This is my favorite club in...

This is my favorite club in St. Louis, and has been since it used to be Diamond Cabaret, though it had a bit more value back in those days. Since it became Penthouse a few years ago, there have been numerous design upgrades and it is now very swanky and comfortable. You can buy a bottled beer on ice as soon as you walk through the door, and if the bar is crowded, you can always go back to that area to get a cold one. Drinks are pricey but the club is worth it; you'll need to get mixed drinks from the waitresses or at the bar, which can mean a significant wait on late weekend nights. I've never found the bouncers to be pushy or the DJs to be annoying. There's a huge lot for parking, and though it may not look very secure, there's a guard in a crow's nest in the center of the lot who watches over the cars. Pop's, a great live music club, and OZ, a pretty fun nightclub, share the same sprawling parking lot.

There were at least 20 girls working on Saturday night, most 8s and 9s, but there could have been more. The club is so large on the inside with different areas to explore, it's hard to get an accurate count. Girls offer dances regularly, particularly to those who tip well at the stage, but are friendly if you politely decline. Private dances are $40 per song, and many dancers allow a great deal of contact. If you go into the booth in the middle of a song, most girls will sit on your lap and chat with you for a while as they wait for the next one to start, which is nice. I noticed lots of patrons appeared to be regulars and requested specific girls, and my guess is that they prefer the ones who allow a bit more handsiness.