I remember the first time I stepped into a strip club. It was a local scene, I had just turned 18 and along with 2 of my closest friends at the time decided to celebrate our manhood by going down to the local nude club and seeing what life was all about.
From being around and who I was, I knew the door guy and the bouncer. Both guys greeted me like a king. That resulted in us getting in free of charge. Dimly lit, full of smoke, we walked into the sounds of what I remember to be heavy rock.
The setup was as follows: bar to the right, lap dance area adjacent to the juice bar, stage to the left with some seating around the back walls. We all stood around as the next performer graced the stage. As the anticipation of “Beat It” - Michael Jackson, built up, here she came from the locker room. Wearing a fedora style hat and all as the music picked up she went into her performance. I don’t remember much of her performance but I’ll forever remember her pose and hat flip at the exact time the guitar kicked in.
Naturally she finished and made her rounds. I declined as I wanted to see what else was available, plus being shy my first time in this environment, I buckled under pressure. Eventually I did get a face lap dances as well as my buddies. We stayed a decent amount of time but nothing as bad as when the lights come on and you can’t get us out.
That night and even into the following day, my confidence soared as I looked at dancers and super women compared to the regular every day girl. I figured if I could get this girl to talk and touch me, the girl next store would be no match to communicate with.
In my area, we had another local spot (2 more to be exact) and I would later find out a good friend of mine at the time had a direct connection to ownership. We would often hang out there as more of friends of the owners than customer. This really opened my eyes and allowed us to bypass the “ appreciation”
Strip clubs to me are Americana. Even Gina’s far as to say every young man experiences them a few times in his life as a way to develop some level of confidence or admiration, even if it is fictitious or frivolous.
All in all these places are however you treat them. Whether a form of entertainment, a place to unwind and escape or develop a fetish for something private and meet your favorite sex worker to have an ongoing relationship that’s transactional.
The clubs I first visited are no longer. One now sits in the same lot as a pile of rubble, the other is a tool rental business. The memories may remain in our minds as we replay our favorite times over and over and often compare that nostalgia to the days of new. Wondering, how did we get here and where did it all go wrong.
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