Every New Yorker knows the steakhouse move. The menu says "market price," the waiter says "excellent choice," and the check shows up looking like a car payment. I've got nothing against paying for quality. I just want to know the number before I sit down.
So when I saw that Jewelry Box sorts its cast into three named price classes, I didn't book a room. I read the rate card first, like a lease.
The rate card, stone by stone
Here's the price page on the shop's official site as I found it. Every figure below comes from that page. The entrance fee (入会金) is free.
| Class | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min | 120 min | 180 min | +30 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby (standard class) | ¥16,000 | ¥20,000 | ¥30,000 | ¥40,000 | ¥60,000 | ¥11,000 |
| Diamond (premium class) | ¥20,000 (trial) | ¥24,000 | — | ¥48,000 | ¥70,000 | ¥13,000 |
| Black Diamond (ultimate class) | — | ¥32,000 | — | ¥62,000 | ¥93,000 | ¥17,000 |
The jump is steep at the top. An hour with a Black Diamond costs ¥12,000 more than an hour with a Ruby, which is 60% more for the same clock. Diamond sits in between, at ¥4,000 over Ruby for an hour.
The site doesn't explain how a woman lands in one class or another. What it does do is label each cast member's class on her profile and on the daily schedule. So you don't have to guess. You look at the tag before you pick a name.
The fine print that actually moves the bill
A class price is only the start. These are the extras I found posted:
- Special nomination fee (特別指名料): ¥1,000–¥3,000. Only some women have one. The site says it's listed on their profiles.
- "Princess reservation" (姫予約): +¥1,000. Event discounts don't apply when you book this way.
- Request reservation (リクエスト予約): ¥2,000, charged once confirmed. This is for asking a woman to come in outside her posted shift. Event discounts don't apply here either.
- The Ruby 45-minute course is for phone reservations or walk-ins at the shop only.
- The Diamond 45-minute "trial" is limited to hotels by Ikebukuro's North Exit, and you can't use it as a repeat nomination (本指名不可).
- The hotel room is on you. The page says the room charge is the customer's responsibility "for any reason."
Options are priced separately too, from ¥1,000 (things like pantyhose, fishnets, or meeting her outside first) up to ¥4,000 for the more specific requests. The full list is on the price page. Decide on options before you call, not after she arrives.
Where you stay changes what you pay
Jewelry Box sits in the North Exit side of Ikebukuro, and its transport fee table makes the geography obvious. Weekday fees come first, with Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday fees in parentheses:
| Where you are | Transport fee |
|---|---|
| Hotels by Ikebukuro North Exit | Free (free) |
| Ikebukuro West and East Exit | ¥1,000 (¥2,000) |
| Parts of Toshima Ward | ¥2,000 (¥3,000) |
| Toshima, Shinjuku, Itabashi wards, etc. | ¥3,000 (¥4,000) |
| Nerima, Arakawa wards, etc. | ¥4,000 (¥5,000) |
| Minato, Chuo wards, etc. | ¥5,000 (¥6,000) |
| Shinagawa, Meguro wards, etc. | ¥6,000 (¥7,000) |
| Edogawa, Ota wards | ¥7,000 (¥8,000) |
Two catches. First, delivery (sending her to your room) starts from a 75-minute course, according to the page. The short courses are really built for the North Exit hotel setup. Second, the shop warns that first-time customers at city hotels and business hotels may not be able to get a visit at some properties. It recommends asking in advance.
If you're staying in Ginza, you're looking at ¥5,000 to ¥6,000 in transport plus a long course. Take the Yamanote Line to Ikebukuro and the math gets much friendlier.
How my night went
I took the cheap, simple route: a Ruby, 45 minutes, at a love hotel by the North Exit, on a Wednesday. That meant no transport fee and no weekend surcharge. I called, and I was honest with the staff about my Japanese. They slowed down, repeated the class and the time, and read the total back to me. That's what you want from any shop.
The North Exit is not the polished side of Ikebukuro. It's narrow streets, pachinko noise, ramen steam and hotel signs with hourly rates in neon. Nobody there cares who you are, which is exactly the point. I paid for the room myself, texted the room number as instructed, and waited.
She knocked right on time. The service was easy and unhurried for a short course. Forty-five minutes goes fast, and it helps when neither side spends the first ten figuring out the rules. Because I'd sorted out class, course and options on the phone, the only money conversation at the door was paying the amount we'd already agreed on. The shop sells itself on women doing this as a side job, and she fit that description: friendly, a little shy at first, and not performing a character. That's more than I expected from a class called "Ruby." Maybe the stone names just describe price, not people.
Walking out, my total was ¥16,000 plus the hotel room, which is the full cost on this rate card when you skip nomination fees, options and transport. That's the number I'd planned for, and that's the number I paid. Steakhouse avoided.
Hours and schedule: check the day, not the website
The official site lists OPEN 11:00 until last call. The CityHeaven listing I checked says 12:00–24:00, and it advertises 45 minutes from ¥14,000, lower than the ¥16,000 on the official rate card. That usually means a discount or a listing-specific price, so ask which one applies when you book. On the day I looked, the schedule page showed seven women, mostly working evening shifts between about 17:00 and 22:00, with a few going later. Five were tagged Ruby and two Diamond, and their listed ages were in the early-to-mid twenties.
In short, a mid-afternoon visit might not have much choice. Look at the schedule on the day before you plan around a specific time.
Paying
The site says online credit card payment is available and that you should call to arrange it. No card fee rate is listed, so ask on the phone if it matters to you. Cash is still the smoothest option.
The shop also advertised a new-customer event for walk-ins at the shop (店舗受付限定) and a "Hime-wari" (ヒメ割) event, with no details on the page. Ask about both when you call. Remember that princess and request reservations cancel out event discounts.
Tips for a first visit
- Read the class tag before you pick a name. Ruby, Diamond and Black Diamond are different price lists, not just labels.
- Stay near the North Exit for the short courses. Transport is free there, and the 45-minute options are designed around it.
- Delivery means 75 minutes or more. Budget for a longer course and a transport fee if she's coming to your hotel.
- Ask before you book a city or business hotel. Some won't work for a first visit.
- Settle options and discounts on the phone. Special nomination fees, princess reservations and options all add up.
- Adults only. The shop refuses anyone under 18, high-school students included.
Verdict
Jewelry Box doesn't hide its prices. It stacks them into three shelves and trusts you to read the tag. For a visitor who takes five minutes with the rate card and stays near Ikebukuro's North Exit, it's one of the more predictable hotel-health setups in Tokyo. For anyone who doesn't, the jewel names can get expensive fast.
I went in for a Ruby and paid Ruby prices. In this city, knowing the price before you order makes it a good night.