Surprisingly Busy Saturday Afternoon

Stopped by Saturday afternoon. Band-Aids is a dive bar that's been around forever and serves a very specific purpose in the Phoenix SC ecosystem. As I drove up, parking lot was surprisingly full. Walked in, no cover, the doorman/bouncer recognizes me and waves me in with no pat down and no ID scan. It's nice to have a rep as someone who isn't going to be a problem for the bouncers. I tip a buck in appreciation. Club is actually busier than Hi-Liter up the street today. Walk in, the club description has been well documented. Main bar to the right, filled with regulars and their dancers du jour, small satellite stage in the middle left of the room. Back room is the main stage, surrounded by tables and bench seating along the left wall. VIP area with 6 cubbies in the back, partitioned off from the rest of the club.

The dancers. Dancers here are a mix of Latina, AA and some white girls. Typical approach is to sidle in next to a PL, give a handshake and breathlessly ask for a dance. There's a lot, and I mean A LOT, of dancers who would generously be described as "thick," but there are some real diamonds in the rough here and even the thick ones can be quite friendly. I don't see any regulars of mine today, but I spot an AA dancer taking a PL to the back row behind the stage (not VIP) for dances. I like her style, and wait the PL out for him to finish. When he does, she comes over to me. We chat, we play with each other, two dances on the floor (very good) and then to VIP. Mission accomplished, $ tip is satisfactory. Floor dances are $10, VIP are $20 each. My caution to PLs visiting who aren't used to the place: the songs are an eclectic mix of metal, house music, rap and Spanish-oriented, and it can be difficult to tell when one song ends and another begins. Don't allow your songs to be overcounted when with a dancer with whom you are unfamiliar.