Seems Like Old Times

I paid my first covid era visit to Breathless on a rainy Thursday early afternoon and, with the exception of the dancers all wearing masks and the bottles of hand sanitizer sitting at various spots around the bar, there did not appear to be any noticeable difference between the way things used to be and the way they are now. Everyone walked in without having their temperature checked or any other precaution so it's obvious that Justin Turner could enter the club without having to bribe MLB security. There were about 15 girls working, but most were sitting at the bar while 2 or 3 took the stage at a time in 15 minute shifts before coming around to collect their pay. Also, there would be the random dancer who seemingly came out of nowhere, circled the bar demanding a tip for doing absolutely nothing, and then disappeared just as quickly as she surfaced. So the dollar parade is still an issue although it was a little less extreme than had previously been the case. As usual, nearly all of the women were cut from the same cloth in that they appeared to be dark-haired, large-bottomed Dominicans with little to no mastery of the English language and, in nearly all cases, were north of 30 years of age. There was one slender, attractive blonde named Claudia who did not have the same cookie-cutter features as all of the other girls and so I solicited a series of lap dances from her. I did not opt for the higher priced VIP rooms, but based on what was happening with the cheaper option, I am quite certain that extras are available and that probably goes for most, if not all, of the girls. As of now, they have not increased the cost of the 4 minute lap dance - that is still $20 per - and at least during the afternoon there remains no cover charge. The music remains that standard Latin beat and the TVs surrounding the club are usually playing whatever ESPN is airing at the time. The men's room is surprisingly fairly clean although you would still be well advised to scrub your hands thoroughly after finishing your business.

Special note related to covid: the public room where the $20 lap dances are performed is not very spacious and so it is very easy to be less than six feet from another couple and in fact that was what happened when my girl and I first stepped into the room, but fortunately nearly all of them left a minute or two into our first dance. At least during the afternoon there was not anyone monitoring how many people were in the lap dance room or in the bar as a whole. Also, while all of the women were very good about keeping their masks on the whole time, about half of the customers I noticed not wearing their masks at all. Perhaps there is stronger enforcement during the peak times of evenings and weekends, but apparently not in the early afternoon. Those of you who are especially concerned about contracting the virus (and rightly so) probably would not feel comfortable visiting Breathless at this time.