I break the action down into three categories:
1) Tico whore bar
2) Tourist whore bar
3) massage/brothelThe Tico bars are where you get laid for ~ $12, plus a few dollars more for drinks, etc.
YMMV, from the country girl who will just lay there while you
fuck her 9and won't do bj) to the hot Latina who may break your pelvis with her thrust. These places will require some Spanish-language abilities, and you'll be rubbing elbows with the locals. The rooms will be filthy, ill-kept, and minimal, and unless you arrange for an outside rendevous, you get an hour (or whatever you bargain for) session in this room, which is adjacent to the bar.
Tourist bars are where the girls charge a bit more but carry themselves a little better. You can also be your gringo self, and don't have to feel out-of-place in your Hawaiian shirt or sporty polo shirt and Dockers. Most of the girls know enough English to make things happen, and the bargaining usually starts at around $100. The Blue Marlin at the Hotel Del Ray is probably the top of the heap. (BTW, staying at the Del Ray is not recommended). The Park Hotel, a gringo-owned dump, is known for it's Friday night show, but if you've ever seen the multi-girl dildo shows at places like Mitchell Bros you've already seen it: the night I went there was only one gal I wanted to touch.
The Park is sort of a cross between the two types of whore bars, and the guys who hang out there are mostly ex-pat alcoholic types.
At massage places you pick a girl, pay $35 or so, and off to the room for your alotted time.
There are also places like this for the locals where the cost is ~ $20.
I personally preferred the massage route, as I don't like haggling price and I'm not trusting enough to have a girl in my hotel room.
There are two levels of strip joints, the big-ticket places like the Olympus and the cheaper, local ones like the Bikini Club (a few blocks from the Del Ray). I went to the Bikini Club just out of curiousity and ended up paying a little more than I should have ($30) but I got to indulge a fetish in the back room: a bj from a pretty girl wearing glasses.
There is street crime in San Jose, so be cautious and take taxis after dark.