around Quay Street and Shop Street. The Quays, Tigh Neachtain, The King’s Head, The Front Door.
As the night progresses, the action mwill typically spill over into Galway’s handful of clubs. Electric Garden & Theatre is a top spot. DNA Nightclub (Eyre Square) and Carbon (on Eglinton St) are targeted at the college crowd with dancey beats – great if you’re early 20s and don’t look like shit.
Here’s some guy on a random tour around the city at night:
Also of note: Galway is hen and stag party central. Bars like Coyotes Late Bar are crawling with flirty groups on weekends, and it’s not uncommon for a gaggle of randy hens to kidnap a random lad for dances.
Hey, it could be your lucky night!
Are there any great adult services or attractions in Galway that we’ve missed? Have you experienced any of those above and want to leave a review?
Let us know your thoughts!
