A photographer who captured images of sex workers in a Sheffield brothel has defended their trade saying “these women are just normal women”.

In 2019, Lily Miles began a photography project at City Sauna, a massage parlour, after researching the different taboos of society.  

“There were girls there who were the same age as me just paying their way through uni. There were people my mum’s age too. Just normal people,” said Lily.

City Sauna which is run by a mother and daughter featured on Channel 4’s documentary ‘A Very British Brothel’.

Lily, who runs her own photography business, spent six months picturing the sex-workers, the owners and the clients, describing the experience as “really eye opening”. 

The series titled ‘Pink To Make The Boys Wink’ is a portrayal of the women who have chosen to work at the massage parlour.

Image Credit: Lily Miles ‘Pink to Make The Boys Wink’

The photographs observe the lives and friendships of the women and what it means to work in a brothel, without any judgement. 

Lily began by photographing the outside of the building first.  “Obviously I’m coming into their space, I’m an outsider, so they were just wary,” said Lily, who is originally from Yorkshire, but now lives in Brighton.

“I don’t know what my pre-conceptions were beforehand. I think I didn’t really have a realistic view of it but then I went in and thought, these women are just normal women.”

Lily was fascinated by the fact City Sauna is run by a mum and daughter but said:  “It was just quite a normal relationship. It was quite funny, there were a lot of jokes being made.”

Throughout the project, Lily was keen to ensure that sex work was not shown in a negative light.  “I definitely didn’t want it to be derogatory,” she said.

“The project was mainly about giving a realistic view of it in a light that shows it for what it is and not this looking down view of these women and sex work.”

Lily is supportive of decriminalisation of sex work. “They’re all women working together and they protect each other which is telling of why it should be decriminalised,” she said.

 “I think the female-run side of sex work is more positive.”