Comments by Harderlap (page 10)

Knockouts in Albuquerque has $5 table dances. If it is worth $5 at the table, it is worth the $10 in the VIP booth.

Well, I usually sit at a table, so I don't usually interact with the bartender much. But I tip the waitresses generously and I suspect that some of it makes its way back to the bartender. I hope so at least. I tip when the waitress brings the dancer I am with gets a free drink as I figure the waitress is working and serving and she should get paid for that. If you don't tip or are stingy with your tips in a strip club you will get a reputation for being cheap and you don't want to get that reputation in a strip club. Remember everything in a strip club revolves around money. You should also treat everyone that works at the club with respect, whether you like them or not. That should be a basic human tenet, but if you weren't raised that way you should do it because it will generally make your life in the clubs much easier and more enjoyable.

It depends on the club and the city. Many clubs make significant contributions to police and politicians. These are usually legal contributions, say to the police athletic league or to election/reelection commitees, not bribes, but there is quid pro quo on both sides. Usually in turn for the contribution, the police or politician agrees not to hassle the clubs and the clubs agree not to host any openly illegal activity. So if a dancer at the club is doing something obviously or openly illegal, the club management realize that their whole operation is in danger and put a stop to it. The police or politicians realize this self policing and in turn can pay attention to more serious infractions in he community. As anyone who has been to different strip clubs in different cities can testify, there is a lot of leeway as to where the line is drawn.

Interesting discussion. I usually don't mind talking to a dancer for a couple of songs, but that is the limit, after that, if I want dances, I get them, if not the dancer usually picks up on it and moves on. If the dancer stays on her own volition, without encouragement from me, I figure I don't owe her anything, and don't pay her for her time, even if she asks. One thing I suggest as an interesting exercise is to at least once, go to a club, pick out a place where you can see the entire club and observe the dancers circulating, talking to customers, and giving dances. Pick out a dancer or two that give a lot of dances and see if you can track how many dances they give in an hour and estimate roughly how much they make. There is a big variance, but invariably the ones who make the most spend a lot of time circulating, spend a song or less with guys who they don't dance for, and maybe two or three dances with those who buy lots of dances, say four or five. Armed with this information if you want a dancer to spend time with you, make her an offer to do so up front. If you figure she makes $200 an hour dancing, offer her $100 to spend the time you are at the club talking with you and perhaps giving you dances from time to time. She will usually want more, but you can negotiate, and most dancers will go for a sure thing at a lower price, particularly if they don't need to give the club a cut of all or it. The thing I have never figured out is dancers who spend a lot of time at a table with one or two guys, the guys don't get dances, or maybe one or two in an hour, but the dancers still stay and talk. Maybe they get free drinks out of it, but I don't see how they can make any money doing that.

I think all of the clubs in Albuquerque scan driver's licenses upon entry. I think the magnetic stripe on the back carries your birthdate, so they don't need access to an external database, although they may have one. The Albuquerque clubs usually scan the front side as well. This is kept for some arbitrary time, I think a day or so and then erased. If they have trouble at the club they can look at the scans or the perpetrator. It was reported in the Albuquerque Journal that is how TD's identified the guy who shot the bouncer 6or so months back. They were able to go through the scans, identify him from the frontside of his license, and then show the cops his picture. What I find repulsive is the use of a license that says you know how to operate a car and are licensed to do so as ID for all sorts of things, including citizenship. It is not rational. But that is another arguement for another day. Whether this is bad or good depends on

Any list like this would be remiss if it did not include Cabaret Club El Paso TX - If you don't want it touched, don't go here Red Parrot El Paso TX - A bit behind the Cabaret, but much classier

I dropped the by the Palms yesterday, August 13, and it wasn't open yet, but the door was open so I walked in. They were still doing finishing work. No signs to tell what kind of place it will be, topless, nude, alcohol, BYOB, cover, hours of operation, and so on. It looked like an upscale place though. I will check it out and let everyone know. There was a clubs in Aztec, but they went out of business. Ditto for a very short lived one in Las Cruces. The Eclipse/Spearmint Rhino went out of business in Albuquerque a couple of years ago. So did All Fours, but that was kind of a sleazy place. Of the clubs that remain in Albuquerque, I worry about Knockouts downtown. There doesn't seem to be many people there when I go. Part of it is the economy, part of it is the legal climate, part of it below average clubs, and part of it is that there aren't that many patrons to support that many clubs. Also, Palms is near TD's North, so I wonder if that will impact business at both clubs. In my experience, TD's North and TD's Gold are in a different class than the rest of hte clubs in NM. The others are nothing special, and seem to hang on because there isn't anything closer. El Paso clubs, which are much more hands on than NM clubs, hurt clubs trying to get established in the Southern part of the state. If the Palms is well lit, it will have trouble competing. :^)= In my experience, the clubs in Albuquerque, are about average for the US, but miles behind many places that have much more liberal club laws.

I always get a kick out of dancers who introduce themselves and then tell me how to spell their name. It isn't a real name, how often do they need to spell it? On the other hand, it is a good conversation starter. Her: "Hi, my name is Cat." Me: "Is that with a C or a K?" That usually brings a laugh and the obvious confession that it is nor her real name. Sometimes followed by their real name. Sometimes they have to think awhile before they can answer, like they never thought about it. And others answer right away, like it is a fact. Must be an interesting psychological study there. It is also interesting to ask a dancer the origin of her name if it is not obvious. There is almost always an interesting story there. Some are obvious and others not. Almost all of the names dancers use aspire to things the dancer are not. There are other odd things about names in strip clubes. No two dancers at a club have the same name. That is certainly not possible in real life. But strip clubs are not real life. And there appears to be a grace period between the time one dancer quits and when another dancer can use the same name. Dancer names follow popular trends. Remember when every club had a Xena? Not so much any more. Right now, I get dances from a dancer with a name that sounds like Iris-San or Irissen. I am not sure of the origin, I have heard of Iris, but adding the suffix is a bit unusual. When I get time, I need to ask.

Yes, it takes a special type of club to last in Albuquerque. Spearmint Rhino morphed into the Eclipse Cabaret which eclipsed into nothing. Part of the problem was that if you saw the club from either interstate, it was not immediately clear how to get to it taking the nearest exit. Plus the strip club experience there was rather sterile and both TD's as well as even Knockouts offered a better experience for the bucks. Yes, All Fours used to be Chapter II, but with new owners. They did a bit of cleaning up, but it was still the old place, which was pretty dingy. Still with the right dancer a good time could be had. The owners didn't do much to promote it though. Chapter II used to have a sister club, The Palomino, over on the west side, but that is long gone in a massive redevelopment program. The Icehouse was expensive and the experience there was rather unfriendly, beginning with the patdown by the bouncer.

1. Best club in your state? TD's North in Albuquerue is he best, but it is not perfect 2. Best club in any other state? Foxy in El Paso Texas 3. Best new club? Haven't been to any new ones 4. Most improved club 2009? All Fours in Albuquerque, but still not great. 5. Best club for high mileage/extras? Tie between Foxy and Cabaeret in El Paso 6. Club with the best looking girls? TD's North in Albuquerue, but I don't get out much.

Go during the day. Your money goes further and you will come out satisfied.

For what it is a worth, Cabaret has been shut down since early March by court order and is unlikely to reopen, so this review is of limited value.

It is a bikini bar.

It is BYOB, you can bring your own or there is usually a runner who will go to the nearby liquor store for a tip. $10 will get you a six pack and cover the tip. They charge for ice for the beer. It has been a while, but I think it is $5 for ice. Some of the dancers like to hang with a guy with beer for them.

I think this review is for the Cabaret Club, not Dreams Cabaret. The Cabaret Club is often referred to as “The Cab”, Dreams Cabaret, not so much. Other than that,it is an OK review.

Papi Chulo, most of the dancers at the Blue Moon will do more than just sit and talk during the first two dances. With a good dancer the first two dances are very hands on, both ways, usually topless or naked, then on the third dance the dancer does what we more typically think of as a lap dance, body to body on the lap. With most of the dancers the first two dances of the three dance set are as good as dances anywhere else. If you are ever in Phoenix, you should visit the Blue Moon, I think you will enjoy the experience and find it worth the money. Read the reviews first so you know who to get a dance from.

Yes, Albuquerque has better places, TD's North is a good place to start, followed by TD's Gold. It sounds like you had a better than average time at Cheeks though. It is not a destination place.

Yes, this is bad, and I think unusual in my experience. Assuming that you only had one dance, you got ripped off. It doesn't happen at TD's North, and the only time a dancer and I had to talk to the bouncer, it was resolved in my favor. I had gotten dances from her before and after that event and she is not a ripoff bitch. It is best to ask the bouncer who tracks the dances directly yourself, rather than having the dancer do it, as you are more likely to get an accurate answer to "How many dances did I get?" than to "It was three dances, right?" When this happens, you really need to get the dancer's name, though, to help the rest of us avoid the same problem. Having said that, I have gotten good dances over several years with accurate counts from Dianne, Hyrasin, Elena, LaLa, and others whose names escape me at the moment. The only dancer I have had issues with count was Kylie, who comes over from Phoenix. I just don't get dances with her any more.

My experience there exactly. OK if you are in the area, but definitely not a destination club.

The actual lesson, hard to learn, is to stop when you run out of cash.

OK, Albuquerque is 210 miles north of El Paso on I-25. If you are coming from the southeast, you will likely take I-10 to I-25 to Albuquerque. My reference to east is, I admit, somewhat vague and perhaps a bit misleading. I was just trying to give people who may be traveling through those places to the Balloon Fiesta alternates, not a geography lesson. Sorry for the confusion and the bandwidth taken up here. Yes, I have actually been to Albuquerque, check out my posts on Albuquerque clubs over the past 10 years here. Again sorry for the confusion.

OK, Albuq

mjx01 - I should have said people traveling from the east on I-10. Sorry for the misleading geography.

Thanks Shadow. I find these reviews about a whole city or area to be more helpful than trying to get the information from separate reviews and then deciding. I used your discussion of Atlanta clubs as a guide. Went there is October and found the information very useful. If you get to ALbuquerque, send me a PM and I will buy you a drink. Still no word on the ordinance. I hope it fades into oblivion.