Ask the Stripper!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
321

My boyfriend once went with a group of straight guys to a “gentlemans club” ( a club where women strip- seems to me a club where men watch men strip would also be a “gentleman’s club” :wink: ) There was one lovely dancer who happened to have exceptionally large breasts. When he went up to tip her (he wasn’t going to go to a club without tipping the entertainers, whatever their gender) He complemented her by looking her in the eyes and proclaiming “I love your boots!” (apparently she had beautiful thigh highs) He said her face lit up… and that when she had a break she came and sat next to him and chatted for a while. (possibly she was still “working” in reality, realizing that maybe in his case he would be more likely to tip more if he saw her as just friendly- or maybe she just thought it was refreshing, or him charming- for a moment)

Have either or you (or any of you if anyone else joins) had or observed a similar experience?

Have you ever “talked shop” about dancing with male strippers? If so where there any differences or similarities that surprised you?

Do you know the proportion of your dancer coworkers that identify as Bisexual? Do any of them identify as exclusively lesbian? Do any of them imply attraction to the other dancers or other wise “work” the lesbian chic angle (regardless of their own sexuality)

What is your clubs policy on Tattoos and/or piercings? Have any of the dancers you worked with “worked” the tattooed/pierced look? If so, how well did that seem to work for them?

Have you ever recieved a single tip from and individual that was extremely large… particularly if you did not expect the person to have that sort of financial means when you initially sized him up?

If there was a strippers union in your area (meaning one that actually go off the ground) would you wish to join if given the choice?

322

I’m sure Indygrrl will be along shortly to answer you, but I can answer a few of your questions from my perspective:

I have known straight, bi, and lesbian dancers. I have also known dancers of various sexual orientations who played up the lesbian angle onstage and during table dances (dancing as a pair) to get more money.

The club I worked at in Tucson required tattoos to be covered up. There is a special kind of very thick, opaque makeup that will do a decent job of this. I have seen plenty of other clubs, however, where tattoos are openly displayed. Depends on the club.

I once got a tip onstage… a dollar folded lengthwise slipped into the side of my thong (at the hip). When I got backstage and went to put my tips with the rest of my money I found that it had a $50 bill hidden inside the $1. I couldn’t remember which guy gave me which tip so I never knew who gave me the $51 tip.

323

Yes, really, for dancing in my club, $25 an hour is not very good money. I know that girls in smaller clubs are happy with that rate, and that is wonderful, but if I only made $25 an hour that would mean I only sold an average of one dance an hour and made $5 on stage. I wouldn’t be happy with that. The reason I do so well is because I hustle my ass off and work to get the dances. Not everyone has the drive I do.

I realize that a lot of people break their backs to make a low wage, but that doesn’t really have anything to do with the issue at hand. If I average a certain wage 95% of the time and then make significantly below it, I am going to think that is a bad night. It is a matter of perspective, knowing the possibilities as to what can be made, and then falling short of that for some reason is going to frustrate anyone.

I never actively complain about what I’ve made, even if it was less than I had hoped for. I appreciate that I can make such good money, and I know that not everyone has the opportunity for it. But I’m not going to feel bad because I make a good living just because there are people who don’t.

324

We have male strippers at my club on Saturday nights and they don’t make crap. I am pretty sure that the male strippers who bank are the ones working in the gay clubs.

325

I’ve been complimented on just about everything you can imagine. It doesn’t really matter to me whether a man likes my boobs or my eyes. I just want him to like me and find me charming enough to get several dances and spend a wad of cash. That really is all that matters to me when it comes to that sort of thing.

But I have met some really nice men over the years though, and I’ve had lovely conversations about everything you can imagine. This thread makes me sound so very mercenary, but you have to remember that we are talking about my job. When it boils down to it, no matter how much I love dancing, I am still there to make a living.

We have them at my club on Saturdays, but I don’t talk to them because they creep me out. They are very physically aggressive with their female customers and it is offputting. It never fails though, that every Saturday the male strippers will try to chat us up. I think most of us avoid them. After all, we are there to make money, not play around with the other employees.

I’m not sure of the exact percentages, but I know of one girl who identifies as completely lesbian, and others who say they are bi. Mostly, I think they all pretend as needed to put on a show for the guys. I, personally, have no lesbian tendencies, but I have played up that angle for a show.

It used to be that clubs made you cover them, but now I think most clubs don’t care about tattoos either way. At my club, piercings seem to be pretty limited, maybe some belly buttons and the occasional nose ring, but that’s about it. I have a tattoo that goes from the tip of my shoulder down to my hip bone, and I get compliments on it every time I work. I don’t know what you mean by “working” the look. You either have them or you don’t, and if you are working I guess that means you are working the look.

I had a guy give me a grand in cash because he thought I was going to meet him out of the club. I never told him I was going to, but he thought if he gave me enough money I would change my mind. Turns out I did change my mind, but only to be friends with him, and we are still friends. It has been almost ten years since I met him.

And I’ve had many tips of $50 or $100. That usually happens on stage, and sometimes you don’t even realize you were tipped a big bill until it is too late to figure out where it came from.

It would depend on who was running it and what their goal for the union would be. But I don’t see it happening. Getting a bunch of dancers to unite for a goal would be like herding cats.

326

When I have been to clubs in the past, what I’ve cared about is the dancing. I like hot, sexy, naked dancing, but I also like it to be done well. Frex, nude dancing that incorporates raks sharki bellydance moves is extremely hot. My tastes run to voluptuous women, but in a strip club all I really care about is how well the stripper dances, not what she looks like.

I suspect I am very atypical among strip club customers, but I don’t know because I haven’t been in clubs all that often. Am I atypical?

327

I think all guys like a woman who moves well, but most do care what she looks like. I would also say that in every club I have worked in there have been women who are awesome dancers. My club is full of them. I think most guys who walk in the door can find at least one girl who fits their taste.

Myself, I dance very sensually and I do moves that might be belly-dancer-ish. I have always found that grace and flexibility are a good combination and they are definitely crowd pleasers.

328

Thanks for the responses, and the thread as a whole: as many others have said this has been a very interesting read.

Just by way of clarrification, by “working” the tattoo and piercing look, I meant greatly playing the tattoos and piercings on a consistant basis… for example getting piercings or tattoos with the specific goal (or as one of the primary goals)of making themselves more appealing to customers who are into that. I’m guessing you wouldn’t really see that much except at clubs that were a bit more narrow in focus.

329

Do you let guys put bills in your g-string?
Do any try to get their fingers where they don’t belong while doing so?
How do you keep your money safe while you’re on the floor?

330

Yes, I let them tip that way, but I put one hand on the front of it while I’m holding the side out, if that makes any sense. It serves as a barrier in case someone tries something.

Repeat question, I put it on my garter. You’ll have to look through the thread for details on that.

331

Interesting thread. One comment that I wanted to make is that while $400 a night breaks down to $50 an hour in cash, you have to remember that from what I can tell the girls only work 3 or 4 days a week. Plus since they’re basically independant contractors, they’re paying for their own medical and dental costs. While I may not make $50 an hour, I also don’t have to worry about how to pay a $600 bill from the hospital because I had to go to the emergancy room for a couple of hours.

332

Are there a lot of men who come in alone? Seems like you don’t see a lot of women by themselves in male strip clubs, as it’s more of a bonding or celebratory experience than it is for men.

333

Stripclubs are almost absent in the Netherlands, so I’m curious about the phenomenon itself and the clientele. Would you say the guys visiting a stripclub are more, or less goodlooking then the general male population?

334

Yeah, a lot of men come in alone. They go in for a specific reason, to socialize with us and get dances. Why would they want to share that attention with their buddy? Guys in there alone are prime targets. :smiley:

335

I’d say they are a cross-section of every type of guy, and they are more or less average to what you would see out on the street as far as looks go.

336

First of all, I had to laugh at your OP that wondered if anybody would be interested in this subject…I think the answer is yes.

I admit I have not read all the pages, but wanted to share a link that I thought might interest you: The Rise and Fall Of Crazy Horse Two (in Las Vegas)

This was a notorious strip club in Las Vegas that (used to) make tons of money, and they mention some of the girls were taking home $500,000 (!!!) per year working there.

Have you ever considered moving to Las Vegas and working here?

337

Indygrrl,

Here’s one that hasn’t been asked-- I checked through all the pages with a Ctrl-f.

Hae you seen “Live Nude Girls Unite,” as I have? The title may seem to some dopers out there as one of a hard-core or at least exploitation film, but it definitely is not.

It portrays the question of bad working conditions and unionization, mainly from the point of view of the “girls” and other people working alongside them.

It was shown a few months ago by our local-- ahem-- IndyMedia group, IndyRochester. Interestingly enough it was shown at St. joseph’s House of Hospitality. Which, despite multiple-use appearances, is essentailly a – CHURCH!

:eek:

Couldn’t resist when I remembered the group and connected it with your nic.

:slight_smile:

TBJ

338

Lol, yeah, I think I just don’t find it that interesting anymore because it’s all old hat to me. I forget that most people don’t have any experience with it at all.

I can’t imagine moving to Vegas to work. That seems like a huge lifestyle change just to do the same thing I do here. Sure, those girls probably make more money than me, but I know they do more for it. Plus my whole family is here and I would never move that far away from them.

I will check out that article, thanks for the link.

339

No, I haven’t seen it, but I will check it out. I’m not following your last sentence there, whatcha talking about?

340

The coincidence of the terms “IndyRochester” and “Indygrrl”, I’d imagine.

By the way, I went to the Tippecanoe County Public Library the other day and tried to check out the article you wrote for Indianapolis Monthly, but the stacks only contained issues going back to 2005. However, I occasionally go to auctions and estate sales, so I’ll be on the lookout for a reasonably-priced copy of the February or March 1998 magazine.