Sitting Here Standing

Arrived at Strokers around 11:30 on Saturday night. The parking lot was almost full, but there are a couple of places in the same strip mall that stay open late, so the club itself wasn’t packed. They were still cutting hair at the barbershop when I left two hours later, and the food spot next door was still serving. Police SUV parked near the door, and the smell of weed in the warm spring air. Free parking, metal detector and pat down, $10 at the door, $7 for a beer. Dances are $10. Low key crowd enjoying themselves, nobody making it rain. Staff is friendly, and as a white customer I have never felt unwelcome or unsafe.

I always have a good time at Strokers, but I don’t visit often enough to remember the rules. There are rules that can be bent and others that can’t. For example, there’s a sign at the door that says no re-entry – but they will let you back in if you put a few bucks in the tip jar at the door. The seating rules seem to be a little more complicated. Maybe someone can clarify.

Immediately to the left as you enter are some high top tables. The last time I sat there with a dancer, the waitress didn’t insist on a drink minimum. On the right are the pool tables, and there are some benches against the wall where people sometimes get dances. The main stage is directly in front of you when you walk in, and behind it is the main bar. There are no barstools, and there are “no standing” signs on sections of the bar so you don’t block the servers. If you try to watch the stage from the bar, there’s a support column next to the main stage that blocks part of the view. There’s a second bar in the far corner of the club, and a smaller stage surrounded by low tables.