Went here for a friend's bachelor...

Went here for a friend's bachelor party (not sure if the best man had called ahead). The location was easy to find with plenty of parking and a backdoor entry, if that's a plus for you. The location in Ballard isn't as sketchy as other parts of Seattle (I'm looking at you, Lake City), so right off the bat, we were at ease about any thug or low-rent vibe. The bouncer at the door was very courteous, laid out the rules, and even let us know about the nearby bar and their reentry policy. No cover, but a $10, two-soda minimum isn't unexpected around here.

Inside, the club had a pool table, a short bar where some of the dancers hung out between songs, a single stage (in decent repair), low lights (couldn't tell you about the carpet), giant plush chairs for almost 40 patrons (which seems like a lot for a single-stage venue), and a VIP room (more on that later) behind the bar. Prices were posted on the wall in two locations.

At first, dancers seemed to be a mixed bag. Thankfully, not all blondes, but a wide variety of body types and ethnicities to enjoy. The attire was pretty much the same for everyone: bikinis and those ridiculous heels. It was in the dancing where the mixed bag played out. Girls knew when it was their time, so there was no obnoxious DJ telling people to give it up. As I later found out, the girls even pick their music most of the time, which meant we were treated to a few choice selections. (One girl danced to a song from Tron: Legacy while another picked Aerosmith's "Dream On.") But there was a wide variety in terms of dancing. One girl would drop her top, ride high on the pole and do spinning acrobatics, while the next wouldn't take anything off at all, just swaying back and forth for her four minutes. The next girl would barely touch the pole, preferring instead to take everything off and give the people in the front row a lot to look at. Compared with my Portland experiences, there was very little tipping happening at the stage, and that seemed to be fine with the dancers. This place seemed more focused on the private dance.