If you are a customer, you can:
If you are a club owner/manager, you can:
In Los Angeles, all the strip clubs have continuous stage entertainment
(unless otherwise noted). This means that you don't have to plan on arriving at
the club at a particular time. There will always be dancers on stage. The only
exception are feature dancers that only perform at scheduled times.
Because of California State regulations, there are 2 basic types of strip clubs
in Los Angeles. Those clubs that serve alcohol, and those that don't. The latter
ones are called Juice Bars because they serve soft drinks and juice. The clubs
that serve alcohol cannot be nude and depending on zoning, can be topless or
bikini. The clubs that do not serve alcohol can be nude. Each category is
explained in detail in the Club Categories
section below.
There are also other special activities that are allowed in most Los Angeles
strip clubs. These activities are table dances, private booth dances, lap
dances, couch dances, shower shows, bed dance and wrestling (no longer
available). These are explained in detail in the
Terminology section below. Each one
offers more attention from the dancer than the stage dancing. These
activities cost extra above the cover but can be well worth the money. As one DJ
says, "You wouldn't go to Magic Mountain and not try the rides, would you?"
By law, nude clubs do not and cannot serve any alcoholic beverages. As far as I know, all nude clubs charge cover (admission) but this is not the law. These clubs can only serve non-alcoholic beers, soft drinks, and fruit drinks by law and thus are called juice bars. Some also serve food but this is not mandatory by law.
As of this writing (February 1997), there are no laws regarding when these types of clubs must close. The dancers can legally get as close to the customer without touching and in some areas, can touch the customer. Since the start of lap dances in the 90's, more and more touching is being conducted at many clubs but the law is not clear on what is legal. Generally speaking, nude clubs offer more contact by the dancer than topless clubs. You must be 18 or older to enjoy these clubs.
In California, with the proper permits and liquor license, topless clubs can serve alcoholic beverages. Most topless clubs have covers to enter, although some are free. However, the covers for topless clubs are often much lower than nude clubs.
Some clubs have permits to serve only beer and wine while others may serve hard liquor. If the topless club is also a restaurant (serves food), they are permitted to allow 18-21 year olds to enter but do not because it would be difficult to prevent them from buying alcohol. Therefore, most (if not all) topless clubs require you to be 21 or older. Be prepared to show a valid Government issued picture ID at the door. Topless clubs must stop serving alcohol by 2 am in the same way as bars. Although technically, they do not have to actually close at 2 am, most (if not all) do.
When topless, the dancer must be 6 feet away from the customer. When doing lap or chair dances with bikinis, the dancers are supposed to be 6 inches from the customer. However, usually the dancer will get much closer.
My understanding is that there should no longer be any pasties clubs left in Los Angeles. However, if there are any pasties clubs left, they are operating under some sort of "grandfather" law situation.
At these clubs, the dancers wear pasties on top and can wear g-string bottoms. All other rules are the same as topless clubs except that since they are technically not topless, the dancer does not have to be 6 feet away from the customers. Usually, this type of club will allow the dancer to get closer to the customer than a topless club. As with topless clubs, they can serve alcohol if they have the liquor license to do so. Moreover, as with topless clubs, you must be 21 or older to enter.
At these clubs, the dancers must wear full tops and full bottoms. Full bottoms means no g-strings and their bottoms must be covered. Some clubs allow the dancer to pull their bottoms up a little or wear see-thru shorts. This type of club may or may not have alcohol depending on if they have a liquor license. However, they cannot go topless or nude because of the zoning laws. If they serve alcohol, you must be 21 or older to enter. Otherwise, you can be 18 or older to enter.
As of 2004, a new Los Angeles city ordinance has gone into effect which now makes bikini clubs subject to the same laws as other strip clubs, including the same requirements for permits and permit renewals.
The customer will lie down on a bed and the dancer will dance on top of the customer. Usually, there is ample touching of the customer by the dancer and in most cases, the customer will be able to touch the dancer as well.
As of 2004, a new Los Angeles city ordinance has made bed dances illegal. However, clubs are getting around this by using very comfortable chairs, couches and ottomans, instead of beds.
No, the dancer doesn't dance for the chair. The dancer will dance for you right at your chair with you sitting in it. At some clubs, the dancer may not be allowed to dance between your legs. This type of dance is usually performed at topless clubs. Unlike a lap dance, there is usually, very little contact if any.
See also Lap Dance.
Basically, this type of dance is the same as a lap dance except that it is performed on a couch. The main difference is that on a couch, the dancer is able to straddle the customer easier, as well as stand up on the couch (in some cases). In most cases, this type of dance allows for the most amount of touching of the customer by the dancer.
Also called Feature Dancer or Feature Performer. This is a dancer, porno actress, or celebrity that has been hired by the club for promotional purposes.
Features can be current or ex-porno actresses, magazine centerfolds or minor celebrities. In some cases, the feature will just sign autographs, sell items, and take Polaroid pictures with customers. However, in most cases, she will also dance or perform some kind of act on stage.
Often, the club will charge a higher cover during the time that the feature is performing to cover expenses. Some features charge a lot of money and often, porno stars make more money featuring than doing their pornos.
See also House Dancer.
The floater, also called floor manager, is a club employee who keeps track of the number of private or lap dances the dancer is doing. Sometimes the floater also checks to make sure the dancer or customer is not doing anything illegal. At some clubs, the floor manager has other duties like seating the customers.
This is a type of dance, usually performed on stage, that is mainly executed on her back or on all fours (hands and knees). As the name implies, this type of dancing is performed on the floor of the stage. The purpose of this is to create the fantasy that the dancer is performing air-sex. There are some clubs that prohibit the dancer from performing this type of dance. This type of dance is also sometimes called floor work.
This is the dancer that normally works at the club. This term is usually used when comparing the Feature Dancer with the regular dancers. In some clubs, there is some negative feelings toward the Feature from theses dancers. While in other clubs, the house dancers appreciate the extra business that the feature brings in.
Also called "laps" by me. This type of dance is performed on a chair but can also be performed on a couch. Normally, lap dances are performed with the dancer between your legs, and in most cases, involve a lot of touching of the customer by the dancer, including, but not limited to, grinding of the groin area. However, at some clubs, there is very little contact.
Sometimes called booth dances, these are performed in a booth or a private area or room. In nude clubs, the dancer will be nude and will normally get very close to the customer. The idea is that you are able to receive an entire song dance all to yourself. Normally, this type of dance is performed and charged on a song by song basis.
More recently, this term has also become used to mean private dances outside the strip club.
As of 2004, a new Los Angeles city ordinance has made private VIP rooms illegal.
A group of songs played together for the dancer to dance to. In nude clubs in Los Angeles, the typical set is 2 songs. The dancer will take the top or bottom off on the first song, then the other item on the second song. Topless clubs usually take nothing off on the first song and the top on the second song.
If a club plays more than 2 songs per set, this usually indicates that there are not enough dancers and they must fill in the time by making a dancer dance longer.
This term comes from musicians who also play "sets" of songs.
First introduced in Los Angeles by Bob's Classy Lady*, this is a dance in a shower. No, the dancer takes the shower and you just watch. In all nude clubs, the shower dance is done nude. In some clubs, the customer is allowed to "point" the water to the spot of choice. This can be very sexy and stimulating for both parties. Although no touching is allowed, the water is "touching" the dancer for you.
*Extasy in Northridge had "Splash Dances" (where the customer poured water on the dancer) before Bob's.
Although some dancers use their real names, most use a "stage name" which is a pseudonym used by the dancer while she works. The reason for using a stage name varies from dancer to dancer but it's usually a way for the dancer to have a "sexy" or easy to remember name at the club.
Having a stage name also allows the dancer to easily identify where she knows a particular individual based on the name he calls her.
Originally, this type of dance was performed literally on the table. However, over the years, the popularity of table dances have gone down and it's more rare to see them. These days, often a table dance is really a chair dance performed next to your table. Depending on the club, the dancer may dance far from you or very close to you. This type of dance is typical at a Bikini or Topless clubs. In a California topless clubs, the table dance is done with the top on because of the ABC 6 foot law.
