Amanda Goff was once one of Australia's highest paid escorts. Under the pseudonym Samantha X, she appeared on TV regularly, wrote two best-selling books and even started her own escort agency.
And for eight years, Samantha X was at the top of her industry - at one point charging over $1500 an hour for clients.
But those meetings with clients weren't exactly what you would expect. Interestingly, speaking to Mia Freedman on No Filter she said, it was rarely about sex. Instead, it was about connection.
When Amanda Goff was young - before her Samantha X days - she would holiday in the South of France with her family, who lived in London. While in the South of France she would see "glamorous women" getting into Rolls-Royces and Bentleys with rich men. When Amanda realised who those women were, she found it "exotic" and always wondered what it would be like to work in escorting.
The first time that Samantha X was paid for sex was when she was in her mid-30s. She was sitting up in a bed in a Sydney penthouse after finishing a sexual encounter with a client. At the time she was a single mum, having recently split from her husband, and working in the media. But she was so intrigued by escorting, that she decided to dip her toe in the water.
"I remember thinking 'Oh is this it? This is so easy.' It was a bit of an anticlimax. I'd always been intrigued about that world [the escort realm]," she said.
"I realised this man wasn't just here for sex. I think men go into it thinking they want sex and that's what it's about, but in fact I got his whole life story and we talked about everything. It was almost like he didn't want to go because he wanted to keep talking."
Watch: First Date with 'Samantha X'. Post continues below.
Before doing escorting, Samantha X hadn't ever really heard men talk about their feelings.
But she soon realised that her position made men feel comfortable to share their stories and emotions - because they didn't feel judged. For some of her clients, Samantha X was a sounding board.
"I often would say 'it would be a lot cheaper to see a counsellor than me'. But they would say 'why would I go and see a counsellor because I would feel judged?' I think for men, they see a sex worker as a safe space - I don't know why. The only thing I can think of is when we're naked, everyone's vulnerable."
In the later parts of her career in escorting, Samantha X wasn't simply being paid to have sex with clients. On many occasions - sometimes even the majority - she was being paid for her company. To go out for coffee. To have a date night. To talk.
"Some of my clients, we don't have sex. I had a beautiful lunch in Melbourne not so long ago with a client and there was no sex, but I was still paid for my time. I don't do it [have sex for money] anymore," she said on No Filter.
Listen to Mia Freedman's full interview with Amanda Goff on the No Filter podcast below. Story continues after audio.
Throughout her career, Samantha X would do regular appearances on TV in Australia, London and America, sharing her stories of the sex work industry.
As Samantha X's celebrity status grew, so did the demand surrounding her. And with this meant a rise in how much she charged.
For context, Samantha X said escorts commonly charged around $400 to $500 when starting out. For herself, she charged $1500 per hour for her time. But for the tail-end of her career, she was charging up to $2000. But as Samantha X explained to Mia Freedman, the clients who wanted to have sex with her purely because of her fame and profile, were not the clients she wanted to take on.
"They were in awe. They would say, 'I feel like I'm with a celebrity' and I was not into that - I felt uncomfortable with that," she said.
There were various packages that Samantha X offered - girlfriend packages and overnight stays.
One example Samantha X shared was when a first-time client hired out a suite at a fancy hotel in Melbourne. He was quite young and just ended up watching TV with her that night.
"He was a lovely guy. We just watched cricket. I thought surely he would want me to do something, and I kept waiting but he just didn't. When I left, he sent me a message saying 'thanks for a great night'."
When she started an escort agency, Samantha X said that she only really hired middle-aged women, with 90 per cent of her escorts being over the age of 40.
"It's not about sex. It's about experience, confidence and feeling comfortable with someone. It's not about having the best boobs or the tightest bum. There is for sure a market for that, but men who have that kind of money want someone with experience. They want someone who they can take to dinner and not look like their daughter," she noted.
"That's why women over 40 do very, very well in this industry."
Now in 2022, Australia's most high-profile escort is saying goodbye.
Samantha X is passing the baton back to her 'real' self, Amanda Goff.
And reflecting on her career, Amanda said that she still thinks very highly of the escorting industry and the women involved in it. She just now feels as though it's time for her step away and focus on herself.
Plus, she interestingly doesn't like talking about sex much... as she explained to Mia Freedman, she considers herself "a bit of a prude" in real life.
"When I hear people talk about sex I wince! I don't want to shave my legs anymore. Well, I will. But I'm just sick of it," she said. "I am so tired of, of having to be... not sexual, but sexy. I just want to be me. I just can't wait to let it all go. I'm so excited to just be Amanda."
For more No Filter, go to mamamia.com.au/podcasts/no-filter.
Feature Image: Supplied.
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