Erotic Theatre, Not Your Usual Strip Club

Theatre Chochotte is in the busy upscale theatre district of central Paris and close to The Seine. I paid the €55 entrance fee at the small front desk and was directed down a set of winding stairs to what appeared to be the cellar at first glance. In fact, the main room is set up like a “Theatre in the round”, with two rows of bench seating at the back and the performances taking place on the floor.

This is certainly no traditional strip club. Instead, there is a series of “erotic theatre” style performances by either one or two girls at a time (there were four girls in total present during my visit - three white and one Asian). Each performance lasts 10-15 minutes and usually has a theme (although exactly what is happening might elude you if you do not speak French). During my stay, I saw performances based on a artist’s painting coming to life, reading erotic poetry on a park bench and escaping from bondage and others. The girls all got nude and would interact with the small audience, including some light one-way touching. The two-girl performances included some pretty intense lesbian action. The best seats in the house seemed to be either side and behind the gap in the front row, since the customers sitting there got most attention. The audience was a curious mix of what appeared to be mostly single businessmen and couples on a date.

I spent about two hours here and the performance never repeated. There are no drinks available and there is no tipping involved, so you know exactly what you will be paying. I never saw any evidence that private dances were available, although I could be wrong. It was definitely worth a visit and I might do it again during a future trip to Paris, but I would guess the majority of people here will prefer the more hands-on experience on offer at the nearby Show Girls.