What's happening?

My recent experiences at strip clubs has made me wonder whether this is a dying industry. The energy, the tease, the excitement has been lacking in a number of clubs across a number of different geographies in the US.

My most recent experience was on a Monday mid-afternoon at Mac’s Two in Billerica. There were only a few cars parking lot. The doorman was taking a smoke break, so there was a brief pause before paying the $10 cover charge. When I asked for $1’s in change, he said that I would have to get them from the bar tender. He had to call the bar tender over, and I paid $5.75 for my Mountain Dew (Mac’s Two is a non-alcoholic club). The interior was unchanged from the last time I visited a couple of years ago, but the bathrooms were cleaner.

As I took my soda over to the tip rail, I realized I was the only patron. A dancer moved from VIP area to the stage and began her set. I was pleasantly surprised that she started her routine bottomless. She was a good looking blonde, but she, like me, was overweight and I wondered how comfortable her lap dance with me. But she approached closely at the rail at I thought seriously about spending part of the wad of money that was in my wallet on dances with her.

When she completed her set, a short dark haired girl came to the stage. She was petite, but I was turned off by her tattoos. She didn’t approach me as the other dancer had done. When she completed her set, I learned that there were just two dancers. So a sat at the tip rail for a second set from the first dancer, thinking I would at least try a lap dance from her when she was done.

When the second dancer returned to the stage I retreated to a coach in the main seating area, hoping that would signal that I was ready for a lap dance. After the first dancer completed her dance, she retreated to the dressing room, and after putting her costume back on, went to the VIP area where she laid down on a couch, uninterested in making contact with the lone patron.