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The beating heart of the biggest city in America. As a kid I always thought of it as a place where adults go to have fun. As an adult now, I do have fun there but I'm not too too sure strip clubs there are the first option that pops into mind for me. Reasons being, money. You need money. The TLDR version is if money is no issue then Manhattan strip clubs will be good time for you. If it is and it probably is then there will seem to be quite a few obstacles in the way.

Talent. This is the big leagues price wise and talent wise. The floor is pretty high talent wise. Not a lot of porkers to be found in these clubs so if that's your thing I would club elsewhere. These places really can't be fucking around if they are going be charging what they charge. Also this is a place where your going find as an exotic mix of dancers from all over, all kinds of crazy countries so if that's your thing you might get lucky. Dutch, French, Argentinian, whatever you'll see random dancers here and there from all over the world.

Intro song for the article Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM4kqL13…

Location of the clubs. Most clubs in Manhattan are in and around Midtown. Only one club is really below that, FlashDancers Downtown, down in Tribeca. What this means is, most of the midtown area clubs are pretty walkable or a quick uber ride. So if you wanted to drink and club this is probably one of the best places for going that route. If you've never been Manhattan is in a grid format so hard to get too too lost.

Getting there. I would advise taking the train into Manhattan normally. However, I personally like to club on weeknights and in that scenario you can actually find some free parking, if your having trouble go to the far west side or far east side and it starts clearing up. So I actually drive in more often than not. If your coming from the east side like me, 59th street bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge are all free. Now at the time of this writing, they are supposed to eventually input congestion tolling for anyone driving in below 60th street AKA Where all the clubs are below save for one actually on 60th so just get ready for that. Otherwise you could say fuck all that and just go bar hopping and have a good time. This is one place in the world that's designed for you to walk, so do all the drunken bar hopping you want.

I wish I had more VIP experience to tell you first hand. I don't, I'm just not gonna bite the bullet on some of these rooms. Anyway you do the math, your likely going over a grand. You gotta get the damn room and then the girl is gonna want a tip that is probably around what you paid for the room. For somebody that make's what I make, it's downright wallet suicide. The standard here for most clubs with some exceptions but many do $20 one way dance, as kind of a sample the merchandise but not too much. And then they hit you with the big upsell VIP at around 700 or so.

Ok let's go through the clubs. Note that there are 3 different clubs named Sapphire.

Sapphire 39-20W and 39th street. Cover is normally $20. Mostly black, latina, asian and a couple Russians sprinkled in. Talent was solid. If your into natural black girls I would say this is the best spot to look in NYC right up there with Show Palace over in queens. All on thinner side. Talent was solid. A lot of floor dances, energetic atmosphere. VIP $750 for half hour. Dances are $20 and very much one way, out in the open. The thing that stands out most about this club, is this was the most aggressive bouncer group I've encountered up to this point. It felt like it was there sole purpose to break up any lap dance fun. If they just fell back this could be a good club but they police waaaaay too hard here.

Sapphire Times Square-1674 Broadway. Just north of times square right across from the Ed Sullivan theater where David Letterman had his show. Walk downstairs, tons of bouncers. All ethnicities dancer wise. $20 one way dance $750 half hour VIP. Not a big club but nice, they just redid it. Honestly talent wise was not deserving of the prices being thrown at customers. Very tourist trappy.

Vivid-61 West 37th St. Multiply levels. VIP upstairs. A lot of latinas here specifically. More on the busty variety. VIP's are on the cheaper side in the borough at $400 for a half hour. Typical $20 one way contact. I thought the staff were pretty friendly especially the head manager, some Puerto Rican guy with a goatee. Little more down to earth here.

Hoops-48W 33 St. Couple blocks from Penn Station. Hoops is literally right next to Rick's. Same ownership. From what I understand Hoops is a little bit of a value play to Rick's more upscale vibe. The talent showed to be true too, if a dancer can't quite make the Rick's lineup they'll send her over here supposedly. Sports vibe as the name would suggest. All ethnicities. On my visits I wasn't in love with the talent to be honest. $20 one way dances. $400 half hour VIP. This club doesn't really have a set opening time so it's mostly a night spot. They pay street guys to hand out free hoops admission tickets, see if you can get one. Cover $20.

Rick's-50 W 33 St. Next to Hoops. Very close to the famous Christmas Macy's. This is my Daytime go to when I'm in Manhattan doing something or killing time while rush hour is going on. They got like meal deals for $8 during the daytime. Daytime pricing is a little different then night. It's again $20 one way dance on floor. $400 VIP in day and $600 at night. The daytime could have some hotties but the night shift has some real hotties and sometimes they come in a little early. I'll just get lunch and get some $20 dances and LDK and then go home on the train. Nice club too, multiple levels. VIP upstairs. All ethnicities on dancers, Asian, White, Black, Latina, and Mixed girls you name it. Cover $20 but look online on their website giving tons of free admission coupons on there. Use them.

Rosewood Theater-552 W 38th St. On the West Side near the Javit's Center and the Hudson Yards. Cover was $40 but $60 gets you into the back room LD booths (no curtain though) instead of out on the floor. You can actually get some decent two lap dance mileage back there. Not a typical strip club. No stage dancing. Just girls in dresses and from what they are telling me they are shooting for the girl next door kind of vibe here. All girls were American that I talked too and spoke good english (in NYC it's worth noting) I sort of like a stage as a sort of a distraction. Otherwise your just kind of floating around always engaged in talking. Sometimes I like to stop and watch a stage and think, you miss that a little when your at a place like this. VIP was $750 for a half hour I didn't want no part. But the back room LD's give you sort of middle option that all of Manhattan just lacks man. I thought talent was solid too. If your more into white girls go here they are the majority but I saw a lot of other races too.

Larry Flynt's-641 W 51st. Far west side, Hell's Kitchen. You can definitely parking around this area at night. Right around the corner from the Daily Show. Jon Stewart even used to have this sign up forever. https://images.app.goo.gl/UqoJp3ns75WnUE… It's $20 after 10 but free before. So maybe get there a little early. Night time only club. It's a really nice club I thought. Multiple levels. I want to like this club more but after a few visits I just wasn't too crazy about the talent. There should be way more hotter girls here for some of these prices. One way $20 floor dances. Upstairs they call them "the honeycombs" like open LD booths but there is a bouncer patrolling up there. Ehh it didn't seem too too welcoming. $160 for 15 minutes up there. VIP is down the hall, a curtained room. $580 for 30 minutes and $980 for an hour. Cash price that is. I thought the hottest girl was the the door girl, some cute little latina that always give me free entry coupons. She'll probably be getting a OTC offer coming her way one of these days. I mean it only makes sense to go outside with some of the prices ITC I keep listing. And remember that's just the room fellas. Mostly white and latina dancers here with a couple black girls.

Platinum Dolls-725 7th Ave. Times Square. Cover $20. Mostly Latina girls with some white. Talent was kind of all over the place. $20 absolutely one way not even hands on the hips. Bouncers watch you like a hawk and will scold you (What kind of fucking lame job is that) Communal Lap Dance area $200 for $10 minutes. VIP "Viper Room" is $750 for a half hour and $1100 for an hour. Another tourist trap kind of spot. Some of the girls were very ROBish here. One coke head girl wanted $60 just for chatting and when I said no acted like I just I just shit in her purse. I would just avoid completely this place and Sapphire Times Square. They're really not meant for you.

Flashdancers Midtown-320 W 45th St. Dayshift available here. I never paid cover in the day but TUSCL has it at $10 so maybe they do sometimes. $20 at night. Majority Latina. Very small club. It's tight man. Not a whole lot of seating for customers. Capacity feels like 7 comfortably. Like a purple/blue futuristic vibe going on. $20 one way dances on the floor and VIP you have to get a bottle. It's like $400 for half hour. See me I don't need "bottle service" I need a pack of natty lights for 6 bucks and some poonani let me get a hell yeah fellas. Anyway I just feel there are better daytime spots out there of the few in Manhattan. Every time I went, it hasn't been the greatest lineup. They need more 18 year olds and less 38 year olds tbh.

Scores-528 W. 36th St. Cover at night is $30. That’s rough. No dayshift. Over on west side. Near Hudson Yards and the high line. An area that has changed dramatically in just the last decade. It used to be kind of a sleepy slower part of Manhattan now it’s like a real draw. Dances $20 out on floor typical one way. 15 minutes room for a $100. Dancers seemed more around 30 rather than around 20. Nice club. Famed from Hustlers movie plot of the ROB drugging customers dancers. They did that stuff here. All kind of types of girls I’ve seen here.

Satin Dolls- 689 8th Ave. This is the most down home kind of feel place in Manhattan. Not a high end joint, as hole in the wall as you could get in the area but still not bad. One of the few dayshifts available. It's essentially looks like a normal bar when you walk in. Then the back room has couches surrounded by a center stage. Daytime just buy a drink at the bar to gain access. I believe $20 cover at night. $20 floor dances. VIP option was $200 10 minutes in one room around $600 for a half hour upstairs in supposedly a better room. Talent was alright not bad mostly Latina. More enhanced types. More of a laid back spot.

Flashdancers Downtown- 59 Murray St. Tribeca. Very nice area. Not far from the Oculus, that thing looks cool as fuck. The only club downtown. Cover $20. Dances $20 dances out in open. They have a $400 half hour then $700 and $1700 VIP options for an hour option. From what I understand they are different rooms. Lineup mirrors that of the Midtown flash dancers. A lot of Latinas and Eastern Euros. I'm not to big on either spot but maybe I've been going on off days. This one is definitely bigger than the midtown one.

LeRouge Lounge- Takes place at various strip clubs around Manhattan. Not one location. Last I visited it was in the 20 West 39th St. in Hell's Kitchen on the west side. No stage dancing here. Nice spot. I personally like a stage but this place for mileage ain't bad for Manhattan standards. They leave you alone, and if you get there early communal lap dance room with curtain. You can get two way touch. Lineup is good. Skews younger. All kind of ethnicities from all over. Mostly natural girls. $20 dances. Cover was $40 last I went and when I walked away they changed it to $20. That Lerouge Manager has an account on here and listened to some of those complaints and I heard the price is now $20. I refuse to pay a $40 cover that's insane. Let the pretty girls take my money not the fucking door guy.

Sapphire New York-333 East 60th St. The mother load of talent. The best I've ever seen up to this point and I haven't even gone on a Friday/Saturday night yet. Just early in the week nights, Tuesday, Wednesday. Still incredible. Now that doesn't change the fact that this is still a low mileage joint with a typical $20 one way floor dance, $700 upsell VIP. It's like the United Nations of strippers here, all kinds of girls, French, Swedish, English, Portuguese, all that exotic shit if your looking for that. Big celebrity joint, https://nypost.com/2014/11/29/sunday-nig… I had just missed ARod and JLo last I went. Right by the 59th street bridge, Upper East side, historically nice area. I would say this is the Marquee club in NYC hands down. I was in awe of how hot the girls sitting on the sidelines at bar not making any money were let alone the ones who were getting scooped up.

Future Clubs: Supposedly there's going to be a Spearmint Rhino opening up soon in Hell's Kitchen. We will see.


In speaking with customers, dancers in general if you want to do VIP at some of these places you probably could have a lot of fun. A Pyrrhic victory is certainly there to be had. If money is no issue (but when is it ever not?) Manhattan strip clubs could be a great time. ITC can just be too punishing otherwise. I still can have a good time at some of these spots, just get a couple drinks, some floor dances and LDK off those or try set something up outside. Also be aware of your competition when it comes to the stuff. It's not uncommon to see a lot of suits all up in this bitch. When I walk away from a price in San Antonio, in Albuquerque, in Milwaukee that shit might mean something, here there might some high rolling dude right at the next table just waiting in line. Might affect costs and you might fall out of your chair when you hear what numbers some of these girls have in their heads. That all being said you never know. I think if your likeable things can break your way sometimes.

At the end of the day, Manhattan is one of the coolest parts of America, and I still get excited every time I go, I just throw my self at it and it ends up being a cool adventure, meeting all kinds of people whether you hit the strip clubs or not. It's just a fun place to be.

Now as I stand outside of the Downtown Flashdancers finishing this article, I need me some Kenny Loggins for this outro song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7BR761…

*Roll credits while zooming out into the sky like the end of Dirty Harry movie*

*Get hit by car for standing in the street*

End

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