"Soapland, early morning, Akabane" — some people hear that and it clicks instantly; others, not so much.
I'm 42 and still out in the field of this world, so I'll lay it out from a real-world point of view.
Why this topic matters
There's a surprising amount of fuzoku (Japan's licensed adult-entertainment business) info that's never been properly organized. Beginners especially tend to end up not even knowing where to start digging.
ElonI first went to a Yoshiwara soapland at 25. That was back before I had the pearls in. These days, the reactions when I go in with them are one of the little joys — the conversations with a girl who asks "what is that?" turn out to be surprisingly fun.
What it actually comes down to
In a word: whether you know it or not changes the quality of the experience.
ElonI'm not trying to conquer every soapland in the country, but I've hit the "famous" spots in pretty much every region. My conclusion: service quality and cleanliness don't correlate. There are dirt-cheap places with godlike service.
What I've written here is the essence of the knowledge I built up over 20 years.
To close
Elon42, single, living alone. When nearly your whole paycheck disappears into fuzoku, you naturally develop an eye for it. That's not a brag and it's not regret — I'm just stating it as fact.
If you've got questions on this topic, hit the comments or social. And check out First Class Ruby while you're at it.