New Zealand has the most straightforward answer in the world to this question. Yes, seeing an escort is legal here, and it has been for more than twenty years. In 2003, Parliament passed the Prostitution Reform Act and made New Zealand the first country to fully decriminalise sex work. That is different from licensing it, as parts of Australia and Nevada do, and from the "Nordic model", where selling is legal but buying is a crime. Under decriminalisation the work itself is treated as work.
That single decision explains most of what feels different about the industry here. Escorts advertise openly under their own names or working names, publish rates, and hold the same employment and health-and-safety protections as any other worker. Clients are not committing an offence by booking. There is no legal grey zone for either side of a booking between consenting adults. A few rules do remain, and they are the ones worth knowing.
What the Prostitution Reform Act actually did
The Act removed the old offences around soliciting, brothel-keeping and living on the earnings of prostitution, and replaced them with a framework that treats sex work as legitimate work. Brothels operate under certificates, independent escorts and small owner-operated arrangements need no certificate at all, and territorial councils can regulate where brothels are located but cannot ban sex work itself.
The Act's stated purpose was harm reduction: safeguarding the human rights of sex workers, protecting them from exploitation, and promoting occupational health and safety. Reviews since 2003, including the government's own five-year review, found no measurable growth in the industry, and found it had become safer and more visible.
The rules that still matter
Four hard lines survive decriminalisation, and every client should know them.
First, age. It is a criminal offence to receive commercial sexual services from anyone under 18, and the liability sits entirely with the client. The under-18 person commits no offence. Directories carry age checks and verification for a reason, and "she said she was 18" is not a defence.
Second, immigration status. Section 19 of the Act prohibits anyone on a temporary visa (student, visitor, working holiday) from providing commercial sexual services, and it cannot be a condition of any visa. Anyone in New Zealand on a temporary entry class visa cannot legally do sex work here. This is why "new in town" international listings can be a red flag: an advertiser working in breach of section 19 is exposed to deportation, which is exactly the leverage traffickers and exploitative operators use. A client commits no offence by seeing someone on a temporary visa, but anyone arranging or profiting from a temporary-visa holder's sex work is exposed under sections 16 and 19 of the Act and under the Immigration Act 2009.
Third, consent. The Act is explicit that agreeing to a booking, or taking payment, does not create an obligation to provide any particular service, and consent can be withdrawn at any point. An escort can decline or end a booking at any time. A client who pushes past a no is not having a contract dispute; he is committing a crime.
Fourth, safer-sex requirements. Both of you must take all reasonable steps to make sure a condom is used for vaginal, anal or oral sex. Going without is an offence for the worker and the client, with a fine of up to $2,000. Ads offering "natural" or uncovered services are advertising that offence, which is why Muse does not carry them. The frequent profile line "no unsafe services, do not ask" is the law written as a house rule.
What this means in practice for a client
You can browse a directory, message an escort, book, pay, and see her, all lawfully, anywhere in New Zealand, as long as everyone involved is 18 or over and the basics above are respected. You do not need to worry about stings on ordinary bookings, and you will not find the fake-coded language other countries' industries rely on. Online ads are outside the Act's section 11 limits, which apply to broadcast and print.
The flip side of an open industry is that the remaining crimes are policed as what they are: offences against people, not morality offences. Underage exploitation, trafficking, and coercion carry serious penalties, and reporting channels exist on every legitimate directory. If a listing or an encounter suggests someone is underage, controlled by someone else, or working against their will, walk away and report it.
One more practical note: decriminalisation is national, but brothel location rules are local. Council location bylaws and operator certificates are the operator's or the escort's responsibility. A client commits no offence by visiting premises that breach a bylaw.