Sex worker Ariel Ganja reveals she’s making $300k a year as she busts biggest myth in the industry

An accountant turned sex worker who makes $300,000 a year says the belief her new profession only attracts ‘lazy or desperate people looking for easy money’ is a myth. 

American woman Ariel Ganja, 36, told FEMAIL she spent most of her 20s working in a white-collar job earning just $43,000 per year.

Ariel said she was unable to financially plan for her future on that amount and when she lost her job, decided to try stripping to make ends meet.

She quickly fell in love with the sex industry and three years ago decided to step her career up a notch by offering full-service to clients in a legal brothel in Nevada.

Ariel, who is from Missouri, now spends two weeks a month at the Chicken Ranch bordello, 100km from Las Vegas.

At the brothel she is on call 24/7.

‘I’m usually able to get a few hours of sleep nightly when I’m at the brothel, but I have had days where I’ve gone 24 hours without sleep. If I choose to I can tell the shift manager I’m too tired to work and she will let me take time off to sleep,’ she said. 

In her two weeks off every month, Ariel spends time with her friends and family and works on her OnlyFans content.

‘I do try to spend as much time as possible with my friends and loved ones during my off time. But, because I want to build my nest egg for an early retirement, a lot of my time at home is spent creating content and custom videos for OnlyFans, staying in touch with clients, and scheduling photo shoots and managing other brand enhancement endeavours,’ she said. 

Ariel is working hard to boost her profile at the ranch and hopes to be taking home $600,000 a year within the next 24 months. 

The 36-year-old jokes she and her fellow sex workers are ‘the Kardashians of the sex industry’ and posts pictures of herself with luxury cars and designer goods.

She says the job is extremely lucrative with some ‘parties’ playing thousands to spend the night with her at the ranch, and others booking her for three days at a time.

And while she is proud of her success and the trajectory of her career, Ariel wants to dispel myths about sex work being ‘easy money for lazy people’.

‘I am a workaholic, I am always working, building my brand, connecting with people on OnlyFans or with clients at the bordello.

‘The stigma surrounding sex work suggests that the profession attracts lazy or desperate people seeking easy money.

‘The truth is that there is no such thing as easy money. Being a sex worker in the 21st century is a substantially demanding and high-intensity job.’ 

Ariel has a strict regime at the brothel which includes exercise, eating well, and trying to get enough sleep while being available for walk-ins for two weeks straight.

Every visit to Nevada starts the same – a security search of her three suitcases filled with dresses, lingerie, sex toys, and a few ‘normal’ outfits to wear in public.

‘The doctor comes in every Monday to do the STD test,’ she said.

‘I am not allowed to use the brothel’s gym, pool, tanning bed, or spa areas until my medical tests come back negative. On the first day, while I await the results of my tests, I spend several hours unpacking and setting up everything so that my boudoir is attractive and client-ready.

‘Every morning I spend two hours doing my hair and makeup, and then I work out for about two hours. It sounds backwards, but if there is a line-up or a request while I’m in the gym I have to stop working out and change back into my outfit and heels.

‘Additionally, if we have line-ups or a request while we’re enjoying our chef-prepared meals at the brothel, we always leave the table and go for the money.’ 

Ariel said her job related expenses are significant – more than $100,000 per year –  due to the importance of keeping up a certain image. 

‘Since women working at the brothels are independent contractors and not staff employees, it’s typical that legal sex workers have significant expenses in order to maintain their personal business and market their brand,’ she said.

‘I may put slightly more resources into my business than the average sex worker, but I’m a firm believer that the more you invest in your brand, the more you’ll eventually be rewarded for your efforts.’

Expenses include having her nails done regularly which costs $580 a month, upgrading her outfits and sex toys at a combined annual cost of $40,000, and spending about $20,000 a year on photoshoots. 

She also spends about $7,500 on makeup and hair products each year as well as $1,800 on tanning.

Ariel loves working at the ranch, where she has had a room for the last three years – but hopes to be able to finish her career on a high.

‘I plan on retiring from sex work in my early 40s if all continues to go well,’ she said.

‘Which is not to say that I will no longer work when I’m middle aged – I would like to use a portion of my sex work earnings to start my own my own brick and mortar business, perhaps a salon or spa.’

Ariel said most of her friends and family members know she is a sex worker and are respectful of her decision to work in the industry.

‘But the most important thing is that I am very proud of who I am and what I do, and I don’t let other people get in the way of my dreams or make me question my decisions,’ she said.