Inside the bar stages

17 comments

• slickwilliam

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  9 years ago

  Flashdancers in NYC has one of these, in addition to a regular u-shaped stage.
• chandler

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  9 years ago

  I don't think I've ever been in a club that had this setup. Reading about it, I always gathered that it was a relic of old go-go bars from back before the dancers were expected to get close to the patrons. Like Hullabaloo dancers doin' the Watusi in cages, baby.
• just_the_nuts

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  9 years ago

  Platinum Plus in Greenville SC has 2 side cage stages but the bars are gapt big enough for close encounters
• mjx01

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  9 years ago

  IMO, it is mainly moron owners not having a clue. However, I would also say that this setup seems to be in places using a "bar with strippers" business model instead of a "strip club that has beer on hand" business model. For example, consider Cheerleaders Pittsburgh. The two main stages are inside the two main bars requiring the dollar toss shit. Third stage is sort of a strip connecting the two where there is about 6 stage side seats. Clearly it is not illegal to have stage side seats at this location. FWIW, there also doesn't seem to be tip parade afterward, mainly only the tossed tips. Another similar example, Savannah's Harrisburg. The stage is shaped like two overlapping circles (like the master card logo). The lower circle has stage side seating where the dancers are mostly covered, but not always and tits in face is know to happen at the lower stage. The bar takes up about 80% of the circumference of the upper circle. Many customers dollar toss over the bar, but there is one f-ing chair at the upper stage that isn't affected by the bar stand off. To be fair, I could be more forgiving of the stage inside the bar setup in certain areas where a standoff is required by law (for example the moats around stages in some so cal clubs)... but I think the places I've seen stage moats were also all no alcohol allowed.
• Dolfan

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  9 years ago

  I'm not a fan either, and I see it in situations where your first two explanations clearly aren't it - which kinda leaves #3... I think there is a little logic to it though, I'm thinking the idea is that they want to get guys sitting at the bar in the hopes they'll buy drinks. There also may be a laziness/historic aspect too. Meaning, they may may have been required to have a barrier between nude dancers and customers when they initially opened, but its no longer required and they just haven't spent the cash to remodel. There has to be something to it though, as there's a number of clubs that have both behind the bar stages and stages with front row seating and in those clubs they usually start with the behind the bar stage then open up the others when business picks up. For example, all three S. FL Cheetah's operate that way. While I wouldn't say their mgmt/ownership is perfect, I think the success of those clubs says something about them knowing what makes money in SC's.
• JamesSD

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  9 years ago

  When it's the only or main stage, I'm guessing it's either basically a go go bar or yeah, local ordinances. It makes more sense if it's a secondary stage.
• AnonymousJim

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  9 years ago

  At the closest Spearmint Rhino to me, they have a stage behind the bar, but the girl then walks along the bar to get tips after anywhere between one half and one full song. It's kind of cool for her to tease a while, then get up close and personal.
• rickdugan

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  9 years ago

  Virtually all of the clubs in Queens are like this. Many of the N. NJ clubs are setup like this too. This is also the case on the Block in Baltimore. Other clubs I know that do this are the Glass Slipper in Boston and Elans in Danbury CT.
• shadowcat

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  9 years ago

  Sounds like it might be mostly a NE thing. I've never seen it.
• DandyDan

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  9 years ago

  I don't know of anywhere with this type of setup, nor do I recall any. Most clubs with bars I've been to either have them on one wall with the stage on the other wall, or its completely in another room.
• rickdugan

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  9 years ago

  And three others that come to mind are Show=m=tel and Penn Port in Philly and Keepers in Milford CT. So yes shadow, I think you are right in that it is primarily a northeast thing, though still a minority of all the clubs in the NE. It works out real good for the dancers, since they all do tip walks around the inside of the bars after their sets and guys are under a lot of pressure to tip at least a buck. The problem is that this can get out of hand at clubs that pakc their stages full of girls, since all of these girls are running a tip walk train at the end of each stage set. But if you have never played hit the pussy with rolled up dollar bills at Show-n-tel then it may be worth a visit. Some girls even put a cup under their pussies and encourage bank shots. It is very smart really, since some guys cannot resist taking several shots and some of those girls collect a lot of tips that way.
• sflguy123

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  9 years ago

  There's probably advantages to both. I mostly sit at the bar. Now I have a girl right in front of me stripping. If I want to tip her in some cases I have to lean forward in other cases I give the $ to the bartendar to give to her. I don't have to get up and walk to a stage somewhere else. Cheetah's as Dolfan mentioned has stages inside the bars and a mainstage and satelite stages. It benefits the bar sitters and the mainstage sitters and the table sitters. For a small club the stage inside the bar is economical. All the small clubs I've been to have that(Playmates, Secrets, The Mint).
• warhawks

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  9 years ago

  I've never seen anything like that in a strip club. I must be spoiled here in Detroit where you can go up to each girl on stage, touch, hug, etc. Having the girls be so far away you can't touch them or tip them in their g-strings seems a bit strange to me. But, I guess there are all kinds of different ways to run a strip club...
• just_the_nuts

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  9 years ago

  I guess i misunderstood this cage thang...sounds like its not what pp has in Greenville and sounds like it sucks....sounds like what i say at a rave party afew times
• mjx01

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  9 years ago

  ^^ well that's one more reason *not* to find an excuse to visit show-n-tel phil
• LeeH

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  9 years ago

  shadowcat: "I've never seen it." Dammit - you still haven't been to Clermont Lounge? :)
• LeeH

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  9 years ago

  Clermont Lounge in Atlanta has this set-up. A couple of possible reasons: * For those tired of the "angels debate", there's another argument over how many Clermonts you could fit on the head of a pin. (If you're too young to get that, bite me.) * The club is older than I am. Local laws/regulations may have been tighter back in the 19[censored] * I'm not 100% sure that it's always had strippers. So the thought may have been: "Hey! You know what people like? Naked chicks. But where are we gonna put them?"