Tara's Top 3 Favorite Clubs

One of my favorite perks of being a dancer is being able to travel and work anywhere at any given time. You get to explore a fun city that's been on your bucket list while seizing the opportunity to clean up financially. I refer to these travel dance trips as "workcations." But these workcations can be a dice roll. I had other dancers swear up and down that Austin had the most money, but I learned that that was the case for them and not for me. I also discovered that while the internet said that Reno was lucrative during the summer, the sound of the metal detector going off once every four hours proved otherwise.  These workcations can be a dice roll, but even if it doesn't end up being profitable, you learn a lot about yourself as a dancer. With these trips I learned who my demographic was, what cities I would thrive in and how to perfect my hustle in a way that feels authentic to me. These were my top three favorite clubs: 

3. Rosewood Theater - Manhattan, New York. I'm a city girl at heart, and while I don't have the willpower to pack my things and move across the county, I will make an effort to get to NYC as many times as I possibly can. The first time I went to travel dance there, I initially tried Rick's. Being newer to travel dancing, I made the stupid mistake of telling them I was only there for the week. It was my first and only time being rejected from the club and while I didn't take it personally, that didn't stop me huffing and puffing all the way down Times Square as I was configuring Plan B. My options were limited as I had only brought my gown, like a dummy. I saw that Rosewood Theater was less than a half a mile away so I decided to try my luck there. I was hired on the spot and during my orientation I learned that it started as an underground lap dance party named "Die Happy Tonight" that took place in the owners loft. It became so popular that they opened the club in midtown. 

Rosewood doesn't operate like a traditional club. They do offer $20 single lap dances (New York really needs to get it together) and 30 min and 1 hour VIPs. The entertainers are referred to as "models" and wear cocktail dresses and regular high heels. For the stage, they dim the lights and every hour when an entertainer goes on and the performance is more erotic and slow paced and patrons are instructed to not throw money on the stage. 

The clientele consisted of what felt like New York's upscale crowd - mostly middle aged men in suits who were well groomed and articulate. These were men who came in for the brief girlfriend experience - stimulating conversation over drinks followed by an intimate, topless dance. 

What I loved most was how involved the dancers and management were with the club. Many of the girls hosted free private workshops at the club ranging from investing and financial literacy to pole dancing. It was a very tight knit community of NYC cool girls and I was always sad to go back home. 

2. Penthouse - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans is by the far the most unique city in the U.S. The American history, the music and the spookiness, it's such a treat to be engulfed in the energy that is NOLA. I visited for the first time for a friends birthday and booked my own solo accommodations a few days after the trip as I had heard good things about dancing in New Orleans, Penthouse in particular. 

The club is massive, three stories total with four main stages on the floor and one of the most beautiful lighting systems I've ever seen. During the tour, I was instructed not to touch one of the three hundred bobbing lightbulbs as they were $1000/piece! New Orleans is a party city, so the crowd is very high energy and they love to throw heaps of money on the stages. They even have a pole at the bar! Since Nola has similar characteristics to Las Vegas, I often forget that I'm in the south. With that, I must note that the clientele is very respectful as part of their southern gentlemen charm. I still ran into the occasional customer that would go off at the mere mention of the fact I was from California, but that was to be expected. The house moms were also super sweet and would cook delicious southern comfort food for the dancers! 

Money wise it was very consistent. Their VIP dances are actually priced lower than their nearby competitors on Bourbon St., making it easier to stack multiple VIPs. I did so well the first time I went that I immediately found a short term stay on Craigslist and lived in the French Quarter for two months to work out there. 

3. 4play - Los Angeles, CA -  This one almost pains me to write, as Los Angeles has gone through very difficult times in the past two years with fires, ice raids and the rising cost of living. Back in the 80's, 90's and 2000's, Los Angeles was the mecca of strip clubs. Amongst them was 4play, where the dancer roster boasted LA's hottest aspiring actresses and models. The club was originally owned by Zsa Zsa Gabor's son, Oliver Von Prinze Anhalt, and just like any male socialite heir, it was his dream to open up a strip club. In the mid 2000s, 4play was the hottest strip club in the city and frequently visited by celebrities and socialites alike. Unfortunately, Oliver tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2016. 

Between Oliver's passing and Covid, the club experienced a major shift resulting in a slowdown of foot traffic. In fact, the club was so slow that I nearly had to bully the doorman (who is now a good friend of mine, funny enough) into letting me audition. While I didn't get to experience 4play during it's heyday, I still fell in love with it's majestic stage and 30 foot static pole, the carefully curated interiors that made the place feel like a high-class lounge and the refined clientele that came in through the doors.