Went to the Candy Shop, no licks on the lollipop.

Went to the new Candy Shop as a part of a swing through San Diego. It is the same location that used to be Pure Platinum. From the exterior the building has some new awnings but is still very tired looking. You are at least in a reasonably safe part of town to leave your car. Going inside there was a generous foyer where the bouncer was checking ID. I arrived around 7pm and there was no cover. Inside the club is large, but they still manage to make terrible use of the space.

I think the central problem is they are trying to split the difference between night club and strip club. The lighting is much too bright, and the club is dominated by several large benches. A good design would be much darker and with places for PLs and dancers to spend time talking with each other. They clearly did spend a lot of money on their design, so perhaps they know better than me. When I arrived there were no dancers, and so I spent my time chatting up the very cute bartender. Eventually one dancer did come over, apparently when I showed up there was a photo shoot going on for club publicity. There was also a blonde Amazon dancer who came later that I just didn't get have time to meet. Let's just say their talent is far better than a place like Expose or Les Girls.

I eventually agreed to a dance with my girl and was led back to a cavernous lap dance area. Again, the idea of small spaces and intimacy is lost on these people. There was the inevitable upsell to VIP, but I stuck with the standard room. $20/song, with decent mileage. Don't expect to get any extras here though. At the bar I had three beers and bought two lady drinks and the total was $64, so there is decent value for money here as a strip club. Bathrooms were clean, as you would expect in a new club.