Colleen lives in the Jordaan and walks to many of her bookings, which means she arrives having crossed some of the same cobbles her guest did that afternoon. She talks easily and listens better, and a guest who wants silence gets it after the first two minutes. Soapy massage is a favourite when the room has a proper bathroom, and warm oil when it does not. She has English and no other working language, which keeps every exchange simple. At twenty-five she is relaxed, attentive and plain-spoken about her limits.

Colleen decides which bookings she takes and may decline any of them; she sets the limits for what a session includes, says what they are, and may end a visit at any point, as the terms set out.