Was...

Was staying across the street at the Orleans for a few days and decided to wander over here to check it out on my last night in town. I was not expecting too much but figured I could easily cut my losses and head back to the hotel if it sucked. Did it suck? Well, it is kind of hard for me to say exactly. There were some good things.

When I walked up to the front door, the bouncer asked for ID and, when he saw if I was out of state, asked if I was staying across the street. I confirmed that I was and he told me if I had a room key, it would save me $30. I did and was waved in. No reason he had to say anything so that's cool. Also, at one point, I accidentally handed someone a $100 that I thought was a $20 and he corrected the error. Again, he could have pocketed the money and I wouldn't have known. Waitress was nice and not real pushy. Club itself is pretty cool inside though a little confusing. Definitely going for that "ultra lounge" look so I guess it works. Bathrooms are confusing and I accidentally walked into the ladies room (or maybe the unisex bathroom) though the dancer in there didn't seem to care. Girls were mostly attractive, probably 5-8's, most about a 6 or 7, comparable to a daytime crew at the OG. Not bad but not superhot. On the other hand, the overall quality doesn't really matter much to me if I find one I like and I did. More on that in a bit.

The bad is that the place is expensive, not that that is a surprise. My domestic beer was $10.50 which, with a decent tip, is $12 a pop. Seems to be the going rate as I think that's what I paid at the Rhino and Treasures too. The dances on the floor are $20 but I got talked into going to the VIP area. Pricing there ranges from $130 for 3 dances, $300 for a half hour and $500 for a full hour, the last two options giving you access to a private room. I went with the $130 option, tipped the bouncer a $20 (felt generous after he caught the $100 mistake) and he actually put us in one of the rooms. I'm guessing we spent a half hour in there so I guess I got a bargain of sorts. Had to buy two overpriced drinks though but I'm sure that would have been the case for the regular $300 option. Good privacy as no one ever came in during the dances and there was a curtain that was closed. Strange thing is that you don't pay the girl for the dances but the bouncer at the VIP door. Didn't ask what portion of that goes to the club and what to the girl but would guess probably $30 and $100 respectively.

OK, so onto the nightly "girl of my dreams" who was great by the way. I'm not going to mention her name since I want to keep her to myself. I will say that there was no sort of extras involved but plenty of two-way contact and it was very much the GFE sort of dance. She spent a fair amount of time with me before the dances and then hung out the rest of the evening until I left. Never bought any other dances or drinks (she didn't ask though I offered) and never suggested she wanted any more cash for her time. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn she was actually into me. There was a little kissing and quite a bit of cuddling and it was just a fun, relaxing time with a pretty cool chick. We exchanged information so I will likely look her up the next time I'm town.

So, how to evaluate this place. Well, I think I just got lucky and hit it off with a cool dancer on a slow night. It has been my experience that this is a definite possibility these days in Vegas if you go during a slow time and are willing to spend a few $$. It is not what everybody is looking for but, if you enjoy that, you can find it, though not at the Rhino on a Friday night. Otherwise, despite all the glitz and glamor, this is just another Vegas club. They're professional and reasonably friendly and they expect you to spend some cash and behave yourself. If you know that up front, you won't be surprised or disappointed.