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Adult entertainment venue Penthouse Club opens today

The Penthouse Club, a multimillion-dollar adult entertainment venue on the site of a previous strip club, opens tonight in southeast Reno.

It's the first club in the West for Penthouse men's magazine -- an effort to open a franchise in Las Vegas in 2008 failed -- and it has 100 non-dancing employees and 100 "Key Girl" entertainers, floor host Kevin Beachboard said.

Penthouse has opened 14 sites worldwide in the past decade, he said, adding the Reno-Tahoe region is ready for what he describes as an "extremely high end" club open to those 21 years old and older.

"The Key Girls will wear gowns. They don't walk around in their underwear," Beachboard said.

"It's all about hospitality," he said. "It's what makes us stand above the rest."

The owners held two job fairs last summer, he said, and more than 1,500 applicants showed up for employment opportunities in the club, which has a full-service restaurant, two bars, lounges, suites, three stages and valet parking. There is no gaming on the premises.

The 10,000-square-foot club, at 1060 Telegraph St. east of Terminal Way near Reno-Tahoe International Airport, is the site of the former Goldfinger's club.

"We gutted the whole place," Beachboard said. "We've put close to $18 million into the place with furniture made in Italy and glass stages and dancing booths and something like 30 TVs, including an 85-inch big screen."

He said entrance fees will be competitive: $20 on weekends and $10 on weekdays.

And for locals who sign up for the "775 Club" card, he said, entry charges will be half-off before 7 p.m., with points accrued from bar and restaurant spending that can be used toward discounts.

He said the Key Girl entertainers are considered independent contractors whose charges for lap dances are separate.

"They're 'P-E's,' professional entertainers, not strippers," Beachboard said. "It's a clean club. There's no hanky-panky going on."

http://www.rgj.com/article/20110429/BIZ0…

6 comments

  • georgmicrodong
    13 years ago
    "entertainment venue" equates to overpriced, right?
  • shadowcat
    13 years ago
    Lots of luck. Reno is NOT Las Vegas. This is where the bus load of seniors from San Francisco go. Good news is that the Mustang Ranch is only a short drive away.
  • Cheo_D
    13 years ago
    Yeah, really -- couldn't do Vegas then trying Reno, I can see... but with something on such a scale? Seriously?

    "...100 non-dancing employees and 100 "Key Girl" entertainers [...] "extremely high end" [...] full-service restaurant, two bars, lounges, suites, three stages and valet parking [...] 10,000-square-foot [...] $18 million into the place with furniture made in Italy and glass stages and dancing booths and 30 TVs, including an 85-inch big screen..."

    Then again, ya gotta be bold and who knows, if you do something really impressive you may just wipe out all competition... Is Reno in the middle of a move to rebrand itself as a high class destination that I didn't notice? Sounds like he's aiming for the crowd that would go to the resorts over in Tahoe/Squaw Valley, but that's a bit of a haul to get to Reno.
  • samsung1
    13 years ago
    I am curious to see how their loyalty rewards card works out.
  • Fenster
    13 years ago
    Hhhmmmm ... I wonder if the "no hanky-panky going on" will be similar to Detroit's no hanky-panky going on ....
  • DJ_Geo
    13 years ago
    I've been in the club prior to the Grand-Opening, and it is beautiful. The question is: Can a high-end club survive in a middle-class market? It's my experience that working folk frequent clubs they best relate to. IE: In Reno the Spice House (nothing pretentious) is very popular all day and night. The Men's Club caters to a higher-end crowd, and is legendary to locals and visitors alike. The Men's Club vs Penthouse war will come down to which club will pay cabbies the most. Penthouse is beautiful. From an attraction point of view, I feel it's definitely worth seeing. Rock oN, DJ Geo
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