Haunted brothels… I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.. Let’s be mature about this..

In the spirit of the popular theory that ghosts frequent areas where they in life have experienced high levels of crisis or emotion, I thought it might be worth having a look at some of the lore surrounding these places. Whilst also trying to keep double entendres to a minimum.

I’m guessing it’s gonna be a hard one…

These establishments served as social hubs in towns around the world, places of passion and scandal that left their mark on history. While most of these sites have long since closed or been repurposed, stories of lingering spirits and ghostly encounters do indeed persist.

Today, these haunted brothels continue to intrigue visitors and draw in paranormal investigators hoping to catch a glimpse of the past, preserved in spectral form. So let’s explore some of the world’s most intriguing haunted brothels and the stories they hold.

Among the most famous haunted brothels in the United States is the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona. Established in 1881, this Wild West saloon was a bustling center for gambling, theatre and.. ahem..other entertainments, including a brothel with cribs – not like MTV Cribs, oh no! These cribs were small rooms for working women – located on a balcony overlooking the main floor.

Tombstone was a rough-and-tumble town, and the Bird Cage saw its share of violence, with over two dozen recorded deaths within its walls – that’s RECORDED deaths, there could be any number of poor souls unalived here.

Today, the spirits of these patrons, and perhaps some of the women who worked there, are said to linger, creating a supernatural atmosphere that keeps visitors and staff on edge.

Reports of ghostly laughter, unexplained footsteps, and echoes of music from long ago have intrigued ghost hunters, who frequently flock to the Bird Cage Theatre. So obviously it’s worth putting up with the odd unexplainable chorus or drunken giggle for the extra trade they bring in.

Paranormal investigators have captured electronic voice phenomena (EVPs), and one notable recording is a woman’s whisper – perhaps the voice of a former “crib girl,” speaking in fragments of an age-old conversation. Alongside these whispers, visitors sometimes catch a strong, unexplained scent of perfume. Now. I don’t know what kind of perfume manifests itself, not do I know if crib girls had a habit of wearing perfume, but nevertheless the experience is said to be ‘powerful, pulling many into the strange mix of Wild West history and paranormal mystery that the Bird Cage embodies.’

Love that for them.

Over in Skagway, Alaska, we have the Red Onion Saloon. Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, served the miners and travellers pouring into the region in search of fortune.

Today, the Red Onion operates as a museum and bar, with rooms restored to their original Gold Rush – era look. The most well-known spirit here is “Lydia,” believed to be a former madam who continues to exert her presence in the bar.

Visitors and staff alike have shared eerie stories of Lydia rearranging objects in the room, as if silently expressing her frustration. Many have reported hearing high-heeled footsteps across the wooden floors, and some detect a lingering scent of perfume – her rumoured calling card (again with the perfume? And was Lydia a popular name back then?).

Paranormal researchers investigating the saloon have captured EVPs and recorded sudden, dramatic drops in temperature, both thought to signal Lydia’s presence. Or a draft. The staff even offer ghost tours, giving visitors a chance to hear firsthand the many encounters people have had with Lydia and other spirits from the building’s storied past.

England’s Schooner Hotel is a 17th-century inn on the Northumberland coast with a long and varied history, including a time as a brothel. The Schooner is often called one of the most haunted hotels in England, owing to numerous accounts of paranormal activity.

Over the years, reports have poured in describing ghostly apparitions, inexplicable cold drafts, and mysterious footsteps. Some visitors even claim to have seen shadowy figures at the foot of their beds, only for the apparition to vanish as soon as they switch on the light.

One particularly unsettling incident involved an investigation team capturing footage of a floating orb that travelled through the hallway, though I and many others would suggest it might simply have been dust.

To those open to the supernatural, however, the Schooner’s collection of ghostly reports is compelling, giving it a reputation as a prime location for experiencing the paranormal.

Back in the USA, the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana is celebrated as one of the most haunted places in America, and although it’s primarily known as a historic home, it also reportedly served as a secret brothel at certain points in its past. This statement obviously suggests it wasn’t that much of a secret if indeed it ever was a brothel.

Built in 1796, the plantation has seen numerous tragedies, with as many as 12 spirits said to linger on its grounds. While the plantation’s most famous apparition is Chloe, a young enslaved woman who allegedly haunts the house, other spirits are thought to be former workers or guests from its time as an alleged brothel.

Visitors often claim that mirrors throughout the house capture ghostly reflections, showing women in period dress who vanish when directly observed. Paranormal investigators visiting Myrtles have recorded strange shadows and, most mysteriously, handprints that seem to appear and disappear on mirrors without explanation.

One EVP captured in a former alleged brothel area is claimed to contain the voice of a woman whispering, “Come back” – a haunting call to an unknown listener, perhaps from another era.

Goldfield, Nevada’s Goldfield Hotel, built in 1908, was another place where a hidden brothel is said to have operated on the upper floors. The hotel is a prime destination for paranormal enthusiasts due to the tragic tale of a spirit named Elizabeth, a young woman reportedly involved with the hotel’s owner.

As the story goes, Elizabeth became pregnant and was hidden away in a room upstairs, where she later died under mysterious circumstances. Her cries have been heard in the very room where she is said to have stayed, and some visitors claim to have seen her sorrowful apparition walking the halls.

Paranormal investigators have captured unexplainable cold spots in that room, and visitors frequently report doors slamming, furniture shifting, and echoes of distant, disembodied voices. In one chilling incident, multiple people witnessed furniture moving across a room without explanation.

Elizabeth’s tragic story and the eerie phenomena surrounding her supposed room give the Goldfield Hotel a unique and haunting atmosphere, making it one of Nevada’s most intriguing allegedly haunted sites.

Down in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter is another former brothel with its share of ghost stories. Maison de l’Ocean is a 19th-century establishment which served the more affluent of clients and remains largely preserved in its original style, adding an air of authenticity to the ghostly tales that surround it.

Visitors and staff members have often reported seeing shadowy figures drifting through hallways, caught only in their peripheral vision. Some have described feeling an unexpected chill or hearing faint whispers and laughter in otherwise silent rooms. One visitor told of an encounter with a woman dressed in 19th-century clothing, standing in the hallway and staring silently before vanishing from sight. Paranormal investigators have allegedly captured whispers and low murmurs on EVP recordings, sounds believed to come from former workers or clients still lingering in the old rooms.

These few examples of ‘haunted brothels’ seem to be regarded as mere curiosities, which is a shame because the are so much more than that – they’re places where history and the present intertwine, leaving traces of the lives and maybe even the emotions of those who spent time within their walls.

Whether sceptical or open to the possibility of ghosts, visitors to these sites often leave with a sense of the stories that have unfolded over the years. As they walk through these spaces, many feel connected to a past that refuses to stay silent.

Regardless of the validity of any supposed evidence for ghostly activity in any of these places, the stories and lore which has been passed down through the ages serves to provide reason, and in some cases finances, to preserve their stories and history for future generations.

In the end, a haunted brothel isn’t just about the ghosts you might see. They’re living history, full of the untold and unforgettable.