Nevada's Alien Cathouse: A sci-fi brothel for nerds?

Sex can be out of this world. But a Nevada brothel owner is taking that premise a step further, by building a prostitution den for sci-fi nerds who dream of having sex with exotic alien women. The businessman — Dennis Hof, the star of HBO's long-running documentary series Cathouse — is betting there are plenty of men who will pay a premium for some extraterrestrial TLC. Here's what you need to know about his eyebrow-raising business plan:

An alien-themed sex house?

It's exactly what it sounds like. If you ever "found yourself jealous of Captain James T. Kirk" and his interplanetary romps on Star Trek, now's your chance to "go where no man has gone before," says Melissa Locker at TIME. Hof's "Alien Cathouse" is set to open its Area 51-themed doors just 90 miles from Las Vegas. The reality TV star purchased a run-down brothel with plans to renovate it into an over-the-top galactic love center — complete with costumed employees kinkily made up as "sexy alien girls."

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What makes Hof think this will actually work?

The multi-millionaire has certainly seen success in the sex industry before. In addition to the Moonlite Bunny Ranch — the mercurial setting for HBO's reality show — Hof holds four other brothel licenses, "the most ever by a single owner," says Henry Brean of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He's also enlisting the fantasy-building expertise of former Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss, who will function as his "chief alien design queen." The duo is still working out the project's finer details, like whether the girls themselves will be painted green.

And this is legal?

In Nevada, yes — it's the lone state that permits prostitution under the law. And Hof's clean operating record allowed him to be fast-tracked to a temporary brothel license for his ambitious wonderland, which he hopes to have ready in a month or two for nerds with enough coin. "Unless they're married," he jokes, "I don't want anyone in Nevada having sex unless I get a cut of the money."

Sources: Gizmodo, Las Vegas Review-Journal, TIME