Nothing extraordinary, but dependable for what it is
After attending an event in Athens, I looked up Toppers to see if it was open. It was listed on Google as permanently closed, but I drove by anyway and saw that it was open. Parked a few blocks away (there's no parking lot) and walked past college kids, townies, and a few homeless folks. Toppers is near UGA, and there are always police around at night, so the area is generally safe. Ten bucks to get in, no metal detector or security patdown. Got a beer for $8. They have drink specials every night.
Toppers has two stages surrounded by seats, and each stage has two poles. There's a mandatory rotation, so if a dancer is being monopolized by one customer, she will eventually take the stage and you can get her attention. The dancers also seem to be required to circulate among the customers and make conversation. If you're alone at a table, it won't be long before a dancer asks if she can sit with you. They're not pushy, and they don't seem to mind if you don't want a dance.
The music is a mix of rock and hip hop. The dancers are also a mix of white, black, and a few Latinas. There was one Asian dancer working the night I visited. It's not a "make it rain" club, and you will often see female customers. The dancers do some impressive pole work, and most of them are attractive. They don't get fully nude onstage or during table dances.
Going to "VIP" with a dancer means buying a $30 wristband to get into a room that isn't private; it's like a smaller club within the club. Dances cost the same, and you can go in and out with different dancers once you've bought the wristband. There's mutual touch, but the dancers still only get topless, and there's security and wait staff walking through. I've been told that dancers negotiate their own rates for the private "champagne room", but I've never bothered to try it.
Some dancers charge $10 per song for table dances, some charge $20. Some will tell you that there's no touching allowed outside the VIP room. That's not a strict rule. There's a smaller stage opposite the VIP, and I got some high contact table dances from an AA spinner who didn't try to sell me on the VIP room or the champagne BS.
Talked for awhile with a dancer who had worked in Atlanta clubs and was familiar with the whole "Oasis at Allure" and "Follies at Onyx" thing. She said she doubted that Athens would ever try to shut Toppers down, despite the fatal wreck a few years ago that involved UGA football players who had been drinking there.
Toppers is a decent titty bar with a friendly vibe that seems old fashioned when compared to the Atlanta clubs. They don't have tables roped off or reserved for big spenders, and nobody seems to mind if you just want to nurse a beer and watch the stage.
