Face pics or no face pics?

[Atomicshawn]

Hey guys! Just a question for you all, clients included. From the time I started escorting to now, I've never sent any face pics nor have I uploaded any to my ads. The only reason for this is the need for privacy on my end as I do other things for work.

 

So my question to you guys is how important is it to see a face pic before hiring, and for the escort how much of a deal breaker is it by NOT having one available to a potential client?

[tyro]

My #1 go-to guy doesn't post face pics either. I was disappointed with another guy I hired, though. You will get a TON of different opinions on this, but if you need to preserve your privacy for personal and/or professional reasons, don't post pics.

T

[hornytwells]

Since you ask, I tend to not hire guys who dont send me a face pic> I respect their reasons for not doing so, but for me the face is the number one reason I hire, so I am not going to pay for something and then take a chance. It also has nothing to do with conventional received opinions of what is "handsome". There are certain movie stars that are considered Gods gift that do nothing for me at all, and conversely, I have my guilty pleasure actors that other guys dont like that really do it for me. So, when I see profiles with no face pics, I tend to move on, also as there are so many out there with face pics to choose from.

[hornytwells]

PS: Having said that, am not sure it would affect your business, as lots of guys are much more interested in the body and the dick, just my personal preference.... and you asked.

[Atomicshawn]

I totally understand. Sometimes i get, "so tell me what celebrity you most closely resemble"...I basically tell them that I cannot answer that as it's too subjective and if they're paying for a session I can't guarantee a *insert celebrity name here* look-alike.

[bigvalboy]

I agree with HT on this. I have been so disappointed in the past where the escort had a killer body, but when they opened the door, well everything south just went limp. As HT says, it is not about the conventional opinions of what is "Handsome" for me it is personal taste. You are going to get a wide range of opinions here, but for me if the escort will not email a face pic, then I just move on. I respect your need for privacy, but hiring can and often is an expensive proposition, so I want to be fully satisfied.

 

If someone were to go to Toronto or you were to come to the 'States' ...I can't imagine agreeing to hire someone from that distance, that I did not have a face pic of first, especially if you were coming say to NYC, I would think that a hire like that would be for at least a weekend, and in my book, that is a lot of money to lay out without seeing the face first.

[hornytwells]

Well you might consider going on Skype/facetime to at least let them see your face, rather than send a pic, it might be an option that still maintains discretion, just a suggestion?

[Atomicshawn]

PS: Having said that, am not sure it would affect your business, as lots of guys are much more interested in the body and the dick, just my personal preference.... and you asked.

 

 

True. Oddly enough, most of my regulars never asked me for a face pic when they made their initial contact. But regardless, privacy prevails for better or worse

[Atomicshawn]

Well you might consider going on Skype/facetime to at least let them see your face, rather than send a pic, it might be an option that still maintains discretion, just a suggestion?

 

Hmm, that's an option, once I unlock my iPhone 4.

[Atomicshawn]

I agree with HT on this. I have been so disappointed in the past where the escort had a killer body, but when they opened the door, well everything south just went limp. As HT says, it is not about the conventional opinions of what is "Handsome" for me it is personal taste. You are going to get a wide range of opinions here, but for me if the escort will not email a face pic, then I just move on. I respect your need for privacy, but hiring can and often is an expensive proposition, so I want to be fully satisfied.

 

If someone were to go to Toronto or you were to come to the 'States' ...I can't imagine agreeing to hire someone from that distance, that I did not have a face pic of first, especially if you were coming say to NYC, I would think that a hire like that would be for at least a weekend, and in my book, that is a lot of money to lay out without seeing the face first.

 

Totally agree, it is an expensive proposition. Typically the clients looking for a longer session/travel etc come to see me in Toronto first, at their request. But there are others as you pointed out that most def need photos.

[hornytwells]

All that being said, looking at your pics and your reviews, I would still be tempted......I might not move on quite as quickly to the next profile! I would probably engage with you and see if I could persuade you to let me see your face, rather than just move one

[bigvalboy]

Totally agree, it is an expensive proposition. Typically the clients looking for a longer session/travel etc come to see me in Toronto first, at their request. But there are others as you pointed out that most def need photos.

 

I personally like the Skype idea...that HT suggested.

[down_to_business]

Agree with most other posters here. The only way I would hire someone without seeing a face picture was if I was local to the escort and the escort offered a no obligation no hard feelings cancellation in the first 10 minute guarantee. I would also take a personal recommendation from someone that I trust and knows what I like that has first hand experience with the escort. Otherwise, no way!!

 

When I don't see a face picture,and in the past I didn't require it, my own natural instinct was to imagine what that person might look like. I have yet to meet anyone that lived up to the image created in my own mind. It was an instant let down for me and ruined the session. Funny thing is some of those guys I would have found attractive before they didn't live up to the fantasy I created.

 

I respect the desire for privacy. Unfortunately, this business isn't one that lends itself to hiding your face. It is too important to the hiring decision for so many of us.

[Atomicshawn]

I've tried the "meet before and make a decision" option with clients but both times the guys would arrive at the mutually agreed upon location, sit down and ask me creepy questions (am I going to fuck them hard? Did I cum yet today? etc). It felt like the calls I've answered where you hear irregular breathing mixed with "so you wanna fuck me? Got a big cock?" In other words they wanted to talk dirty and nothing more. Keep in mind, the mutually agreed upon meet was only to involve checking me out and making a no-pressure decision. Either walk with me back to my place or jet. But both times they weren't looking to meet, just wanted to ask me creepy questions in public with other people around. Not cool. So that option no longer exists. But the face-time idea is pretty solid IMO

 

 

Agree with most other posters here. The only way I would hire someone without seeing a face picture was if I was local to the escort and the escort offered a no obligation no hard feelings cancellation in the first 10 minute guarantee. I would also take a personal recommendation from someone that I trust and knows what I like that has first hand experience with the escort. Otherwise, no way!!

 

When I don't see a face picture,and in the past I didn't require it, my own natural instinct was to imagine what that person might look like. I have yet to meet anyone that lived up to the image created in my own mind. It was an instant let down for me and ruined the session. Funny thing is some of those guys I would have found attractive before they didn't live up to the fantasy I created.

 

I respect the desire for privacy. Unfortunately, this business isn't one that lends itself to hiding your face. It is too important to the hiring decision for so many of us.

[EZEtoGRU]

As HTW said, you will get many different answers and, in the end, you need to go with what you are comfortable with. For me the face pic is less important than the body and cock pic. I will not hire without seeing the cock (but then again, for me, size does indeed matter). I prefer to see the face as well but its not a deal-breaker if the body and cock shots look good.

[Juan Vancouver]

Hey Shawn,

 

This is a favourite subject in the Message Center and it has been discussed many times. We all have a different opinion and we tend to sound categoric about them but I don't believe there is a right or wrong about this subject. There is a market for everything and as long as you provide a consistently satisfying service you are going to do well.

 

For a myriad of personal reasons I chose, from the beginning of my escorting career not to share my face. Not on my ad, not through email, not through an indirect link anywhere, not through Skype. You see my face when I show up to the appointment. That way, only clients who have met me and spend time with me know what I look like. Aside from helping me manage my image and keeping my discretion, this has another goal that people often don't discuss here. There is a big market out there for discreet travel companions that can travel with important men, married men, men of notoriety. For a man like that, travelling with a celebrity escort or porn actor would be impossible, so they tend to favour men like me; with a sustained reputation for a consistent service, but also with a completely low profile. Nobody will see me travelling with my client and will say: "There goes Juan with a client".

 

Not sharing my face has hindered my ability to meet many people. A great number of posters in this forum will pass on a meeting without all the relevant pictures and because of this, you may not end up meeting a lot of the most active reviewers. If you are not meeting the people of this forum you may also never receive accolades such as escort of the year or Rentboy.com best anything. In short, you may not be able to become a celebrity escort. If this is important for you, you may have to consider this, but if what you are looking for is to have a fulfilling career, travelling with fascinating people, making money, having a sustainable source of income doing something that you enjoy while keeping a low profile, then you might be ok not sharing your face picture.

 

As for people wanting to meet you first and see if they are into the session, I want to suggest that you tell them to book the session. If the minute they see your face they are not thrilled, they are perfectly entitled to leave at that moment without having any obligation. That way you weed out the people who just want to meet the hooker and talk dirty, but you also offer all assurances to serious clients not only that you are confident about your face, but also that you are committed to their full satisfaction. This approach of course only works when the meeting is happening in the same city and no travel was involved.

 

This approach has served me really well to this day. Even if I am perfectly aware that it is bound to happen that one day someone will not like my face and will stop the session right there, I like to know that if people are with me it is because they are having a great time.

 

To this day, I see the choice of not showing my face in advance as the most intelligent choice I have ever made regarding my career.

 

I hope this response will broaden a little the perspective on this subject. Whatever you do, focus on making sure you take good care of yourself, make sure you are safe and healthy, and then focus on doing your work with love and an open heart. If you do this, you will be great.

[unsub2O17]

I've never asked for a face pic. Nor am I aware of ever having passed up a potential escort because of the lack of a face picture. As has been said before, that's just me. I depend more on the body AND the reviews. Frankly, most of the time, my eyes are closed, and I depend on sensations/touch and verbal. Yes, I have preconceptions, but I also don't let initial impressions affect my overall experience. On top of that, things have always improved for me with repeat visits. It's all a great adventure to me and every discovery (so far) has been a delight.

[gp0560]

Nobody will see me travelling with my client and will say: "There goes Juan with a client".

 

"There goes Juan with a Juan."

[Epigonos]

As far as I'm concerned your ad show everything I need to know (see) about an escort prior to hiring him. I require only a good torso shot. I like, but don't require, a couple of good cock shots one soft and one hard. The least important shot for me is the face shot. The quality of the photos is important. I want to see ads with photos that are of excellent quality preferably taken by a professional photographer. I absolutely hate photos taken in a mirror my the escort with his phone.

[+ sf westcoaster]

I have never hired based on a face picture. For me the escort's reviews, the manner in which he describes himself and photos of his torso, ass and cock are the things that go into my decision to make the initial contact.

[Frequentflier]

You should do only what you are comfortable with. My experience has been that whenever I have met with someone who wouldn't share a face picture, I lost interest when seeing them. So I walked away with the view "I know why he wouldn't send a face picture (not good looking)". So, I no longer meet with anyone who won't share a face photo. As someone else has stated, too many times a good body isn't matched with a good face. I only do longer appointments, overnights and weekends, and I'm going to be looking at a guys face more than anything else during that period. I can imagine there are instances out there, but can anyone recall any stories where a client used an escorts face photo inappropriately? Neither ads or emails include an escorts real name and with Facebook/Myspace/etc isn't it easy for an escort (if challenged by a family member) to say someone borrowed his photos? I also think there is a safety benefit. If the face at the door matches the face sent, I'm more comfortable opening it.

[BaronArtz]

Interesting to read a host of opinions here. For me it's simple: no face pic, no deal. The face pic does not need to be in the ad, but it needs to be available through email, cam or skype. There are so many fakes out there, and a headless torso, body, cock or ass shot can be entirely 'generic' or simply somebody else's. A face pic is much harder to fake.

 

What I really want to say, though, is the following: if you are an escort obessesed with confidentiality - which is a personal and a business decision that I totally respect - be aware that cam and skype can be saved for later viewing, and the recordings can be transmitted as a file to third parties. So it is not as 'confidential' as you think it may be.

[PATRICK12]

Face is pic is good when initially looking for a guy, but not a deal breaker. Atomic pics are ok just enough of lower chin showing for guys not into facial hair. Ultimate decision is made on response to emails or conversation on phone.

[jawjateck]

I fall in the camp of those for whom the face pic is not an absolute must before deciding to hire. There are many factors that go into my hiring decisions, solid rep/reviews, recommendations from friends who have reported a good hire to me, good upfront communications, sensual compatibility, safety expectations aligned, good conversationalist, comfortable appearing in public together, clear body shots (butt and legs man here), etc. A face pic may simply heighten my interest and speed-up the process by which I book the guy, but I have hired several guys (~15) in the past without first seeing a face shot. To give some perspective, I have seen the face of over 90% of my hires in advance of a first-time meeting. So while I am open to the excitement of meeting someone without first seeing their pic, statistically speaking, the facts indicate that the face pic will more likely guarantee a booking from me.

 

I have been fortunate because there have only been 2 times that the escort's face was a disappointment (and one of those was with a guy who had shared his face pic), so not too bad considering how long I've been enjoying this hobby. As long as my companion is attractive (which means better looking than me), I will have a fine fun time. In the next month or so, I have 3 newbies lined up, and 2 of them have not shared a face pic with me.

 

Here's to more good times ahead!

[down_to_business]

I've tried the "meet before and make a decision" option with clients but both times the guys would arrive at the mutually agreed upon location, sit down and ask me creepy questions (am I going to fuck them hard? Did I cum yet today? etc). It felt like the calls I've answered where you hear irregular breathing mixed with "so you wanna fuck me? Got a big cock?" In other words they wanted to talk dirty and nothing more. Keep in mind, the mutually agreed upon meet was only to involve checking me out and making a no-pressure decision. Either walk with me back to my place or jet. But both times they weren't looking to meet, just wanted to ask me creepy questions in public with other people around. Not cool. So that option no longer exists. But the face-time idea is pretty solid IMO

 

Ewww.. that would creep me out as well. I wouldn't have even thought to do something like that. The 10 minute figure I suggested was arbitrary, maybe 10 seconds would be more appropriate.

 

If I got a good vibe from you I might hire for an hour and take that risk without ever seeing your face. I wouldn't under any circumstance take a flight to see someone or hire them for anything more than 1 hour without.

 

In the end, it should come down to what you are comfortable with doing and nothing else should matter.