What's the going rate for tipping exotic dancers? (TMI information maybe)

In My Humble Opinion
1

Inspired by this post in the dollar coin thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6122547&postcount=76 .

I haven’t been to a gentlemen’s club since the late 90’s. In ‘titty bars’, I always tipped $1 at the stage before the top came off and $2 for when the top came off. In all nude places, tips were a similar scheme, $1 for bottoms on and $2 for bottoms off. None of the topless clubs were top of the line places, but some were definitely mid-tier. Those tips seemed the going rate at the time. And the locations were all in Amarillo, Lubbock, or Midland / Odessa Texas. What is proper tip amount at the stage now-a-days?

As to “personal” dances, I never bought them if I knew contact (‘mileage’) was definitely not going to happen. Good contact during those always brought out tips of a least $5 and up to $10 over whatever the cost of the dance based on the amount and quality of the contact. “Personal” dances were usually either $10 or $20. What are the going rates for “personal” dances now-a-days?

2

Hey, been to most all of the Amarillo strip clubs… Cassidy’s, Jaguars, BoomBoom, Beavers, can’t remember the name of the one out on the Canyon E way near McCormick and there was one off Georgia I can’t recall the name of, it was a regular club (Blue Iguana?) last time I was in that area. I got to dance on the stage at Cassidy’s when a couple of the girls drug me up there, the DJ said it was OK so we danced! I used to live just a couple of blocks from there and every time some buddies would be in town, they would want to go.

I’m like $1 just to be nice if the girl doesn’t seem too enthusiastic, $5 if she’s putting on a show.

3

I went to an old place on the north side of I-40 on the eastern outskirts of town. Right before you turned to go to IBP / Airport. You had to turn there and go down the access road to get to it. For the life of me, I can’t remember it’s name. I want to say “Babes” but that might not have been it.

4

I watch boy dancers so YMMV, but the standard tip seems to be $1. The set-up from where I used to see them has changed so there isn’t really a stage (it’s a club so the show is on the dance floor). When there was a stage I wouldn’t tip until they were down to g-string/thong. Now they strip on the dance floor and then move out through the crowd to work it. I always tip with $2 bills as sort of a trademark, and generally tip each dancer at least twice per routine, and sometimes once more when they’re out in the crowd after the show (but only if they come to me). They used to do “hot seats” which were like mini lap dances on the stage/floor for $5 each and private dances for $20. Not sure if they still do private dances since the curtain got taken down from the entrance to the back room.

5

Yep, Babes…Close to the Big Texan IIRC. Never been to that one. And the one on the Canyon E Way was The Harem.

6

It was a long time ago, but at PJ’s in Spenard and The Great Alaska Bush Company downtown, the standard tip was a buck.

7

I am not an exotic dancer, nor will I ever be (well, maybe in the comfort of my own home, but I digress). But if I was, I’d say going rate would be however many $20’s you can stuff into a thong (I bet it’s alot, if you try :wink: )

8

Yeah, it was the only one that I went to there. Good prices on beer especially at Happy Hour and very ‘friendly’ dancers especially on weekdays.

9

A local club here will only give change in $2s. I don’t mind, dancers feel inflation too!

‘feel inflation’. I kill myself!

10

Really depends on the type of club you’re in. If it’s a “titty bar”, a buck or two for stage is generally sufficient imo. If you’re in a high-rent Gentlemen’s Club, 3-5 bucks is generally considered appropriate, anything higher is also acceptable, though less frequent. (I usually get 3-5 bucks, and in the course of a busy night (usually 2 stage rotations of 5 stages each) I will generally get a few 10s and 20s as well.

Personal dances I think are pretty much 20 bucks wherever you go these days in Gentlemen’s Clubs (though some places I know do bump it up to 30), but titty bars I’m not really sure, I imagine it varies depending on how low-brow the place is. Tipping is always welcome when getting a personal dance, but I don’t personally expect it unless you’re tying up alot of my time.

In the clubs I work in (high-rent gentlemen’s clubs), if you ask a girl to sit down and have a few drinks, chit-chat, etc. in addition to dancing, if you’re pulling me off the floor for 45 minutes or more, i do expect to be compensated for my time, in addition to buying dances.

I definitely think a girl should sit down with the guy and establish some sort of rapport before asking for a dance (the girls who just pop from table to table and ask “You want a dance, you want a dance, you want a dance” are one of my pet peeves…that flies in a titty bar I guess, but I think it’s unacceptable in a high-rent club), but if you want me to sit there for a couple hours, that’s time I could be dancing for other people (i.e. money I’m losing), and compensation above and beyond dances is expected at that point.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves, speaking as a dancer. I always go up and try to put on a good show, smile, catch peoples eyes, flirt, etc. Sure, it’s frustrating if no one’s really tipping, but it’s part of the job, and frankly, it’s our “advertising” for the night.

When I see a dancer who goes up, just walks around and looks absolutely bored out of her skull, it’s inevitable she’ll come offstage and bitch about how no one was tipping her.

Well, DUH, honey. I wouldn’t have tipped you either. You’re an “entertainer”. This may sound like a novel idea, but next time, why don’t you go up there and…oh, I don’t know…try and f-ing entertain someone?!

Guys, if you don’t want to tip, that’s cool, but please don’t sit next to the stage. No one expects you to tip if you sit away from the stage (though it’s surely always welcome!!), but if you’re sitting on the tip rail, PLEASE tip each girl, even it’s only a buck or two. This isn’t a spectator sport, we require audience participation. :wink:

Lastly, on behalf of all dancers…alot of guys will get mutiple dances in a row. Great! We love that!

However, at least a couple times a month a guy will try and stiff a dancer for what he owes her, or try and short her. We hate you f-ers. We really do. It’s not cute or amusing in the least, it’s theft of services. It’s stealing. I’ve now lost money not only on what you owed me, but what I could have been making elsewhere from some guy who isn’t a complete arsehole who thinks it’s funny to rip off dancers.

The money you guys give us, is all we make. We get no paycheck whatsoever, and only rarely does a club give a girl a cut of any champagne or drink commissions (it usually rightfully imo, goes to the waitresses).

We pay to work in these clubs, and we have to tip several people at night’s end in addition to the house fee. It costs me personally an average of 80 bucks just to work for the night, so I have to make that much before I’m even breaking even. Don’t make me beg you for money you owe me, cause now all you’re doing is pissing me off. It’s not my fault or problem you’re too drunk to keep track of what you’re doing or how much you’re spending. If you’re too drunk to pay attention, just say no to dances. It’s ok, really, you probably won’t remember them in the morning anyways.

I had a guy just the other night try and give me 20 bucks when he owed me 80, and knew damn well he owed me 80. Normally, I just go get a bouncer and a manager to handle it, but I’ll be honest and say it had been a bad night, I’d had it, and I completely lost it on the guy. I ended up making him feel like the biggest lowlife ever born, and by the time I was done I had about 4 tables worth of dancers and customers laughing at him, but I got my money.

He ended up not having a great time, and though it’s his fault, that’s a shame. We don’t want you guys to have a bad time, cause chances are, you won’t come back. We want you to come back. We want you to have a good time! Just don’t treat us like crap, or something sub-human.

We’re human, we have feelings, we have families, we have hopes and dreams, 99% of us aren’t coked-up whores (granted, there’s generally one or two in any club sigh), and we’re not nearly as dumb as you think we are. (Ok, well, maybe some of the girls I work with really are that dumb, but they’re still human and have feelings, and are mostly very sweet).

11

Cerri, please tell me you have a blog, and thank you for your post.

12

Thanks for your perspective, glad to hear my $1 to be nice, $5 if “entertained” is acceptable. I was sure hoping I wasn’t coming off as a cheapskate. I just feel like if a girl has the gumption to get up on a stage and dance, she deserves something, and if she’s really into her performance, she should get a little more.

13

Nope, no blog as of yet. I don’t think I’m disciplined enough about my writing to be able to contribute to one with any regularity. I’ll think about it. chuckles

Whenever my online-gaming guild has RL get-togethers I always trot out of a few of my better stories and have them all crying they’re laughing so hard. I’ve toyed around with writing a book about my years as a dancer (am 33 now, been doing it off and on since I was 18), but again…lack of discipline. :smiley:

14

You might like TJ’s blog, he’s the “Ass. Mgr.” at a club in the midwest – I think Illinois, judging by his sports picks.

Besides him and ‘Rob’ at Clublife, I was hoping you could shed some light on the dim interiors of such places. Maybe you could start with an ‘Ask the Stipper’ thread, even though I think it’s been done.

15

This was a big issue in Canada when they phased out the one and two dollar bills. I’m a good tipper, but I wasn’t going to throw five dollar bills around. I ended up carrying a supply of American singles and tipping with those.

Personally, I always tip with singles - I adjust the frequency of my tips rather than the amount. Most dancers work in three song sets and don’t take their tops off during the first song. And most tippers won’t tip until the top comes off. But I pretty much tip with every song - I figure the dancers are working regardless and it gets me more attention if I start tipping earlier than the other customers. I also always tip the waitresses in addition to the dancers. I find that it works for me in the long run because the word quickly gets around that I’m tipping and I become a “popular” customer.

16

Lol, I think it’s hilarious that Cerri thinks there’s a difference between titty bars and Gentleman’s Clubs. You can call them whatever you want, but if you are taking it off and dancing for money, you are in a titty bar (no matter how much the cover charge is). I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s just funny. I’ve danced in many different places and they are all exactly the same IMO. Some of the worst behavior I’ve seen has been in “Gentleman’s Clubs.”

A buck has been the standard in most places I’ve worked in, but if you’re good you should be able to get more. I usually got between $1-5 for a guy coming to the stage, and same for walking around and chatting, etc. Private dances used to be $10 in a lot of places, but I think $20 is the standard now here in Indy. Of course, again, if you’re good, you can expect to make more than that.

My advice to a patron would be, tip as you see fit. You shouldn’t feel obligated to tip every single girl in the bar, but at the same time if you’re sitting there staring at her chest, it’s just good manners to walk up and give her a tip. Realize that times are tough in this economy and entertainers are some of the first to feel that sting. Girls are doing more for their money than ever before, unfortunately, but I guess for you guys that’s a bonus. If she’s really working it for you, it’s appropriate to give her more than a dollar.

Ahh, the days of the air dance. I remember when a girl could get fired for grinding in someone’s lap, now it seems to be the standard. Fortunately, I never had to do that to make money, and to this day if I go back and dance for some extra cash, I don’t do it. But, I have the routine down pat, and guys can tell when they are dealing with class and when they aren’t. They tend not to push the envelope if they think they are, at least in my experience.

Don’t feel like you have to get a private dance just because some girls badger you for one. Get one from the girl you like, but don’t waste someone’s time by talking to them for 15 min. and not giving them any cash. The worst customers are the guys who try to come in and see how little they can spend. Most of us can see that a mile away and know to avoid guys like that.

Remember that dancers are there to make money, above anything else. There is a decent chance that the girl might like chatting with you, but don’t forget that she’s still at work and probably has a goal in mind for the night. She’s not being rude if she moves along, she’s just working.

17

I had that happen back when I first started dancing and you are right, it’s complete bullshit.

Ideally, a girl should ask for the money up-front, but that’s not always possible if you’re working a guy for multiple songs. I think it’s just part of learning the business to figure out who is going to try that crap and who isn’t. Some dancers never figure it out, others do right away. A good dancer has good intuition on a lot of levels.

18

Well, the only thing the difference tends to signify how much the drinks cost and what type of clientele they tend to attract. “Gentlemen’s Clubs” tend to have girls that are prettier, in better shape, in my experience, etc, though it’s certainly not always the case. As far as dancer behavior…well, frankly, there’s always a few whores in any club, no matter how high or low rent the joint is.

When I say “titty bar” I think of the neighborhood strip joint, some pretty girls, some scary, dances and drinks tend to cost less, and the guys tend to spend less, because it’s a lower-brow clientele, whereas a “Gentlemen’s Club” tends to cater to more high-dollar clientele, and the guys tend to spend accordingly. I won’t work in a “neighborhood titty bar” as opposed to the other, because I don’t make as much money in them. Simple as that.

19

I never was interested in “gentlemen’s clubs” as much as I was in “titty bars.” I always got the impression that the dancers would be less friendly and tend towards surgically enhanced breasts, and that the air dance would be the rule instead of the exception. I only went to one club (all nude) that had a majority honestly ugly dancers.

I was never asked for money up on a personal dance. I would always tip extra and maybe buy another before the night was out if the dance was especially “friendly.”

20

I’ve heard that dancing is quite lucrative in Dallas, maybe you have more difference there because of that.

We probably have 30-40 strip clubs here in Indy, and only about five of them are what you would call Gentleman’s Clubs. And having worked in those, I can say they aren’t much different at all from the smaller clubs. Just more bs, IMO.

What’s fun is going into the lower end club occasionally to rake in the big dough. There’s such a low expectation that if the guys see a hot girl, they go crazy. Of course, the girls hate you, but you know how that can be. They get used to you if you’re nice to them. But, there’s no attention buzz at the little clubs, which is what I don’t like about them. If I’m going to dance, I want an audience. :smiley: