The Service was first launched in 1999 by David Elms, who came up with the idea after having what he described as a "bad encounter" with a call girl.
The Erotic Review website was acquired by Treehouse Park in 2004.
A 2008 River Front Times article features Elms commenting that the average site-user was "between 35 and 55 years old with a median income of $80,000".
On April 6, 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act; following this and the FBI shutting down Backpage and other websites promoting or facilitating in prostitution, The Erotic Review blocked access to its site from the United States, though can still be accessed in the United States via a VPN.
