If so,  how the hell did it work?  Theres always that admonition to see well reviewed providers,  how the hell did that work before the internets?

Yes.
Not as well as it does now.
And again, not as well as it does now. Since there was no internet, there was no admonition.

Why do you think they call it the world's oldest profession.

EOM

The world began in 1981

Oh , there is plenty of evidence that the one who you do not mention was the type that judged not and enjoyed hanging with the people from the streets more that the " respectable " types.
But there is really no evidence that Mary Magdalene was a practitioner  of the ancient and honorable profession.

Being the old-timer that I am, used the Phoenix, for more 'fancy' ladies, probably the equivalent of todays escorts. There was always the old combat zone in Boston, never have a problem picking up a willing lady there, of course had to be careful you didn't pick up something a bit less desirable.

Prostitution was invented by the Internet. Don't pay no heed to whoever said prostitution is the oldest profession. He or she lied

I remember the old days before they were invented and I had to put on my leather sandals and cruise the dusty streets in my two-horse chariots looking for wenches in provocative togas..

It was creative loafing magazine and excitement magazine. Also phone chat lines. Things sure were different back then!! Lol
Xoxo,
TL

I definitely agreed with the statement but my first thought was "People actually talked with one another." and also used phones and pagers or checked out the popular hot spot and talked in code -- a bit like we still do on the internet....

Really, you cannot think of ways this might work without have the internet?

Some segments of the Church liked the idea of a repentant sinner.

Al Gore discovered it when he created the internet?

Maybe even his wife.
But that possibility reeeeely freaks them out.
BTW....their are Biblical scholars ( though kept on the fringes) that have speculations about the boy group he put together.
There are especially some interesting  debates about St Paul

under Escorts.  They also here in Chicago Had the reader, which was a street magazine that you could get for free from stands or people would pass them out and ask you for 25 cents.  Pretty much was all agency, massage parlors, and street action.  

There were usually alternative publications you could pick up at newsstands that had advertisements in the back. There were also escort services that advertised in the phone book. I remember the first time I went to Las Vegas and marveled at the adds for all the escorts. Glad I decided to begin enjoying the hobby during the internet age.