The Daily Dose April 17, As a non-Argentine, you might not even realize the existence of these hotels. But in every neighborhood, people cycle in and out of the small, steel doors on windowless facades of these secret places of pleasure. If they can find them, that is. The telos range from basic to extravagant and over-the-top want to have sex on a bed modeled after a s Ford?
You can. At first glance, most of the decor has a Hampton Inn feel. But a quick glance uncovers more mirrors, one too many Jacuzzis in the living room, small windows and way too many porn channels for your average free-breakfast-bearing accommodation chain.
Source Allison Yates. Throughout their nearly century of existence, the popularity of telos has transformed and shifted but still remains a constant — but not always admitted — part of daily Argentine life. When brothels were made illegal in , sex workers needed places to work. Savvy hotel owners, seeing the economic possibilities, began renting rooms by the hour, and, later, other hotels were established for the sole purpose of by-the-hour stays.
Going to a telo has also been a rite of passage, as Casas points out in his book. Handy for random hookups or discreet affairs, telos also have a lot to do with freedom. Gay but still not out? Quick meetup with your life partner downtown during lunch hour? You get it. Several other countries have versions of telos. But unlike in a country like Japan, foreigners are welcome to the Argentine variety.
It takes an adventurous tourist, though, to add this to his Buenos Aires must-do list. Some say it could be the ongoing economic crisis or the fact that more and somethings either live with liberal parents or alone and no longer need a private space for intimacy. But the decline in usage has spurred a growing movement to find creative solutions. In , legislation was passed to legalize threesomes and swinger couples in telos for the first time.
