Houston Clubs Converting to Bikini Bars...

9/27/2008 6:58:34 AM

With the dark cloud of Ike approaching Houston, I decided to make a trip to Dallas to avoid the Y2K-style shopping, power disruption,city curfew and closed bars and restaurants that are inevitable when a storm system brews in the Gulf of Mexico.
I am well rested and i think things are viable enough to return to Houston and get to work so i packed today and planned to make the trip tomorrow. Around ten pm I received a frantic call from one of my regular customers who is in town for 3 days a month from New Orleans. He was humiliated when he brought clients to one of the clubs I work at...and it is a bikini bar. I suggested two other clubs and gave him a few trustworthy servers' names.
He called me back just now, and I gave him a summary of what Google and The Houston Chronicle had to say. Basically they are finally trying to enforce the SOB regulations set over ten years ago and closed The Penthouse Club September 10, 2008. This action struck fear into the hearts of Houston club owners I assume...since all the clubs I sent my customer to were "bikini bars"[this means the bikini stays on...all night].
This seems like a serious waste of resources when there are more serious crimes needing attention. Dancers already have to attain SOB licenses to work in the city limits and of course pay the annual fee complete with being on public record as an Entertainer which I consider a disturbing form of regulation and invasion of privacy. I guess I will just have to see for myself. I hate to say this but, similar to the closure of Platinum Plus in Memphis, it feels like the ending of an era.

One of the best articles I found:

http://vasthead.com/Topless/topless.htm

Another one:

http://www.houstonpress.com/1997-01-23/n…

8 comments

Latest

casualguy

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16 years ago

I wonder how big a hit to the Texas economy this will result in? I could easily imagine millions of dollars in tax revenue were generated with all the business and the multiplier effect. The city of Houston won't ever be the same. Some politicians might have to laid off with future budget cuts. Lol, I wish.

wallanon

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16 years ago

There was another thread up here recently about best towns for clubs, and I seriously considered answering Houston. Even with LE running around everywhere all year and the dancers on edge about it all. Still had a lot of fun there earlier in late Summer.

It's too bad, really.

Raincoat

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16 years ago

I'm a non-smoker so I'm curious about the reference to mileage "outside while smoking". Please fill me in. I might start smoking.

Book Guy

•

16 years ago

Sad story. Sniff.

So, where are all the girls who need / want the income going to now? Dallas? Maybe across the state line to the next closest market in (dare I say it?) New Orleans?

Anna

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16 years ago

I have always had this idea in my head of New Orleans being a seedy place to dance....I'm headed to Dallas...or Shreveport or Las Vegas...I don't need the headache of political drama or citations even though I am a licensed dancer (for what I don't know) It's almost like paying a yearly fee for a drivers license and the use of motor vehicles being restricted....not to mention the 5 dollar "pole tax" at the door ...it seems like Houston officials are letting political agenda destroy logical revenue for the city.

jester214

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16 years ago

I'd love to see how the lost revenue will be explained...

Book Guy

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16 years ago

NOLa is actually a rather "clean" city as far as (most) strip clubs go. It's very disappointing, relative to the many "real" sin cities that I've lived in -- Tampa, Toronto, NYC, Houston.

Anna

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16 years ago

What are the clubs in Toronto like? I was very temped to cross the border when I was working in Rochester,NY but decided against it due to the variation of reviews.
xxx
Alisa

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