Current State of Strip Clubs

I get the feeling most dancers have no business plan.

I'm not so sure about those reasons for the decline, assuming there is a decline. With the exception of the economy, internet porn and cam girls led me to strip clubs more than ever. It was great to see naked chicks on the computer screen but soon that became boring. I needed the interaction, flirting, touching, and more. Computers will never be able replace that.

Unscientific analysis: As society becomes less sexually inhibited, strip clubs will no longer be in demand. Escort services will flourish once prostitution is legalized, which will start happening soon. As the WWII and baby boomer generations age and leave the scene, younger people will vote with their dollars and life choices, creating a more open sexual environment.

We already see the growing acceptance of single motherhood.(In the old days the poor girl was the hapless victim of a smooth talking Lothario or a clumsy high school beau. Now it's a free choice.) Gay marriage is here. Marijuana is almost legal. Abortion is legal. Living together is acceptable. None of this was thinkable 50 years ago.

No one expects to marry a virgin. Young women don't seem to worry about that any more. Girls just want to have fun-- with each other or guy friends of any age as long as there's money to fund an active social life. They dress any way they want to.

As pussy becomes more available among civilian women, who needs strippers?

I know several strippers outside of the club, most of whom I've never gotten a lap dance from, let alone anything more. They all say that they're earning less money today than they were 2 years ago. The only strippers who are earning good money are the ones who are doing extras.

"The only strippers who are earning good money are the ones who are doing extras. "

Don't agree.

You've got to keep in mind extras are a rarity in many areas around the country. And if the girl is really hot, she's definitely making good money (especially if she's really trying) despite the economy.

Has any stripper ever confessed to having a great night and she's making a ton of money? Never! I swear, the club can be jammed and wads of cash hang out of girls' garter, and still, every dancer will say it's slow, nobody's spending any money, or I'm their first PL of the night to buy a LD.

When asked how it's going, people in sales don't typically say they're making a ton of cash off their customers. They may say sales are brisk, in the hopes of making the customer feel some urgency to make a purchase. But no customer wants to feel they're being fleeced. So my less-than-scientific hunch is a dancer will always say things are slow. It's designed to make me the PL think I'm doing my civic duty to buy some LDs from the poor girl.

Cam girls, escorts and porn have all been widely available online since around 2000, yet from 2002 - 2007 plenty of money was flowing into an ever increasing number of clubs. And along with strippers, porn actresses, cam girls and escorts are also suffering and are not making what they were back then either.

It is all about available discretionary funds. Unemployment is still high compared to the 2002-2007 boom period and home prices are still far below boom highs, which leaves little available home equity to sell or borrow from.

We probably won't see another rebound in the adult entertainment industry untill spending, so when unemployment is high and prices on basic necessities like food and gas keep rising, then adult entertainment will suffer.

What further exacerbates these issues is that a number of new clubs opened up in certain regions during that boom period. There was plenty of money to go around during the good years, but this increase in the number of clubs is now further causing dilutions in dancer quality and per club revenues during this protracted sluggishness.

The slow numbers in clubs will likely continue until things get better. In the meantime, we can probably expect to see the number of clubs reduce a bit and, indeed, this is already happening with some of the weakest clubs in the herd. But to call it the death knell of strip clubs is quite dramatic in my humble opinion.

The national economy is still staggering under an almost nonexistent "recovery" with "QE" supporting the stock markets, but nothing to generate new sources of disposable income. In spite of 5 years of "no growth" economics, very few strip clubs have closed. In most markets, the quantity of dancers has actually increased even though the raw numbers of customers has apparently decreased and the amount spent per customer visit also has gone down.

Put together, this (partly unverified) collection of data could be interpreted to mean a decline in the strip club industry. I see it differently. It appears to me, that a combination of the economic woes and changing cultural values (twerking at the VMAs, stripper clothing worn by civi women on the street) have created:
1. a strong and diverse base of SC customers,
2. a wiser SC management (keeping expenses lower, keeping the doors open)
3. more strippers (maybe not better, but more!),
4. opportunity for significant growth with returning economic strength.

SCs will still face significant challenges especially with the numerous legal cases attacking the "independent contractor" relationship.

I seriously doubt that computer porn will replace lap dances, or that crowds of out of shape 35 to 75 year old males will flock to regular night clubs and be groped by willing 20 y/o women.

Locally, strip clubs will be harassed by Sheriffs and DAs running for reelection. Zoning authorities will continue to make opening a new club more difficult. Some markets will die, while others thrive. Where there are plenty of dancers, some will go hungry and blame a troubled industry, while others (providing extras or not) will make lots of money every day they choose to work.

RickyBoy: "home prices are still far below boom highs, which leaves little available home equity to sell or borrow from."

As sad as it is, RickyBoy is right here, probably alot of that money spent in the post-boom but pre-crash days was borrowed out of home equity. In even sadder cases, strippers have told me about guys cashing in their 401ks to spend on whores.

I think people are over attributing things to the economy. It's definitely a factor, but I think, as Dallas and SuperDude have argued in this and other threads culture factors, particularly porn, HipHop, and generally more liberal attitudes towards sex are also at play. So even as the economy recovers over the next few years, and, perhaps, even booms, I don't expect the ubiquity of ITC/OTC extras to decline any. Other factors are that the biggest whale/suckers already got burned out of all their money, and those who survived now expect more, and won't be spending much on girls who just lead on and never deliver.

Plus, let's look at the strip club industry over time. It has been an ever-evolving industry. First there was burlesque and Vaudeville. Then it morphed around the 70s to a more open strip club type of thing (see the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater in SF - "Behind the Green Door," anybody?). When the 80s hit, there was more glitz and show as Yuppies entertained their clientele while watching a young girl strut her stuff. We are currently in a trend where strippers have gone from doing fan dances and only showing at the end of the act to giving head and FS in the VIP. And many more are now doing OTC. The industry evolves to the growing and ever-changing demands of the custies.

Girls will always find a way to earn. The cam girl explosion we've seen in recent years has little to offer those of us PLs who lack the physical touch of the opposite sex in our everyday lives. I know I go to strip clubs for contact. I need to touch, taste, and be touched by a stripper. I don't see this changing any time soon.

Also, even if prostitution becomes legal (here's hoping!), real world examples abound internationally of strip clubs still in operation, some just across our border in TJ. But look elsewhere around the world for legal prostitution and strip clubs, and you'll find plenty. Hell, strip clubs will evolve yet again into legal brothels with great music and lights.

Rumors of SC death are greatly exaggerated. Probably by those strippers who for whatever reason refuse to give extras. Girl's gotta earn a living.

The bad economy cuts two ways. Men have lost jobs or may fear losing jobs, and so they don't go to strip clubs and throw money around. This is bad for the clubs. But young women have fewer options for earning a living in a bad economy, and so they strip full time or part time. And they find they can make even more doing extras. This is good for strip club hounds like me.

@GoVikings There is prostitution in every strip club. It may be hard to find, but there are a couple of women who are doing extras either ITC or OTC at every club. And the strippers who do extras earn more than the ones who don't.

When I say I know strippers and talk with them outside of the club, I mean exactly that. I got an excited phone call from one recently who lives in a different state than I live in because she had a great night at work and earned more that one night than she'd earned in the last week. They're telling me that they're earning less and working more than they were two years ago and I know how they're living and what they're driving. They're telling me the truth. There is less money in strip clubs today than there was last year and it's been getting worse for the dancers for the last few years.

Street hookers will finaly take down the clubs with those $5 blow jobs

Has any stripper ever confessed to having a great night and she's making a ton of money? Never! I swear, the club can be jammed and wads of cash hang out of girls' garter, and still, every dancer will say it's slow, nobody's spending any money, or I'm their first PL of the night to buy a LD.


I had a stripper tell me she made $1,300 one night..she did a dozen VIPs. Since I've gotten bbbjs from her I can only imagine what kind of night she had!

This exact topic is being discussed right now, on the always interesting Strip Club Hound blog: http://stripclubhound.blogspot.com.

This blog is written by a guy who ran strip clubs and stays in touch with the business.

"There is prostitution in every strip club. It may be hard to find, but there are a couple of women who are doing extras either ITC or OTC at every club."

Simply not true. In many clubs there just aren't any routinely providing extras. In many others you might stumble upon a girl up for OTC and more than likely not. The estimate of how many dancers provide extras is way too high on here.

In regards to the clubs, a weak economy combined with club owners who did everything they could to stay in business. Most of their tactics did not work to the advantage of the dancers.

The other dancers know who the girls are who do extras.

I completely have to disagree with the notion that the economy and extras are the reason for the turn down. Look, its simply. Hot, beautiful dancers will always bring in a patrons.

Ugly and fat dancers will dissuade patrons from a club. There's also the charm factor that the dancers must have. That's all there is to it. If it were all about extras and the economy killing strip clubs, then strip clubs would have been killed of 60 years ago.

I wish i could prop your comment @nickifree that is also my conclusion. Maybe the economy does have something to do with it. Maybe men are becoming more wise as to who they want to spend their money on and wont settle for bullshit. Its too many women who are resorting to dancing and don't understand how it works. You must come in looking your absolute best - NO EXCUSES. You must not complain to customers about your life or lack of funs. You have to enjoy yourself without getting fall out drunk. You have to have some appealing personality. Be sensual, be sweet, be funny, be sexy. Its too many desperate women who dont take the time out to understand the patrons and their needs. Therefore there will be a decline in money because of the increase of desperate,inexperienced, and/or idgaf girls.