Before I begin my review of...

Before I begin my review of Rick's, in all fairness the strip club business has not been the same since Hurricane Katrina. There are less, good-looking dancers for one thing and the prices have gone up.

I went to Rick's after midnight this past Friday to celebrate a friend's birthday. The cover was $10.00, which is cheap copmared to the costs for other things once inside. There are 3 types of dances: 1) on the floor-$20.00; 2) in a section curtained off to the front of the club-$40.00; and 3) the VIP dances in a small room towards the rear of the club in the VIP section-$60.00. My main complaint with this club, other than the lack of sufficient atttractive women, is that no dancer will do a dance other than the VIP variety. $60.00 is too much for just one dance. Additionally, the strippers will lie to you and say that the dances start at $60.00. Unless, you are drunk and extremely horny, the dances are a rip off. I do not care if the stripper allows contact. No stripper currently there is worth this amount. If you add up the cover and drinks, which start at $8.00, this is not cheap. If you are a tourist, then by all means I would suggest Rick for the first time and only experience. Other than that, I recommend Penthouse or even Larry Flynt's Huster club.

By the way, there are also VIP dances in a special VIP section on the second floor which start at $500.00 for half an hour. I believe the breakdown is $350.00 for the dancer and $150.00 to the club. The dances take place in a booth covered by a beaded curtain. Inside the booth is a sofa plus a pole for the stripper in the center. Also, there is a bar if you need a drink.