How Much Does A Stripper Make?

avatar for DougS
DougS
Florida
I know that there is a HUGE discrepancy between clubs, dancers, shifts, etc. But in your experience, what is an average night take, at an average club for an average dancer?

Not only do the disprepancies make it extremely difficult to put a number to this question, the girls and the clubs don't want us to know.

The girls, whether it's true or not, want us to think that they hardly make any money at all. They "poor mouth it" and whine and complain, I believe in order to elicit more money from us. I've heard the "I didn't even make enough money to tip out tonight" story SO many times. But, when you observe, it looks to me like they are raking in the money.

Even at $10 per dance, if they just do twenty dances, that's $200...

MY personal opinion is that a typical dancer, at a typical club can easily make $300-500 per shift.

My theory is, the average to upper echelon dancers at a club are probably making pretty good money. I also believe that most of them just don't know how to control their spending and have no concept of how to maintain their finances, which is why they tend to "poor mouth" and invite more spending to help dig them out of the hole.

Even my faves and past ATFs and current ATF sing the "how terrible business is" song. I'm not convinced. My ATF will say that she only made $40 that day... as much as I respect her, trust her and even care for her, sometimes it's difficult to believe. I know how sexy she is and I find it hard to believe that she's not constantly busy every day.

What's everyone else's take on this question? EvilCyn can you shed some light, too?

59 comments

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avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
Wow, this is a tough one to answer because there are so many variables. I'm not sure there is any such thing as a typical dancer or a typical club. Plus dancers rarely work what most of us would consider to be a full-time week or year, they're always taking time off probably because they can afford to. And it makes a huge difference what days of the week they work.

From personal knowledge my ATF worked 3-4 days a week and probably averaged $300-500 on week nights and at least twice that on weekend nignts. (She once told me that she considered $300 to be a bad night.) Her club was a tiny local dive and she was a top performer there. Some of the other girls there probably made less than half, maybe less than a quarter, of what she did.

The magazine article I referred to elsewhere says that a girl who works hard can make $150K+ in Vegas. Maybe that's the top, I doubt if many strippers earn that much. But I think a lot of them make $40K+ working fewer than 40 hours a week. So I'd call it $1,000 or so a week for 30 hours for a decent performer at an average club. With no taxes.
avatar for chandler
chandler
18 years ago
Strippers overstate how much they make, too. Sometimes, it's the same girl, depending on whether she's bragging or looking for sympathy. They can sound like gamblers who only talk about their winnings, never the times when they lose even more. When a girl says she makes, say, $800 a night easy, I think that's typical of a good night, but I bet it's not her average unless you throw a fair share of bad nights out of the calculation.

I wouldn't know where to begin identifying an average dancer. For every girl who has a good run of two or more years with it, there are dozens who don't last long enough to ever make serious money. At some of the better money clubs I visit, they always have too many girls. Even on a decent night, you'll see several girls you just know can't be making enough to survive. So, maybe the top 20 dancers at the club average $1,500-2,000 per week, but there's a constantly rotating cast of 40 or more who average a small fraction of that. So, I guess the question is what do you want the average earnings to be? Whatever figure you want, there's sure to be a way to slant the statistics to give you that result.
avatar for chandler
chandler
18 years ago
One point dancers have told me pretty consistently is that most of their money doesn't come from just plugging away, one dance at a time. It's the odd big spender here or there who just throws hundred dollar bills at them. Often not for doing anything special, and not always when they can see it coming. However, they say the best way to increase their chances of receiving such windfalls *is* to keep plugging away, one dance at a time, or at least to get up off their ass and keep pressing the flesh, so to speak.

So, just watching to see how many dances each girl does per hour isn't necessarily the way to arrive at a figure.
avatar for chitownlawyer
chitownlawyer
18 years ago
I would not be able to give an absolute number. However, there is a "folklore" about stripper cases among personal injury lawyers here in the East St. Louis area. One thing is clear...they don't tell the IRS what they are making. Typically, when a stripper misses time from work due to an accident, and wants to be compensated for it, they will claim to have been making $60-80K a year. However, when the insurance company lawyers (such as your reporter) request their income tax records, it is usually revealed that they are either not filing income tax returns, or are telling the IRS that they are clearing 15-20K a year dancing.

Not that they are all that different from other self-employed people. My brethren arent' exactly paragons of candor in such matters, either.
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2335vent
18 years ago
I think no one has mentioned the payouts that strippers have to clubs. My new ATF and I discussed this the other night that it costs $50 to the dancer to work in the club each night with other fees $30 for some other surcharge and tipping waitresses, DJs etc. I think it comes out to over $100 in fees before they start making money. Having said all this I think the average girl is making $200-$300 a night take home. Look at stripperweb.com and $1000 a night is considered a benchmark. There are so many variables though city, nude/bikini etc., VIP, looks and most important cost of dances.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Here's my GUESS ...

At most big-city clubs, a girl who looks "good enough" can rely on making $500, net after tip-outs and bullshit, a night on each weekend night. The number will range widely, depending on club or city or girl.

The thing is, there's a self-selecting phenomenon going on with stripper income. If they make more than that, they spend it on frivolous pursuits, often drugs and disposible clothing. If they make less, they work harder in order to make that much.

So I perceive most strippers as living within the "middle class" range. Few can make as much as $80K a year, because they lack the stick-to-it-ive-ness. Few sink below $25K a year, if they're full-time stripping, because it's really hard not to collect money on the "get paid to party" circuit that many of the low-income girls follow -- basically, they'd go out with their friends and sit around and drink on Friday night and PAY FOR their drinks, or they can go IN with their friends to a strip club and get their drinks PAID FOR, and it's the same experience either way, but in a strip club there's the income of tips.

Another thought is, that it's hard to buy tangible assets with a strictly cash income, without having to first pay taxes on it. The biggest nicest things you can get with cash, without putting it in the bank, and recording it as income for the IRS, are cars and bling bling. Oh, and drugs, of course. :) But try to buy a house or a 401-K plan with greenbacks. Some of the more cagey, together girls, create a catering, licensed massage, or dog grooming business as a front for their stripping income. Most of the others just let the cash sit in a drawer.

Here's a hint. At closing time, watch the girls all scamper to the bar cash register, or the tip-out cage, to exchange their income for big bills. I always thought this was silly. If I had $1000 that I expected to spend, I'd want it in $20-bills, not in $100s. That's because I would be spending it at regular stores, bit by bit, and anything I wouldn't be spending at a regular store I'd be sticking in the bank right away. For me, a pile of $1s may be a problem, but a pile of $20s is just about right. But the girls, on the other hand, want as FEW pieces of paper to carry around as possible, because they'll be stashing piles and piles of it around the house. The successful ones need to try to fit as much as $10,000.oo into their safe at home. Try to do that with $20s.

avatar for DandyDan
DandyDan
18 years ago
It probably depends on how much they want to make. I'm told at my favorite club that the one dirty old lady who does extras helps keep the place afloat and probably makes at least $1000 a night. But the typical dancer there doesn't do the champagne room, so she's probably at least half that. Then there is the one girl I know who would rather socialize all night and avoid the private dance areas. She could make a lot, but she don't really try hard enough. I don't think there is a typical dancer. Plus there is no typical income, either. If you have the above lady making $1000/night and three others making $200 a night (overly simplistic example), the typical dancer could make $400 or $200. So it's just a bunch of mathematical semantics.
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jimmyblong
18 years ago
They will only make what we are willing to spend on them. Fortunately for them my little brain tends to gain control of my wallet whenever I'm in the club.
avatar for motorhead
motorhead
18 years ago
From past discussions with my favorites, I would say the figures cited here are mostly correct. From $200 to $800 per night is typical.

My question is: What do they do with money ? !!!

I talked with a dancer a few weeks ago who had been holding a presciption from her doctor for 3 weeks because she couldn't afford to get it filled. She is a very attractive dancer who gets lots of dances, so I cannot figure out how she couldn't afford it. Let's say it would cost $100....I know she could make that in a few hours. She didn't appear to be a druggie, but I guess looks could be deceiving.
avatar for motorhead
motorhead
18 years ago
Book Guy's comments made me remember another thing...I have had at least two dancers tell me they regard $1 bills as "junk" money. One gave all her singles to her kids and another just keeps them a big suitcase because she doesn't know what else to do with them.

Keep that in mind when you are tucking your singles down some girl's thong at the tip rail! (Although I am as guilty as anyone in doing that -- sometimes it's the only way to get a dancer's attention when she doesn't know you.)
avatar for Pete22z
Pete22z
18 years ago
Depends highly if my dumb ass is in attendance!!! A hot girl who can chat me up and move/touch the right way is gonna have a good night.
Some of my favs I'd just assume not know...I'm afraid it may be depressingly too close to what I'm having to bust my hump for.
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chandler
18 years ago
"I'd just assume not know"? I as soon that was a typo?
avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
Re tipout, that's only an issue at the larger glitzier clubs where it can be bsignificant. At smaller clubs there's little if any tipout, which is why I think a lot of average girls would do better in such places. The club where my ATF worked only had 2 employees: a barmaid who also ran the dancers, and a girl who sat at the door collecting entrance fees, while the owner sat in the back room monitoring the cameras and helped out at the bar when it was busy. The place I hung out later was the same. Very little tipout, what the girls took in they took home.

I agree that most of the girls only make as much as they need, then take the rest of the week or month off. And depedning on their situation they spend it on their housing and food, cars, their kids, college, and/or drugs and booze. Few of the young ones save anything, they think they'll be making lots of money forever.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Then there's the question of tip-out. I wonder how many of them and in how many settings use "services" as a means of tipping out. I know at a few more honky-tonk style clubs in smaller cities, the DJ and manager are serious "masculine entities" who "control" the women in a pimp-esque sort of style. The amount of cash that they take at these particular clubs changes night by night, depending on who gives 'em their first or best blow-job, etc. I've always wondered, if getting involved as an actual employee would give ME greater access to the women, or whether maybe I'd be some Larry Loser who just schlepped the beer bottles and didn't get a blowjob. :(

I know a guy, a hard-nosed former military type, who lives near me, whose brother (his "family's fuck up") has spent most of his life working as one kind or another of strip club employee -- bar-back, security bouncer, DJ, etc. I should try to get to know him! :)
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
18 years ago
BJ: What the fuck for? He sounds just like another fucked up stripper?
avatar for chandler
chandler
18 years ago
I assumed everyone posting was aware of tipouts and stage fees, not disregarding them in talking about what strippers make. I mean, we could calculate shoe purchases, outfits and gas mileage if we want. Let's not. Stage fees have a lot bigger effect on the bottom feeders, who some nights can't even break even. To a good earner, it doesn't matter that much whether she pays $50 or $150 out of her take for the night. So she might have to hustle a tiny bit more to make up the difference.

One club has a policy that it seems could be a problem if they weren't already very selective about who they hire. I was getting a dance in the VIP when a bouncer ducked his head in for a sec and looked around. The dancer told me not to worry about him, he was just checking to see which girls were doing their first dance of the night. They have a $90 stage fee, but girls don't need to pay it until they do a dance. So, I guess some girls who can't get started selling dances just give up and hang out until they can leave without paying to work. It sounds nice for them, but really, why make it easier for dancers who can't even sell one dance?
avatar for AbbieNormal
AbbieNormal
18 years ago
Are we talking net or gross? I gross over 80K. I net under 50. Even after tipouts and stage fees, etc you have to assume most strippers can take home close to $1000 a week cash. That means they can probably net about the same or better than most of us. How they spend it is another question. If I decided to spend $400/week on drugs I'd still net the same pay, I'd just be spending it poorly.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
There's this old math adage about a stereo and a newspaper. If you were at a stereo shop and some cool stereo salesman offered you the stereo you wanted for $1010.oo, but you knew you could get it for $1000.oo across the street, you'd probably not bother to cross for the $10 savings (a mere 1%). But if you were at a newsstand and some cool newspaper salesman offered you the newspaper you wanted for $11 and you knew you could get it for $1 across the street, you probably WOULD cross the street for the $10 savings (a good 90%).

At 1% of a stereo, $10 is negligible. At 90% of a newspaper, $10 seems important.

But it's the same $10, and buys the same amount of cigarettes, beer, bread, gasoline, or soda crackers.

Faulty human decision making. We do it every day.
avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
BG, you see it every day at the gas station. People will line up at the station that's 2 cents cheaper per gallon than the one across the street, which on a 10 gallon purchase is 20 cents. They wait in line to save 20 cents, which I guess tells you what they think their time is worth.

I think you guys are over estimating the tipout fees - in most clubs, which are the small neighborhood places, tipouts are minimal and there aren't any stage fees. For most strippers the gross and net are nearly the same. I also think that most strippers make most of their money from their regulars, so the secret to making big bucks is to have a lot of them. Then they don't have to work very hard either.
avatar for shadowcat
shadowcat
18 years ago
I can only speak for my favorite club. Dancers there hope to make $200-500 a night. I suspicion that they don't make it most of the time. Always complaining about how poor business is. They rely on their regulars and one time big spenders. I have on several occassions given dancers $10 bucks or so, so that they could make their tip out and leave. I got kisses for it but no blow jobs....
avatar for AbbieNormal
AbbieNormal
18 years ago
BG, I've heard that comparrison before, and never have I let it pass. It's a stupid meaningless analogy. A newspaper is useless the day after you read it. A stereo is a durable good that lasts years. Amortize the value $10 over the 5-7 year life of the stereo and it is meaningless. Throwing away $10 rather than crossing the street for something that will be in next weeks trash is pure idiocy. The comparison ignores the value of what you spend the extra $10 on, which in economic terms is the only real question. To not cross the street to save $10 on a newspaper is the idiotic move. Most people understand the simple economics of it. An extra $10 on something that will last for years isn't a big deal. Saving 5 cents a gallon for gas if you are filling an SUV with a 20 gallon tank can make sense over the course of a year if you go through a tank a week and waiting a few minutes isn't a big deal. Me, I drive a Corolla and go to the nearest station, and I buy my stereo online so I get the best price.
avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
AN, to carry your logic (which I aree with) a step further, the difference in price in gasoline to which you allude is trivial compared to the other driving costs. If you really care about your driving costs, the action that makes the most sense is to buy a cheaper car. I personally find it hilarious to hear people who drive $40,000+ cars complaining about the price of gasoline.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
AN: you're quite right about the comparison issue. I think what the original author of that silly $10 comparison (stereos and newspapers) meant to suggest, was that the stereo would be identical in all respects, whether you bought it here for $1010 or over there for $1000. I think the real sticking point with his analogy would be, that it's actually impossible to get an identical purchase experience from both stores -- one has a nicer salesman, or better lighting, or more informative brochures, or quicker access from parking lot to interstate, or would be more likely to honor the guarantee (in the buyer's opinion), or something.

Much of the silly-economic-comparison game loses these points in the mix, trying to state that all similar products are therefore identical in economic terms. But that is false. (Actually, I don't see why amortization has to fall into the mix at all. If you buy a newspaper here or there, it amortizes immediately, as you rightly point out. A stereo takes a while. But you're buying a high-price or low-price similar item, and comparing the one to the other. The $10 is still a $10 difference, whether it takes 10 years or 10 minutes to amortize.)

Another comparison often made in psychology or economics classes, is the one about the guy who "worked hard" to get his football playoff tickets. Rabid Bears Fan Koszlowzskiak stands outside in a howling Lake Michigan blizzard at Soldier Field for seventy-two hours waiting for playoff tickets for Da beloved Bearz to become available, and he buys them for list price. Tepid Bears Fan Muffett-Braithwaite wins the right to identical tickets through a radio program random selection process, and he buys them for the same list price. Rabid fan is much more likely to keep his tickets or insist on selling them for a premium, than is Tepid fan, although both are "technically" worth the same because they're right next to each other for the same game in the same section. Some economists might say that Rabid fan is being irrational, over-valuing that which has its own determined market value based on what someone will pay for the tickets, while Tepid fan is being sensible, letting the market determine the appropriate resale price. Economists' excuse for this analysis is, that the "sunk cost" of time spent in a blizzard is actually non-retrievable and non-fungible, and therefore cannot be valued by a purchase-price determined in any market. But those economists would be wrong, for they fail to include the notion that Rabid fan enjoys the game more than Tepid fan, and therefore rates his EXPERIENCE higher, regardless of dollar price. Tepid would resell for anything at a profit, uninterested as he is in sitting in the stands. The tickets, and the experience they entail, therefore, are NOT identical, although numbers on them such as face value and seat assignment are. The difference is in what the OWNERS gain from them, not in what level the MARKET (which implies resale) would or could value them.

For me, it's all proof that the Adam-Smith-style "free market" has a lot more going on than mere economists would ever allow.
avatar for AbbieNormal
AbbieNormal
18 years ago
BG, Amortize was the wrong word. Depreciate is a better one. I meant to say assume the extra cost of $10 is spread over years of benefit whereas the newspaper depreciates immediately.
avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
"For me, it's all proof that the Adam-Smith-style "free market" has a lot more going on than mere economists would ever allow."

As I've pointed out before, classical economic theory assumes rational buyers and sellers operating with perfect information. That rarely happens. In fact the whole concept of marketing is about enouraging buyers to make irrational buying decisions. Which is why, for example, beer and car commercials usually feature pretty girls as much as they do beer and cars.

And there probbly isn't anything less rational than spending money on a stripper. But we do it anyway.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Yeah, the whole "classical" and "rational" thing ... yeah, what you said. :P
avatar for minnow
minnow
18 years ago
My "WAG"- Assume 4 hr shift, 1 stage set/hr, 3-6 lapdances/hr, make $10-$20 stage tips, LD's $20 per. That works out to netting $280- $560 per shift. Unknown factor is what the "gross"(keep) would be, depending on tipouts, or % that dancers keep. There are definitely some dancers out there that work more than 4 hr shifts, and/or consistently rake in $500 plus/hr. As for "take", one LA area club has patron pay bartender for laps after dance, dancer gets paid half of the lapdance cost. I don't know what portion of stage tips dancers keep, or if there are other fees/tipouts involved that would dilute the take. Evilcyn, etal, care to enlighten us on % that dancers keep??
avatar for AbbieNormal
AbbieNormal
18 years ago
FONDL, BG, you have to look at it not as a perfect theory, but as the theoretical foundation. Newtonian physics isn't a perfect theory, but we don't say it's wrong, it is just only suitable for calculations to a certain accuracy absent other significant forces. In fact even in Newtonian physics we know that other forces are present such as friction, wind resistance, tha deformation of bodies, tides, etc, etc, etc. Still if anyone wants to understand physics they start with Newton's theories, not Einstein's.
avatar for casualguy
casualguy
18 years ago
I met a hot dancer in a club that was almost dead for a while who told me she was only making $100 to $120 a night. But she told me that was tax free. Well that just tells me she's not reporting her income. I also don't know how many nights a week she was working. She's obviously not too happy with her income if she tells me she's only making.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Minnow: I disagree with one of your assumptions, the number of lappers per hour. Some girls would do as many as you list, but most would only get about 3, maximum, I think. Certainly any girl could get a 6-lapper hour once in a while, especially if a regular comes in, but on average I'm going to have to say that the number is much lower. Probably reliably 2, at most, on average.

Of course, I'm just guessing. Anyway, if my change to your assumption is correct, then the rest of the calculations dip accordingly.
avatar for minnow
minnow
18 years ago
BG- I stated no. of LAPDANCES, not LAPPERS per hr. That would be quite a feat to get more than 3 different customers per hr. Even on a slow afternoon on a recent Monz visit, I didn't see a single dancer that didn't get AT LEAST 3 lapdances in a 1 hr timeframe. No doubt, there are some dancers at some clubs that may not get any dances for a long time. Yet, when customers get lapdances, very few get just 1, often get 3. Again, one can surmise what a dancer makes, what she gets to keep is an unknown. I do think that the $ beats working @ Walmart , though.
avatar for Clubber
Clubber
18 years ago
The only one I discussed this with in detail, was an old ATF in Key West. She averaged about $500 per evening, AFTER tipout. I never really discussed it with a more recent ATF, but I know when we went to pick out a new truck for her, she wanted to pay cash. She didn't however, as she was afraid that the IRS might find out somehow that she had that much cash available, and a lot more.
avatar for FONDL
FONDL
18 years ago
AN, I agree that you should usually start with the theory even thought it isn't exact. That's because in most cases the assumptions are a reasonable approximation of reality. But in the case of strip clubs they aren't even close, strip club spending isn't rational, it's all based on irrational behavior, so economic theory isn't relevant.

I think the only anwer to the question, "How much does a stripper make?" is: if she's good, as much as she wants to.
avatar for maybeenuf4u
maybeenuf4u
18 years ago
It seems to me as though the variables win out.

Minnow. Whered you ever hear of 4 hour shifts? 8 to closing or 12-8 are the usual shifts I've scene. 8 hours.

However after reading all the estimates given, I'd say $1000 a week would appear to be a good estimate based on my personal experience.

I also saw that a good looking stripper couldnt get a prescription filled. Thats most likely cause shes got to buy the drug at retail. You know they don't have health insurance in most strip clubs. Which is another disadvantage to the profession.

Bad spending probably accounts for most of the "poor" strippers. That or fat, ugly don't know how to do a ld.
avatar for minnow
minnow
18 years ago
RE: Shifts- I've seen some dancers only stay for a couple of hrs- this in a place with no real "set" shift. Even in some places that have published, or commonly announced shift hrs/changes, I've still seen some dancers leave, or arrive after the shift schedule time. Even if they're in the club for 8 hrs, there's sure to be a 2 hr or so dead spot. Plus, people have to eat meals sometime. Again, 4 hr active period, a "WAG" on my part. Have YOU ever sat in a club for 8 hrs, and counted each dancers tip&LD tally??
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Minnow: by "lapper" I meant, "lap dance" not "individual lap-dance customer." So, mild miscommunication there, sorry. :P

Either way, I'm still a bit unconvinced that reasonably good-looking girl at an average club can rely on selling three lap dances per hour. I guess if you average it out across the whole United States, then maybe so; but Vegas, Tampa, and LA are upping the average. I wonder if we could get a mean and a standard variation? :)

Anyway, most of us are just guessing. I certainly am. Next tiime I'm up close and personal with a girl whom I think I can trust, I'll investigate and start tallying results. It's a long-term project.
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arbeeguy
18 years ago
First - I wonder how many of you contributors know that WAG means "Wild Ass Guess". But that's not really correct -- the correct term is SWAG -- "Scientific Wild Ass Guess". Much more semantically pure to put "Scientific" at one end and "Guess" at the other. And that irony pretty much sums up the "How Much Does A Stripper Make" issue. The idea of computing a mean and standard deviation is based on the assumption of either a finite population or a stable process. Neither is present in the Stripper World, because as several of you have pointed out, there are many uncontrolled variables, including - first and foremost - the constant turnover of dances. At our local club, about half of the total dancers last two weeks or less, and do not make enough money, net, to pay for all their stripper-clothing. My suggestion on this topic is to write a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation and hire a bunch of graduate assistants. Will Founder accept the role of Principal Investigator???? We could tie down all the variables, set up focus groups and field studies, and produce a snappy looking report that will look great when it is summarized in USA TODAY
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ThisOldManPlayed1
18 years ago
Of the several hundred dancers I've talked to over the years, the majority of them have complained about not making enough money.

Some have told me on a day by day basis, they can't make payout after being their six hours, while I've seen others (who usually do the EXTRAS thing) stay around 2-3 hours, payout early, and walk with $500 or more!

But, annually (not anal-ly) it would definately be a WAG!
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dddchick
18 years ago
It deffinately depends on the dancer and the club. My husband and I went to a club several weeks ago and the girl we go a private dance from had pulled two other girls up on stage that were there with their husbands and brought them into the dance/show a little bit, and she walked away with $300 just for that 5 minute spotlight. The guys in the club were throwing money at her!
avatar for DougS
DougS
18 years ago
I think TheHappyLapper touched upon something that is probably the key in how much money a dancer will make. The level of "dirtyness" that a dancer will partake in, is probably proportionate to how much money she will make.

My ATF, as well as a lot of other dancers that I've talked to, complain about the dirty dancers. Once a dancer makes it known that she will not do extras, a lot of guys will go to the girls that WILL do extras. My ATF was just mentioning the other day how poorly she had done lately, while a few dancers that do extras have been extremely busy.

It seems like because of that, it is only a matter of time before the clean dancers will start doing the extras, just to make enough money to survive.

For the customers, this isn't a bad thing. But I still hope that my ATF will stand her ground and not compromise her morals. I'm pretty sure that she will always remain a clean dancer.
avatar for chandler
chandler
18 years ago
At most clubs I know of, strippers who make the most money are the ones who work the hardest, not necessarily those who do extras. Extras tend to be a shortcut chosen by strippers who aren't willing to put in the effort of giving good dances and developing customers. They might cash in for a quick buck, but they don't usually last long.
avatar for motorhead
motorhead
18 years ago
I would have to agree with the above comment by Chandler. I am almost certain my ATF does not do "extras" and she probably makes more money than any other dancer in the club. That's because she works harder than any other dancer at her club. No sitting around and talking -- she just tries to get a lot of dances.

From a dancers perspective, it seems like you would make more money stringing a guy along all night long in the VIP room and keeping it clean. Once a guy is finished after a few songs, he is going to leave. From an economic point of view, makes more sense to keep it clean and keep the guy for as long as possible.
avatar for Book Guy
Book Guy
18 years ago
Agreed, that the more businesslike (not in customer-contact, but in mental attitude in the dressing room) ladies probably make the most money, whether or not they're actually maximizing intake by performing extra-legal sexual services. On "G-String Divas" (the HBO series) there's one girl who is a mainstay of her club, who consistently takes more than most, who is regularly accused of doing extras by her more jealous co-workers, but who does not actually do so. It's just attitude -- always staying away from the booze, sticking to whatever will be the highest dollar-income-average (no "hanging around" in the dressing room, or chatting up non-payers, just being polite and moving on ...).
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TheKnow
7 years ago
Well guys, as a relatively new entertainer myself here in the small state of Ky I worked just 10 hours last week and raked in 2800 dollars. I've worked for several months while putting myself through nursing school and cleare over 12 grand each month. I do not conduct any shady business. I would say I am above average looking, have high intelligence and I do attract the more affluent gentlemen "clients". I strictly dance I am extremely professional. Most everyone have dancers/entertainers/strippers pegged as drug heads or whores that's simply not the case. However yes there are those as with any industry that do these things. Generally it's the younger girls that come in and the money looks good unfortunately they get caught up in the lifestyle and turn into what we call "lifers". I just purchased a $600,000.00 home. It is what you make it. For anyone looking at going into this industry know your "choice" is automatically frowned upon. You automatically be viewed as less than and less than a human being for your choice of work. However keep in mind baby no matter what anyone says about you the average person or anyone frowns upon this industry more than likely does not clear what you make i'll keep your heads up and smile but always have a back up plan go to school do not make this lifestyle choice a career because looks will fade in the body will eventually had self enjoy the money invested spend it wisely and just make smart decisions is the only advice that I will give anyone considering or anyone that just decided to go into this. Keep in mind that as I said I am above average so my pay rate is a bit more then someone that would be below average or less intelligent or less attractive it all depends on the girl at the end of the day whether you are above average or below average in any of these go in there radiate confidence that is the key and here is another tad of information that will be helpful the girls say "work smarter not harder" you do not have to be a pole wizard or know what you're doing on the pome you could do floor work and walk around the pole as long as you do it in a sexy mannerism you will generate profits. I'm looking at a 250-300K year. Hopefully this is helpful in the question "HOW MUCH DOES A STRIPPER MAKE". We make bank lol. I'd hate to think what I'd make in a more populated state.
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Dougster
7 years ago
TheKnow: "have high intelligence"

But some trouble using paragraphs it seems.
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Bj99
7 years ago
why post? That thread was from 2007. It's a strange thing to do.
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Jascoi
7 years ago
non the less... Bj99... "TheKnow" seems to have a clear head and a goal. kudos to her.
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Jascoi
7 years ago
as a refference point... anytime someone clears $150 for a shift PER DAY is definitely doing OK.
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joc13
7 years ago
I don't know, I'm inclined to call BS on TheKnow's post. She has been supposedly working for several months on the way to a 250-300k year, but bought a 600k house. That means she didn't pay cash for it, and there's no way she got a 500k+ mortgage in post-2008 lending world as a nursing student with undocumented stripper income. If the income was properly documented, it's still only "several months" of work history in a volatile industry and she's looking at a 100k tax bill next April if there hasn't been any withholding.
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NinaBambina
7 years ago
^She also said she clears over 12k a month. That's believable, but clearing 12k would put her around 144k a year, not 250-300k. Maybe she has a second job.
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mark94
7 years ago
There was a guy at my old apartment complex who talked in a loud voice around the pool about much money he made that week or month. It was always a big number. Then, one day I saw him driving his car, a 10 year old VW Beetle.

Not sure what made me think of that.
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Bj99
7 years ago
^ it has to be some kind of mental illness. I see it at the club all of the time.
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joc13
7 years ago
@bj99 from the guys or the girls? LOL

@nina right. if she already has a 100k+ second job, why would she need to be a nursing student OR a stripper
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Bj99
7 years ago
The guys lol. Most girls don't want the managers and djs knowing exactly what they make.
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joc13
7 years ago
@bj99 so, does it typically work out that the ones talking about it ain't got it, and the ones that got it ain't talking about it (they're spending it)?
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Bj99
7 years ago
a guy's expendable income doesn't necessarily correlate with what he spends on strippers lol.
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joc13
7 years ago
That's true - just look at Juice (you da man, dude)
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sharkhunter
7 years ago
Some dancers do well. Some dancers shouldn't be dancing and end up suing strip clubs because the club allows too many dancers to work since dancers pay the club, etc in tip out fees and several dancers in such situations would have been better off at a minimum wage job. This might depend on the club chain. I remember one of the fattest most repulsive dancers I ever saw appeared on stage at a platinum plus club one night. I was like WTF? You know it's bad when you see customers flee the stage and surrounding area when a dancer shows up.
avatar for minnow
minnow
7 years ago
Like joc13, calling BS on TK's post. Wtf would someone supposedly as successful as "her" waste their time scouring the internet for 10 year old threads to bump when "she" could just start a thread titled "A Rainbow Unicorn's Self Promotion Thread."
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