Bogart's Review

First time in Detroit, and Bogart's was on my list to check out. I hit it on a Sunday afternoon about 1:00-3:00. Free parking and $5.00 cover; what shocked me was having to pay $10.00 for a bottle of water. (Geez, they're like 13 cents apiece when you buy them by the case at Sam's Club.) The bartender apologized, but said they had to raise it (from $6.50) because at this place, you're required to have a drink in front of you at all times and guys (like me) would buy one bottle of water and nurse it for hours on end. OK, fair enough – they have to make money on the non-drinkers, too, but still...

I sat at the bar and surveyed the scene. There were a fair number of patrons for an early Sunday afternoon, and about 10 or so girls. The dancers were mostly white (two AAs), and I would have to rate them at 3-7 on the hotness scale, with most falling in the middle of that; the 3 was barely out of the twos, but if you like BBW, she might have rated a 4. Maybe. The main stage is I-shaped and easily holds five girls; there are two satellite stages that hold two dancers apiece. It's a small place, and you can see all the dancers from pretty much anywhere in the room. This afternoon there was generally one girl on each stage, but after every third song, they call all the dancers up on stage for what they call "Finale" – a topless showcase to let you know who's there. I don't know why they call it that, since it happens not at the end, like (duh) a finale, but about every 10 or 15 minutes. Whatever. I should note that the DJ was pretty good, and in a first for me in a strip club, it was a woman.

The girls all seemed friendly, stopping by to chat with me where I sat at the bar, and they described the different kinds of dances that were available and what they cost. I was content to watch the stages for a while and see if anyone tripped my trigger enough to warrant an upgraded session. Though stage dances are done topless, one girl actually danced nude on stage. After she finished, I negotiated a 3-for-$50 set with her, paid the $10 VIP tax (for a wristband good all day), and headed into a small crummy room for some enjoyable but medium-mileage dances. More was available, but the bouncer was only a few feet away on the other side of a flimsy curtain. Not that he would have cared, I suppose, but all things considered, I just wasn't in the mood.