Soon, the geisha became so much more popular than the , that in 1761, the last of retired. Though continued to work in Kyoto and Osaka, as a whole were seen as outdated, too traditional and too expensive. could not leave the red-light districts because they had a lot of debt to the owner of the brothel they worked in, and were not thought of as celebrities or fashionable any more. Most people could not afford to hire them. In contrast, geisha were cheaper, more fashionable, and could leave the red-light districts whenever they wanted. They sang popular songs and did not need several expensive meetings before they would entertain a client. New geisha neighborhoods () were created in Kyoto and other cities.