For a price, Peter Austin can make almost any dream a reality. You want a gentleman in a sparkling thong to serve cocktails? You got it.
Called The Gentlemen of State College, a new local escort agency offers male companionship for paying customers -- although sex is off the table, said Austin managing partner of the business.
"They can do anything from dinner dates to massages to bachelor parties to bachelorette par-
ties," Austin said. "The sky's the limit."
With the help of Web sites such as craigslist.com and statecollege.com, Austin's been scouring for willing local talent since October to serve as companions, strippers and male entertainers.
"State College has a good amount of money and has a lot of young college students," Austin said. "I figured it'd be a good opportunity because there's nothing like this in the area and because of all the people coming in and out of town, as far as business and football weekends go."
Rates for the gentlemen are available online, with a one-hour booking running at $160. The escorts only do "out calls," meaning they travel to the client.
Both employees -- called "gentlemen" -- and customers are required to sign a liability waiver stating they are not setting up an appointment for sex. The business's Web site, thegentlemenofstatecollege.com, also emphasizes this disclaimer.
Still, Austin might run into some trouble with local leaders. State College Borough Council President Elizabeth Goreham said she is concerned about the service and is looking into it.
"This is a little bit disheartening," she said. "It sounds like, well, I don't want to say what it sounds like, but it doesn't sound good. I think we have to check to see what this really is."
State College Mayor Bill Welch shares Goreham's concern, saying the Web site looks "sleazier by the minute."
"Half of those guys are half-naked on the Web site, which raises some questions," he said. "It looks to me like they're saying one thing and doing another."
Austin said he hopes to soon branch out to open a "The Ladies of State College" and to do a cross-promotion with The End Zone strip club, 100 Lion Lane.
End Zone manager Chris Nagle had not yet heard of The Gentlemen of State College and said he wouldn't have anything to do with the service.
"We know everything that goes on in our place and we take a lot of pride in making sure everything is the way the law wants it," he said. "We steer clear of anything like that."
Nagle said escort services have opened in State College in the past but are usually shut down pretty quickly.
"State College has rules for a reason," he said. "If they have a number on him, he'll get busted soon enough."
Austin has a full-time job in a field he prefers not to share and was unwilling to reveal whether his name is an alias. While Austin is comfortable saying the gentlemen use aliases, he cannot reveal whether any are Penn State students.
"All the gentlemen must have full-time jobs -- they just can't be bums," he said. "I'm trying to run a different kind of agency. All of the gentlemen are very nice, they're very polite, they aren't cocky or arrogant."
Clients select gentlemen, specifying preferences in categories including height, weight and body hair. The Web site also includes photos of the employees, many times topless.
"The guys most frequently requested are tall and slim, and then those that are smooth," Austin said.
Austin said business is going "better than anticipated" and he plans to hire more male escorts through the spring.
"Our main clientele base is males and females who are older professionals," Austin said. "They're looking to come into town and spend the night with one of our gentlemen, instead of finding some jackass on the street."
