36 Rue Saint Sulpice – Paris, France - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

36 Rue Saint Sulpice

Paris, France

An unusual number plate signifies the building's saucy past. 

View all photos
176
551
Related Stories
Though not from 36 rue Saint Sulpice the scene is similar to what would have been found inside

Paris, From the Boudoir: Atlas Obscura's decadent journey through Belle Epoque bordellos

Laetitia Barbier January 17, 2013
Top Places in Paris
Musée Dupuytren
Paris, France
Musée de la Poupée
Paris, France
Un Regard Moderne Bookstore
Paris, France
 See All

When walking along the Rue Saint Sulpice, you probably won’t notice that the the number plate on building 36 is larger and more colorful than the standard blue-and-white version.

What happened in this building to afford it a marking that stands out among the others?

If you were a Belle Epoque Parisian man, you would automatically recognize this oversized faience plate as a signal for a maison close, a house of pleasure.

This building was Miss Betty’s brothel, specializing in “dominatrix role play.” The brothel was a very popular address among the extensive ecclesiastic crowd of the Saint Sulpice area. Priests were said to be particularly drawn to the “crucifixion parlor” and the “Satan’s Hell” torture room.

Know Before You Go

Metro Saint-Sulpice.

places to stay shops
Nearby
Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice
0.02 miles
Mundolingua
0.08 miles
Wall of The Drunken Boat
0.12 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Paris, France

Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice

This 18th-century sundial was designed to calculate the date of Easter each year.
Museum entrance
Paris, France

Mundolingua

A museum dedicated to linguistics, from how babies learn to talk to endangered and extinct languages.
Paris, France

Wall of The Drunken Boat

A poem by Arthur Rimbaud is inscribed on the wall of a street that, while it is only one block long, plays a key role in multiple novels.
Paris, France

The Last Original Standard Metre

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.
Related Places
Hotel Alex Johnson.
Rapid City, South Dakota

Hotel Alex Johnson

One of America’s oldest and spookiest hotels, thanks to the residency of ghosts, dead presidents, and Alfred Hitchcock.
The Utter Inn on a frozen lake.
Västerås, Sweden

Utter Inn

A floating underwater hotel, created by a Swedish artist.
The Choo Choo sign at night
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel

This historic train station has been converted to a locomotive themed hotel.
Icehotel
Kiruna, Sweden

Icehotel

The world's first ice hotel is still one of the most elaborate and beautiful.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web