Saved by a Belle.
Was in the North Woods to photograph the fall colors (I'm a retired journalist, still a photographer). Managed to squeeze in a couple hours in the Hayward area Friday night. Had visited Phipps for the first time four months ago, and had to make a return trip while in the area, to see if it was as good as my first impression. Yes and no.
Got there shortly after opening time (assuming that's still 7 p.m.), and was fairly impressed that pretty much the whole lineup of girls was present and accounted for. Well, sort of accounted for. They had six names on the board, but I think I counted seven.
Not surprisingly, the layout hadn't changed. One of the regulars told me it hasn't changed in decades. Two stages, forming an "L" shape in the corner opposite the entrance. Each had a pole in the middle, so I suppose could be used for two separate dancers if it's busy. But I haven't seen it used that way.
Bar is down one wall just inside the door, and behind the bouncer/cover collector there's a semi-private area for lap dances. Not really very private, though you can't see what's going on from the main table area. But if you rubber-neck it, you can see in when you enter the club. The floor between the bar and stage has 10 tables (I actually counted this time) and there are five chairs at stage, plus a half dozen stools at the bar. A pretty small club, but it is in the middle of nowhere, after all.
I'll change one thing I said in my previous review. It is somewhat of a bar that has strippers. There were a few guys there, obviously locals, who were only paying minimal attention to the girls. But the girls all seemed to know them and didn't really mind.
The dancers, again, were all pretty hot -- mostly in the 6-8 range. No ugly ducklings; no BBWs; no one too old for this line of work. And not unusual for this part of the country, all white.
But on this night, several didn't really exhibit much personality. And a couple seemed to have there own personal groupies showering money at the stage, so competing for their attention was a lost cause.
But one particular young lady made up for an otherwise ho-hum evening. A slightly goth-dressed blonde, a little on the thick side, but balanced that with a pair of natural D cups (maybe DD's). Bright eyes and a happy disposition. Also didn't hurt that she didn't come equipped with a personal entourage. She was very generous with the mileage on stage for a few bucks in tips. And when I later got a couple lap dances, she was very enthusiastic there, as well.
Lap dances are $25 (a tip is always appreciated, of course). They're topless rather than nude, but hands are allowed on boobs ("if you ask sweetly"), and the grindage is significant. So in spite of my earlier disappointments with some of the other girls, I left a happy camper.
