Brothels, clubs & studios in Solothurn & Olten at a glance

6love_redaktion · November 13, 2026, 6:06pm

This page brings together sex work establishments in the canton of Solothurn in one place: clubs, studios, salons, brothels, and contact bars – with location, type of operation, and the information you need before a visit. The list below is continuously updated and sorted by municipality; it also includes an editorial section with current legal regulations in the canton (as of 2026), so you can understand what’s permitted here, who supervises, and how you can identify an approved establishment.

The Solothurn scene is not concentrated in a red-light district, but is distributed along traffic corridors. Currently, ten establishments are listed in this directory in Luterbach, Oberbuchsiten, Oensingen, Olten, Recherswil, and Solothurn. Two focal points are evident: the Niederamt and Gäu region around Olten – with the Olten railway hub and motorway connections near Oensingen and Oberbuchsiten close to the Härkingen junction – as well as the Solothurn/Wasseramt area with Luterbach and Recherswil in the surroundings of the cantonal capital. Typical for the canton are smaller studios and salons in commercial and industrial zones rather than large establishments; additionally, a growing share is only visible online. Olten is also the only Solothurn municipality with a tolerated, strictly time-limited street prostitution area.

All 10 Establishments at a Glance

Automatically updated, as of 13.11.2026. Missing an establishment? Post it as a reply below.

Oberbuchsiten

Club Olymp – Sex club

Olten

Bunnyhouse – Brothel

Recherswil

Freubad Nightclub – Other

How to Find the Right Establishment

Terms are often used imprecisely in advertisements. This classification helps you read the entries above correctly:

Sauna club / FKK club: Larger establishment with wellness facilities (sauna, steam bath, lounge, sometimes bar and restaurant). You pay an entrance fee for the facility; everything else is arranged directly with the people present. Designed more for longer stays.
Brothel: Building with several individually rented rooms. The doors are open, you walk the corridors and speak directly to whoever you like. No entrance fee, no club operation – maximum transparency about who is actually present.
Studio / Salon: The most common form in Canton Solothurn. An apartment or commercial unit with a few rooms and a small, often changing staff. Usually by telephone appointment in advance; discreet and without public operations. Some studios specialize in particular services (e.g., massage, dominance/fetish studios with their own equipment).
Contact bar / Cabaret: A hospitality establishment with erotic entertainment. The bar operation is in the foreground; performances with an erotic character are only permitted on a stage or similar facility in Canton Solothurn, and admission is restricted to those 18 and older (§ 22 Economic and Labour Act). Whether and where sex work takes place beyond that depends on whether the establishment additionally has an operating permit for sex work.
Private apartment / Apartment: One or two self-employed people in their own home. Very private setting, but without reception and without club infrastructure – appointment booking is usually required here.
Escort / In-call: Not an establishment in the proper sense, but companionship that comes to your hotel or home. In the directory, you’ll find such offers separately from location-based establishments.

What to look for when comparing: current opening hours instead of outdated information, a reachable phone number, clear information about parking and directions (especially in Gäu and Niederamt, establishments are usually in industrial zones away from the town center), and a presentation that does not advertise based on the health status of the people working there or unprotected sex – both are explicitly prohibited in Canton Solothurn and a clear warning sign.

Legal Matters in Canton Solothurn

Sex work is a legal occupation in Switzerland; the minimum age is 18 years, and the criminal code prohibits any form of exploitation, coercion, or supervision of the activity as well as paid sexual acts with minors. The cantonal framework in Solothurn is set by the Economic and Labour Act (WAG, BGS 940.11), which has regulated sex work since the beginning of 2016 in its own section (§§ 28–36, version as of 1 September 2025). There is no separate prostitution law like in other cantons.

Operating permit requirement. An operating permit is required for anyone who provides or arranges premises for the exercise of sex work. A separate mediation permit is required for anyone who mediates contacts between sex workers and potential clients (§ 28). The Office for Economic Affairs and Labour (AWA) of the canton is responsible. The permit is only granted to persons who provide assurance of proper and lawful conduct, are legally capable, have no serious relevant criminal record, and have had no enforcement proceedings from a permit-requiring activity in the past five years (§ 29). For the operating permit, a legally binding building permit must also be obtained – the specific rooms are listed in the permit based on this. Permits are limited to three years (§ 30), and their holders pay an annual fee graduated according to annual turnover.

Zones and building law. Because the building permit is a prerequisite, municipal planning law effectively determines where an establishment is possible at all. The municipal building and zoning ordinance and the cantonal planning and building law are decisive. In practice, erotic establishments are therefore predominantly located in commercial, trade, and industrial zones – which explains the locations in Gäu, Niederamt, and the commercial areas around Solothurn. In pure residential zones, such uses regularly fail to meet zoning requirements.

Obligations in the establishment (§ 31). The permit holder must personally manage the establishment and be present during the vast majority of opening hours. They are responsible for ensuring that only people authorized to work in Switzerland exercise sex work, and must maintain a register for the authorities (name, date of birth, nationality, address in Switzerland, health insurance, residence status and duration). In addition, there are measures for health and safety, the prohibition of pressuring the consumption of alcohol or other intoxicating substances, the obligation to provide condoms free of charge, to make prevention materials available, and to grant prevention agencies access. Explicitly prohibited are the toleration or promotion of unprotected sexual acts and advertising that refers to the health status of people working in the establishment.

Street sex work (§ 33). Street sex work is prohibited canton-wide in zones that are primarily residential, at and around public transport stops during operating hours, and in the immediate vicinity of religious sites, cemeteries, schools, kindergartens, and other educational institutions, hospitals, homes, and similar health facilities. Municipalities may additionally impose local and temporal restrictions. Olten has made use of this: In the area of Haslistrasse in the industrial quarter, street prostitution is prohibited from 05:00 to 20:00; the regulation applied from 2013 initially on a temporary basis and was permanently incorporated into Olten’s municipal police ordinance in early 2017. In effect, Olten’s street prostitution is thus purely a night operation – and the only significant one in the canton.

Obligations of clients (§ 34). The law explicitly also places obligations on clients: Sex work may only be engaged in under basic protection measures against sexually transmitted diseases, and street sex work must not be sought contrary to the restrictions of § 33. If you stop at Haslistrasse during the day in Olten, you are violating applicable law yourself.

Inspections and prevention (§§ 35/36). The competent authorities – in practice AWA and cantonal police – may conduct inspections in the business premises and verify the identity of people present. The canton maintains a register of operating permit holders; the data can be made available to police, immigration, social, and municipal authorities and are deleted no later than one year after the permit expires. For prevention, health promotion, and short legal and social advice, the canton works with the specialist agency Lysistrada in Olten; the service agreement was extended by government council decision of 16 December 2025 for the years 2026–2029 and is co-financed by the canton and the city of Olten.

Balance after ten years. The permit requirement has noticeably changed the scene: many small salons closed, the number of establishments known to authorities declined significantly, and a large portion of the supply shifted to private apartments and the internet. Specialist agencies and police have pointed out for years that transparency has not grown to the extent the legislator had hoped. For you as a visitor, this means above all: the permitted, stationary establishment is the option with the clearest rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a street prostitution area in Olten, and when is it permitted?

Yes – in the industrial area on Haslistrasse. However, it is only permitted there at night: Street prostitution is prohibited between 05:00 and 20:00, based on Olten’s municipal police ordinance and § 33 Para. 2 WAG. The background was that the area is also used during the day by families and cyclists. The cantonal police regularly patrol the area, and the prohibition is explicitly directed at clients as well.

Do brothels, clubs, and studios in Canton Solothurn need a permit?

Yes. Anyone who provides or arranges premises for sex work needs an operating permit from the Office for Economic Affairs and Labour; for pure contact mediation, there is the mediation permit. Prerequisites include, among other things, a legally binding building permit for the premises in question. The permit is limited to three years and must be renewed after that. Establishments without a permit can be closed – this has happened several times in the canton since 2016.

Is sex work in a private apartment in Solothurn or Olten permitted?

Sex work as such is legal, regardless of location. It is not the person working who requires a permit, but rather whoever provides or arranges premises. If someone works independently from their own apartment, this does not fall under business licensing — however, if someone rents out or arranges rooms for multiple sex workers, a permit is required. Additionally, rental and building law apply: in purely residential zones, commercial use may violate zoning regulations, and in residential buildings, such uses regularly lead to complaints and official intervention.

How do I recognize a reputable establishment in the region?

A licensed establishment must be able to present its permit during inspections, is personally managed, keeps condoms available, allows prevention organizations access to the premises, and only employs people with work authorization in Switzerland. Conversely, clear warning signs are: advertising unprotected services or using the health status of present persons, pressure to consume alcohol, missing or contradictory contact information, and offers that are only reachable via changing phone numbers. Legally, as a customer, you yourself are responsible for adhering to basic protective measures.

Where can I get advice and support in Canton Solothurn?

The central point of contact is the Lysistrada specialist office in Olten. It offers low-threshold, anonymous legal and social brief consultations, support, health promotion, and works outreach in establishments, on the streets, and since 2025 also digitally. It is funded by Canton Solothurn and the City of Olten; the service agreement runs until 2029. For licensing questions, the Department of Economics and Labor is responsible; in cases of suspected exploitation or human trafficking, contact the Solothurn Cantonal Police and the cantonal victim assistance service.