How to book a companion: a first-timer's guide
From the first message to the goodbye: how to choose a profile, write an enquiry that gets a reply, handle screening and deposits calmly, and be the client people are glad to see again.
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Most first-time clients are more nervous than they expect to be, and most of that nervousness comes from not knowing how it works. The good news is that the process is simple, it is the same with almost every independent, and the people on the other side of it are professionals who would much rather you asked than guessed. This guide takes you from choosing a profile to the end of a booking.
It is written for adults booking adults in a part of Australia where that is lawful (which it is in most of the country; our state-by-state guide has the detail).
Step one: choose well
A good booking starts with a good match, and the profile tells you most of what you need to know if you read it properly.
- Read the whole thing. Rates, availability, what is offered and how to make contact are all on the page. A first message that asks for things already written there is the most common way to not get a reply.
- Look for a real person. Several photos with some variety, a bio that sounds like someone talking, stated rates and a stated booking process. On LuXeel, every profile has been reviewed by a person before it went live, and a verification badge means the creator has passed an identity check on top of that.
- Match what you want to what is offered. Someone who lists dinner dates and overnights is telling you what they enjoy. Someone who lists a one-hour minimum and incall only is telling you something too. Read the category pages to understand the kinds of booking people offer.
- Check the city. Profiles state where they are based and whether they travel. A touring creator's dates will be on their profile or their posts.
Step two: the first message
Your first message is a small job interview, and you are the one being interviewed. Keep it short, polite and complete:
That is the whole message. It gives her everything she needs to say yes, and it shows that you read the page. What to leave out:
- Explicit descriptions of what you want. The profile says what is offered; the booking is the time to talk.
- Haggling. Rates are not an opening position.
- Questions about whether she is "real". Reviewed profiles answer that; the question insults the people it does not catch.
- Multiple messages in a row. Send one and wait. Replies can take hours, because she is working.
Use the contact method stated on the profile. If it says message, do not call.
Step three: screening and the deposit
Independent companions screen every new client, because their safety depends on it. You will be asked for some combination of a name, a phone number, and one thing that can be checked (a work email, a reference from another companion, a photo of ID with the number covered, or a short video call). Answer promptly and completely. Your details are kept only as long as needed, and professionals treat them as confidentially as they expect you to treat theirs.
Then there is the deposit: usually a fraction of the booking, paid in advance, non-refundable if you do not turn up. It exists because no-shows are the biggest cost in this work, and it is how she knows you are serious. Pay it by the method she states. If you have a reason to be cautious, book someone with a visible verification badge and reviews, and pay a deposit sized to a short first booking.
Step four: before the booking
- Confirm the day before, briefly, in writing. One line is enough.
- Shower, shave or trim as you prefer, clean clothes, fresh breath. This is the single most mentioned thing in every companion's list of what makes a good client.
- Have the balance ready in the form stated, in an envelope if it is cash. Hand it over at the start, without being asked, and without counting it out in front of her.
- Be on time. Not early (she may be preparing), not late (it comes out of your time). If you are running late, message.
- If it is an outcall, book the hotel in your own name, give her the room number when she asks, and be the only person there.
Step five: the booking itself
You have paid for her time and company. What happens in it is a conversation between two adults, within what her profile says she offers.
A few things that experienced clients know:
- Start by relaxing. A drink, a chat, a few minutes to settle. Rushing is the mark of a first-timer, and nobody enjoys it.
- Ask, do not assume. If you want something, ask once, politely, and accept the answer. "No" is complete.
- Boundaries go both ways. Hers are on the profile; yours are whatever you say they are.
- Consent is ongoing. Anything either of you wants to stop, stops.
- Keep your phone away. Photos and recordings without consent are a crime everywhere in Australia, and even asking changes the mood.
- Leave on time. The booking ends when the time ends. If you want longer and she has the time, ask, and expect to pay the stated rate for it.
Step six: afterwards
Say thank you, mean it, and go. A short message later saying you enjoyed it is welcome; a stream of messages is not. If she has a review system (LuXeel verifies reviews against real bookings, so a review from you carries weight), write an honest one. If you want to see her again, book the same way you did the first time, and expect the screening to be quicker.
Do not ask for her personal number, her real name, or whether she would see you "outside work". The answer is no, and asking turns a good client into one she will not see again.
What it costs
Rates are set by each independent and stated on their profile. In Australian capitals, hourly rates for independent companions run from the low hundreds of dollars to well over a thousand, with most somewhere in between; dinner dates and overnights are priced as longer bookings with a lower hourly equivalent. Our guide to what companions cost goes into it city by city. What you should never expect is a discount, a "trial", or a lower price for a shorter booking than the stated minimum.
Booking on LuXeel
On LuXeel you browse by city or by kind of booking, read the profile, and contact the creator by the method she lists. Profiles show rates, availability (an "available now" badge means she has updated it today), verification badges and verified reviews. There is no booking fee and we do not sit in the middle of the conversation.
A short checklist
- Read the whole profile; match what you want to what is offered.
- One short, complete, polite first message.
- Answer screening fully; pay the deposit by the stated method.
- Confirm the day before; arrive clean, on time, with the balance ready.
- Relax, ask rather than assume, respect every "no", keep the phone away.
- Thank her, leave on time, review honestly, book the same way next time.
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