Rent a Gent offers hot guys for hire, but no one seems to understand exactly what that means.
The invitation for Rent a Gent's "Exclusive Launch Party" (above) shows a buff, shirtless (but not bow tie-less) man propping up a glass surface with his hands and knees. It looks heavy; there are glasses and bottles and plates and candles all over it. Above him, four young women with space hair sit gathered on a couch, cackling. They look delighted and the man-table beneath them looks miserable.
BuzzFeed had a lot of questions about Rent a Gent — a new site that, per the invitation, "boasts a wide ranging, exclusive assortment of sexy, smart, and sophisticated men for rent," for $200 an hour — but none more pressing than "What...is this?"
It seems, at first, confused glance, like an escort service. Sara Shikman, former corporate attorney and Rent a Gent's founder, explains it in terms vague enough to allow a dirtier mind to run free. In an email to BuzzFeed, Shikman wrote, "It's fun. It's a luxury, being able to dispose of a good looking and smart guy, show him off, or be entertained by him."
Welllll... wink... what kind of fun? "Not sexual fun, because other agencies seem to already provide that," Shikman explained in a follow-up. "Usually women don't need to pay for it, but intellectual fun, that, unfortunately is more difficult to find."
Per company policy, the gents cannot have sex with their clients, or go halfway to second base with them, or kiss them. Some of the gents are strippers, and with them it's easier to imagine situations in which their services might be requested: bachelorette parties, predominantly, or various ladies' nights in.
But for non-stripper, non-prostitute gents (and that's most of them), what exactly do they offer? The party invite email says they can "assemble furniture," but surely there are much cheaper ways. They can be your party or wedding date, but is this real life, or that movie with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney?
We decided to rent one — to come to the BuzzFeed offices for two hours, "to blog," we said — and find out.
Harrison is currently available for bookings through Rent a Gent.
Macey Foronda / BuzzFeed
Harrison Schultz, 31, is advertised on Rent a Gent's site as "The Philosopher." He's slim and rakishly handsome, a little like Orlando Bloom with a Van Dyke beard. When he arrives at BuzzFeed's New York office, he's wearing a black suit and tie and cologne. He was the clear favorite of the women of the office when we browsed the site, and we specifically requested him. [Full disclosure: BuzzFeed did not pay for Harrison's time; the visit was arranged by Rent a Gent's publicist as a sort of human "review copy."]
Schultz, in addition to working as a rental gent, is an organizer for Occupy Wall Street (who earned a bit of Fox-based notoriety in the movement a few years ago), a Ph.D. student, and, per his bio, "a true sapio-sexual intellectual-activist." When we asked Harrison what type of woman he thinks might be interested in hiring him, he told us: "I can do a really heady intellectual conversation for chicks who wanna talk and get into philosophy or politics."
The brand of politics Schultz subscribes to is made up of the libertarian-ish values that can perhaps best be described as "redditor." Throughout our two-hour chat, he frequently took our questions on Rent a Gent, dating, and sex as opportunities to pontificate on topics like ending the Federal Reserve, legalizing marijuana, and the general flaws in our capitalist society. He has a girlfriend, but they're exploring polyamory, and he said she doesn't mind his work with Rent a Gent.
Harrison learned about Rent a Gent through one of its founders, whom he happened to know from weekly pickup artist (PUA) meetings and bar outings in Manhattan. (Women of New York: Harrison told us that every Saturday night the Standard Bar is swarmed by a pack of pickup artists, sometimes with cameras, which they use to record PUA practice, using the footage as lesson material in following classes. Take heed!) Before joining Rent a Gent, Harrison taught pickup artist lessons, and said the idea of dipping his toe into something that skirts the line of sex work appealed to him.
We asked Harrison to share details about his other clients, but in order to maintain privacy, Harrison demurred. "I can't talk about things I've done with clients, but it's nowhere near as juicy as what I'd like to do," he said. One of the things he said he'd like to do is erotic hypnosis.
