I had held off on posting...

I had held off on posting a review on the "new" Tootsie's until now because of all the mixed opinions I have about the new club. First off, I and just about everyone I talk to miss the old club which has been reduced to a pile of rubble. In fact, the entire shopping center where Tootsies once graced the northern corner was demolished. I do like a few things about the new club over the old club: There is plenty of parking unlike before where we had to park at alternate places like the Jamaican restaurant. The new bathrooms are huge and there are two of them. One is nicely hidden near the sports bar section and is rarely occupied. No more standing in line to pee. There are now 4 sections to get friction dances but in reality only two of them, behind stage and Amsterdam, have corners that offer any kind of privacy. The subway car has zero privacy and I have noticed that it is mostly used for oil massage. There are pool tables in the back of the club even though I think they are expensive at 8 quarters per game. There is also a "Penguin" at the door of the friction rooms which is the absolute worst idea in the history of Tootsies. They raised the old $20 dance prices by $5 and the "Penguin" collects $5 per dance. This is where all the problems begin. First off we have been spoiled by $20 dances for years and now see the extra $5 not even go to the girl. Every ATM in the known universe spits out $20 bills and making change to match increments of $25 is a bummer. The girls complain guys are getting less dances per session and have devised several rip-off schemes to make up the difference. One is to run away and not give you any change at all. The other is to charge you for a partial song by beginning the dance imediately. This can be as little as 30 seconds for $25. To prevent this, make sure the girls tells the "Penguin" to begin counting with the "next song." The worst part of the "Penguin" scenario for me is that some girls were nice enough to converse with me on the couch for a few songs prior or after the ones they actually dance for but now they simply can't or they will get charged $5 for each one. Personally, I would rather pay a higher cover and go back to $20 dances. This would benefit customers, dancers, and the club would cover its much higher overhead. The club is huge and the decor is beautiful but "Who cares?" After all, we are going to a strip club not Disneyland. An empty warehouse shell with a stage made out of used skids would work for me. Since the new club is huge, it may be harder to find who you are looking for. Many times, I see the waitresses cannot find their customers and look befuddled walking throught the club. However, they have brought back the LCD monitors with the girls' lineup and that helps somewhat. There is an upper level VIP that is free admision during the day but converts to $50 after 8pm. Drink prices are $2-$6 more expensive upstairs regardless of time of day. I have also read complaints about the crowd going ghetto style. In reality this is nothing new. This began when the old Tootsies converted Sunday night from "Lesbian night" to "Hip-Hop" night. Now it is just a 7 day event. I personally don't care about the demographics of who goes there but fights do break out and quality girls have left the club because they got tired of all the "free" groping and booty slapping. I don't go as often as before and when I do I try to make it in the late afternoon. The girls during the day are generally the same ones as the old place. Tootsies... R.I.P.