In need of an energy upgrade

I had an opportunity to get out and decided on an old stand-by. Crazy Horse is located on Market Street, the main commercial drag in SF. I used to work about three block from this location and would occasionally drop by after a long day at the office. The club has changed a little since then but the area around it has descended badly. I love cities and am not put off by what most people would call urban despair, but seeing so many drugged out zombies on the way to the club left me reeling for a while. I advise avoiding Sixth Street and all points south of this club.

I paid the $25 cover and entered around 12:30 am. You have to be buzzed into this club (see note above about the neighborhood), and you go around the desk where you pay the cover to get into the club. This was a theater at one point and the rake from the entrance down to the stage is very apparent. There is a bar to the left as you enter and rooms for private dances to the right. I was told they do not have alcohol but I saw people drinking beers inside. Maybe the policy is “no alcohol” and the beers are sold on the DL? The stage is T-shaped and projects into the space from the back with theater chairs in rows on either side. If a dancer is not getting enough tips, they tend to wait out their set by not venturing into the area with seats. The one major change the club has made is the creation of a VIP section between the stage and the entrance. This costs $20 and you get two free drinks. Because there are better seats near the stage, I don’t see the merit of the VIP upsell. Even with the nicer seats in the VIP area, this club is on the rougher side. If you like edgier dives (I do), this is your kind of place.

I grabbed a water ($7 and they do not have ice) and sat on a bench along the wall by the stage. I was close enough to the stage to quickly move there if I found a performer enticing. It also allowed the other dancers to easily visit me. If you are seated right along the stage, the other dancers are not allowed to engage you there, but you are required to tip. While I was there, a couple seated at the stage who were not tipping were asked to change seats.