parlor house

American  

noun

1. (especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries) a brothel with a comfortable, often elaborately decorated parlor for the reception of clients.

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Etymology

Origin of parlor house

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

There ain’t no such thing as men’s work in a parlor house.

From The Verge

Like she says one time, she says, ‘I’ve knew people that if they got a rag rug on the floor an’ a kewpie doll lamp on the phonograph they think they’re running a parlor house.’

From Literature

Of the three grades of parlor house, the one-dollar establishment predominates in Manhattan.

From Project Gutenberg

In the preceding account I have aimed to give certain general characteristics of the parlor house.

From Project Gutenberg

Most prominent are the so-called parlor house or brothel, the tenement house apartment, the furnished room house, the disorderly hotel, and the massage parlor.

From Project Gutenberg