Satisfactory club overall.

I've visited "the Ball" a couple of times now and overall it appears to be a satisfactory club. I haven't been to the other establishments in Knoxville as of yet, so I don't have much of a local comparison. I went with friends on a Saturday at around 9. There is a $10 cover as well as a two drink minimum. It is pretty well designed on the inside with stages in the middle, seats by a bar, seats further around the floor, as well as next to the stage. The private dance room is off in a corner and has a few couches and an open door for the bouncers to look in. Attached next door to the club itself is another bar where I believe the alcoholic beverages are purchased. You can bring them into the main club where the performers are too. Dances are $40 for the standard one song length, and there is a champagne room too which I believe is more expensive, but I haven't seen the inside. The general atmosphere is a casual yet classy one which works well, and overall it is a pleasant experience. The issues I have involve the drink minimum which in my opinion is foolish on top of a cover. I don't recall drink prices, but I believe it was consistent with other places I have been. As you walk in, if you don't visit the bar next door, there is communication among the employees and a waitress in the main portion will come over to make sure you get the two drinks. I am not sure how strongly this is enforced, but they made sure I bought mine. The private dances are eligible for 2 for 1 which occurs every so often throughout the night. This is probably the only time I think $40 is worth it.

Dancers are a talented group. They put up a good show on stage and are good in the private room as well. Fully nude dances, but you can't touch. The dancers themselves are mostly white, a healthy diversity of black, and a possibly a couple of other races as well. They are mostly good looking, and at a busy time like Saturday night there are enough that pretty much anyone will be able to find at least one they like. The DJ is in a corner somewhere and stays out of the way which is a good thing. The bouncers are polite usually, though it is annoying how often they keep poking their heads into the private room to make sure the no touching rule is followed... it seemed like every 15 seconds. Waitresses don't harass you to buy drinks, which is a relief. Dancers perhaps should mingle a bit more, but on a busy night the club is filled with lots of people and you can get left alone a bit if you don't make the effort to talk to them.

Overall, I give it a 8/10. They need to scrap the obnoxiously gouging drink minimum on top of the cover, and make 2 for 1 dances a bit more common to offset a high dance price, but other than that it appears to be a quality club with good selection, talented dancers, and what appears to be competent management. Also the clientele looks like seasoned club goers, so no issue there. I would recommend it overall.