Phone sex refers to sexually explicit conversation between two or more persons via telephone, especially when at least one of the participants masturbates or engages in sexual fantasy. Phone sex conversation may take many forms, including (but not limited to): guided, narrated, and enacted suggestions; sexual anecdotes and confessions; candid expression of sexual feelings or love; and discussion of very personal and sensitive sexual topics.

Phone Sex Services

Phone Sex Workers

Although it is not uncommon for distanced lovers to engage in phone sex, most phone sex sessions involve a paying customer and a paid professional. A phone sex worker is a kind of sex worker and erotic actor, sometimes referred-to as a "phone actor" or "phone actress". The most valued attributes of a phone sex professional are voice, acting skill, and the ability to discern and respond appropriately to the customer's desires.

Contrary to popular belief, phone sex workers almost never masturbate during a call; rather, they may vocally simulate masturbation and sexual intercourse, and/or participate in sexual roleplaying scenarios.

Why People Pay for Phone Sex

The most obvious purpose of commercial phone sex may seem to be to provide people with a live masturbation aid, but many people rely on phone sex as a vehicle for revealing intimate thoughts and feelings to a neutral stranger. For many men it is important for their confessor to be a woman, especially when their confessions involve cross-dressing, pegging, or homosexual fantasies. It is not uncommon for people to resort to phone sex as an alternative to revealing their secret desires to a therapist or significant other.

In short, the phone sex worker is a surrogate called-upon to serve in various roles or capacities. Even if a patron doesn't need a confidant per se, they may simply wish to hear another person's voice, or they may want to hear someone utter a certain word or phrase; such desires may or may not be sexually motivated.

Phone sex services primarily market to men or women of a particular sexual orientation, but many attempt to cater to people who have a certain sexual predilection (e.g., zoophilia, coprophilia, domination/submission, humiliation) or an erotic interest in a specific group (nurses, firemen, college students, older women, etc.). The panoply of specialized phone sex services available (not to mention the huge variety of sexual topics submitted to phone sex workers) reflects the incredibly broad spectrum of human sexual behavior, and is indicative of the general need for a sociosexual outlet which mainstream society fails to provide.

The Phone Sex Business

Most for-profit phone sex services comprise a call centre and/or a managed network of agents who receive calls on their own telephone lines, although some phone sex workers operate independently. Phone sex services frequently rely upon premium rate telephone numbers for billing purposes; credit cards and automated clearing house systems are also common payment options. (Some telephone companies allow their customers to block outgoing calls to premium rate telephone numbers.) Depending on the service and the method one uses to call, phone sex can be very expensive.

In countries where phone sex is legal, phone sex service providers typically advertise their services in men's magazines, pornographic magazines and videos, and on late-night cable television; it is infrequently advertised online. These advertising methods almost invariably target men, the primary consumers of phone sex services.

Oftentimes, people discover that their children or significant others have patronized phone sex services when they notice suspicious charges on a telephone bill or credit card statement. There are cases on record in which public figures suffered scandal and career damage when their phone sex activities were disclosed.

Phone Sex as a Type of Virtual Sex

Phone sex is an older cousin of cybersex. However, unlike phone sex, it is unusual for someone to pay for cybersex.

See also

• Cybersex
• Toothing