You Really Can Stay the Night in One of Idaho’s Historic Brothels

There’s really no denying it. There are some very unique places to stay the night in Idaho! 

After its completion, the “Big Idaho Potato Hotel” quickly became Idaho’s most in-demand Airbnb rental and understandably so! It was made from the six-ton potato that traveled 148,000 miles to nearly 7,200 U.S. cities on the back of the Idaho Potato Commission's trailer over the course of seven years. They gifted it to one of the original members of their Tater Team, Kristie Wolfe. Wolfe has built some wickedly creative tiny homes in Washington State and Hawaii, so to turn her beloved potato into an Airbnb rental was a dream come true! 

Before the Idaho Potato Hotel, Idaho’s quirkiest place to spend the night was the Dog Bark Park Inn. Located in Cottonwood, the oversized beagle was created by chainsaw sculptors Dennis and Frances. The couple hit it big after their work appeared on QVC in 1995. While the orders they received took a lot of time away from their family, they made enough money to develop this unique vacation rental and place to sell/display their artwork. The second story of the largest beagle, “Sweet Willy,” has a bedroom, loft, full bathroom, breakfast area and can comfortably sleep four guests. 

While those properties are quirky and fun, they don’t quite have the history that this property in Wallace has! Idaho natives are very familiar with what used to be the small mining town’s Red Light District. While they were illegal, there were still brothels opening in Wallace into the late 1980s and the madames that operated them were really well respected in the community. 

We did more of a deep dive into the history of brothels in Wallace in an article about one, formerly known as the Luxette, that’s currently on the market. You can read more here. This rental property was operated by the same madam.

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Today, the building is owned and operated by Airbnb hosts Jocelyn and Mathias. They renovated the upper level of the historic building into a unique boutique hotel that tells the stories of the girls who used to work at The Lux and what they contributed to the town’s history. You can rent just one of the four rooms or the entire upper floor. 

They do mention in their listing that due to the historic nature of the hotel, some of the artwork and reading materials are “adult” in nature. It’s also near the Oasis Bordello Museum, which tells the story of why the brothels were deserted in a rush in 1988. Up for one of the most unique trips ever? Take a look at some of the photos from their listing!