Not up to expectations

I had been to the Playhouse Lounge a few times before, but I'm still a relative newcomer/amateur. I proved it this night with a rookie mistake.

I arrived around 9:00 and had to empty my pockets and submit to a metal detector wand swipe for weapons/contraband. So for the gentleman a few reviews below this one who asked - not sure if it goes on the entire time the club is open, but it definitely happened this time. I paid my $10 cover and took in the scene. The bar area is enormous - much bigger than most strip clubs I've been in (I'm not exactly drawn to the flashy places, so that may taint my perspective). I took a lap around the bar and found a seat. I asked the bartender (who was cute, but not in a flirty stripper-ish kind of way) for water and she gave me two bottles, which I believe are included in the cover (I didn't count the change she gave me, but it seems that I got $20 back before I tipped her).

There are two poles - the dancers begin with the pole closest to the front door for one song, then move to the pole toward the rear of the room for the next song while a new girl starts at the front pole. The ladies this night were kind of meh - a few were cute, a few were aggressive, but nobody really wowed me. The handshake barely even happened despite there being probably 4-5 girls who stopped by for tips and flirting during my time at the bar.