Confessions of a Kiwi sex worker: 'I met my partner on the job'

"Bubbles" says she loves being a sex worker - and even met her partner on the job. Photo / Stock image / Getty Images

"Bubbles" has been working in the sex industry for 18 years.

The 53-year-old sex worker, originally from New Zealand, says she met her partner while working in Australia nine years ago.

"Bubbles" told Daily Mail Australia she has "been pretty lucky" with her open relationship because her partner understands she loves the work she does.

"I can't really explain how it happened but we just connected," Bubbles said of their romance. She says her partner was her client first, who she "made a lot of money" from.

"I have a very high sex drive. I'm a bit like a male in that I like a bit of variety and he's okay with that. But it's a rare thing.

"We've discussed what works for us. Some things like kissing are totally out of bounds because it's important we keep that as something just between us."

The couple holiday together on the money "Bubbles" makes in the sex industry. They plan to take a cruise around New Zealand later this year.

"Bubbles" reveals she used to work in a factory when she lived in New Zealand. But when she needed money to buy a car, a friend who knew how much she loved sex suggested she try getting paid for it.

She says 18 years ago New Zealand brothels wouldn't take her in because she was a bigger size than other woman, so she had to go out on her own.

"I found myself a private house and ended up a bit of a rarity at the time as there weren't many larger ladies around then," she told Daily Mail Australia.

"I had a booming time when I first started because men actually like all sorts of women."

"Bubbles" says before sex work was decriminalised it was harder for her to advertise her service.

Sex work was decriminalised in New Zealand in 2000.

Now when she advertises in Australia (prostitution was decriminalised in 1992 across the Tasman), she can clearly state that clients can't ask for services without a condom.

"Bubbles" doesn't work fulltime any more, and has spent the past eight years getting her degree in social work.

When she does work her clients are mostly older men - one is 80-years-old.

She charges A$120 an hour for a full service. She said full service "means a hand job, blow job, massage and full sex, and I let them take a shower as well."

She earns, on average, about A$700 a week. She charges what she thinks the older men can afford.

"Some weeks I have a good week and some weeks not. It's up and down and it's never the same. It's one of the reasons I went back to school and got my degree because I am getting older now."

"Bubbles" says she mainly works from home with one or two other ladies.

Despite easing herself out of the industry and into social work, she doesn't want to give up sex work entirely.

She says she may even move into working as a dominatrix.

"I'm not ashamed of what I do. I love being a sex worker and I love meeting and talking to the clients," she said. "I would find it very hard to give it up."