Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it’s hard to go back to sleep. —Fran Drescher
This was one of those rare mornings where I couldn’t really find a topic that inspired me in any way. Yes, there is plenty of important news, but it was either on topics of which I have little knowledge or wholly political which I’m just not in the mood to engage. Then, I came across a snippet that led me to an article in Maxim, which led me to an article in Playboy, which led me to a news story in The Mirror. They’re all talking about a coffee shop in Geneva, Switzerland that hasn’t even opened yet. The coffee shop is called Facegirl and if you want to go there, expect long lines (at least at first) and high prices.
A cup of coffee at Facegirl will set you back about $55.55 (based on this morning’s exchange rate). I know, that seems rather high. However, the reason for that high price is not because of the coffee but because of the “extra” service that comes with it: oral sex. At first glance, the sex addicted and adventurous among us might think that this is a great idea. I can imagine some are already checking the price of airline tickets to Geneva. If there are two things people love it is oral sex and coffee. Bringing the two together sounds like the ultimate experience.
Well, maybe. By the time I finished all the associated articles, I was beginning to have some questions. Big ones.
Contents May Be Hot
From the very outset, spillage has to be a significant concern and I see no mention in any of the articles how this danger might be offset. No one likes lukewarm coffee, so that’s not really an option. At the same time, we’ve seen numerous lawsuits against places whose hot coffee spilled on a customer. Serving coffee at just the right temperature is a delicate thing. One has to be careful in the consumption of hot beverages.
Now, mix that hot beverage with a sexual activity whose sole purpose is to create pleasure. One does not sit daintily in a chair while being brought to the point of orgasm. If such activity does not cause one to roll their eyes back and lose control of some faculties, someone’s not doing a good job. The potential for danger here is considerable. One might dump hot coffee in their own lap. Ouch. One might spill coffee on their temporary partner. Still not good. With the potential for scalding so extreme, lawsuits alone might close the cafe within weeks of its opening.
I suppose there might be some solutions here. Lids on the cups are a must. Secure cup holders are probably a good idea, too. No one wants to risk bumping a table and sending a cup of hot liquid tumbling the wrong direction. Plenty of space between seats is necessary to prevent one from accidently causing harm to a neighboring customer as well. Even with all those precautions, though, the danger for serious burns still exists. I don’t see any way to totally guard against spilling.
Just A Bit Sexist
While the term “oral sex” is preferred, other descriptions of the services offered at Facegirl make it rather clear that men are the target audience. Granted, there’s nothing saying that women can’t get the same oral service. However, all the service providers, at least those mentioned in the articles, are women. If one is lesbian or bisexual then there’s not as much of a problem. Straight women, unfortunately, seem to be out of luck.
Granted, male service providers might yet be added. The opening date for Facegirl has been kept as to a nebulous “end of the year” timeframe. That gives Facegirl’s owners (which are all male) time to consider how best to service a female clientele that might actually become a dominant part of their business. Women are certainly more unsatisfied by the lack of oral attention provided by their male partners. Â Women also, generally, Â are able to enjoy oral sex much more than men. Give them a place that provides quality service with a quality cappuccino and they won’t think twice about dropping $55.
A Little Privacy, Please
Interior design is a big deal in coffee shops. The wrong design can keep customers hanging out and re-ordering drinks, or can send them hurrying out the door. Companies such as Starbucks and Caribou Coffee have spent millions of dollars studying and refining their interior design. I’ve looked over all the articles and find no mention of just how Facegirl is going to approach that issue, and yes, it really does matter.
Coffee shops are generally open spaces. A sense of community is critical to building a strong customer base. Yet, not too many of us are exhibitionists. Walking into a coffee shop to the sight of half-dozen overweight old men getting blowjobs is probably not welcoming to a large number of people. Something tells me an  open floor plan isn’t going to work well.
Privacy might be the make-or-break point here. Being able to serve a high volume of people is going to be critical to profitability. How does one maximize the space while still affording the guests both comfort and privacy? Setting people in dark booths with sticky floors is less than appealing. If the setting isn’t pleasing and maintenance of the facility top-notch, this could quickly dissolve into a seedy dive that no one wants to visit.
My, What An Interesting Growth You Have There
Three words: sexually transmitted diseases. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland. Service providers have to be registered and part of that oversight involves regular testing. The likelihood of transferring a disease from provider to guest is relatively small. However, I can’t imagine that Facegirl is going to test its guests. I suppose they could do a quick pinprick that would check for the most common diseases. But any serious testing would take hours.
The disease factor is the one issue that the coffee shop is going to find the most difficult to control. In addition to STDs, other communicable diseases are likely to be easily transferred  in such an environment. Think Ebola. Facegirl is going to draw a lot of international tourists and with international tourism, no matter what the business, comes the risk of spreading communicable disease. This is how plagues get started. The service being provided, no matter how careful they are, still involves bodily fluids. Bodily fluids are one of the primary ways in which communicable diseases spread.
Walk in for a cup of coffee and walk out with a smile that might kill you.
Sharing Isn’t Always Caring
We’re all for sexual openness, having multiple partners, group sex, and all the fun that goes along with varied sexual activities. We’re also in favor of sharing coffee with intimate friends. We don’t really go for a lot of restrictions around here. However, we are very careful in vetting with whom we choose to play.
The more I think about it, an open coffee shop, where one cannot control the clientele, seems like a very dangerous place to set up any manner of sexual activity. The risks and dangers are high compared to the few minutes of pleasure one might receive. There are a lot of questions for which I’m not finding answers.
I still like the basic premise, though. Maybe we’ll give the whole coffee and blowjob thing a try … if we can keep the cats and the kids from interfering. Yeah, it’s not likely to happen.
Consolidation Of Wealth
They’re rich, but they’re nice guys
The short version
Oxfam, the non-profit charity that fights global poverty, released a report early this morning showing how the consolidation of global wealth is now centered in the world’s eight richest people. These people, all guys, six of which are Americans, hold more wealth than half the world’s population. Oxfam sees this as a bad thing, especially given that the bottom 3.6 billion people struggle to even put food in their mouths and keep a roof over their head.
A little more detail
The timing of the report is important because the World Economic Forum kicked off early this morning in Davos, Switzerland. The event is a gathering that usually occurs during a bit of a global downtime, bringing together world leaders and the world’s wealthiest business leaders to discuss world problems. It’s a security nightmare. Can you imagine if the alleged Islamic State were able to get a bomb into this place? The event is also criticized for being nothing more than an excuse for the rich to get together and party while using their money to influence international politics. And you don’t even want to get started on all the conspiracy theories. So, Oxfam is directing their paper at all these rich people in hopes of influencing their conversation.
Fat chance? Maybe not. There are a couple of things worth noting. One is that the chair for this event changes every year and this year Pakistan’s Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy becomes the first artist to ever take on that distinction. Given Chinoy’s history of using her film to highlight the plight of women around the world, the odds are probably higher than normal that the group will at least discuss the Oxfam report.
Secondly, the Forum’s own report, released last week, says that Capitalism, as we know it, needs to be reconsidered. This has to make at least some of those attending the conference, including the US president-elect, a little nervous. There are several of those attending who are well aware of the economic disparity and in favor of doing something to alter the current situation. That could be bad news for those whose riches have taken advantage of the capitalistic system to keep wages down and people around the world under foot. The Oxfam report is fodder for those who support change.
Who are the super-rich?
For the most part, they are names Americans already know. Here’s the list:
What can be done about the situation?
Here are the five recommendations made by Oxfam:
What chances are there of any of these things being adopted by the world leaders attending the conference? I wouldn’t expect much out of China, Russia, and the US, but in smaller countries, where social and political power is more responsive, there’s a decent chance.
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