Lap Dancing - Lap Dancers - Dancing - Strippers - Female Strippers - Female Lap Dancing Clubs - Lap Dancing Clubs - Gentlemens Clubs - Strip Clubs - Champange Room

A lap dance is a specific type of erotic dancing/erotic dance/sexual encounter offered in some strip clubs or (somewhat more formal) gentlemen's clubs in which the client/patron is seated, and the dancer/sex worker is either in immediate contact (contact dancing) with the patron/client, or within a very short distance. Depending on the local jurisdiction and community standards, lap dances can involve touching of the dancer/sex worker by the patron, the patron/client by the dancer/sex worker, neither, or both; the dancer/sex worker may be naked, topless or fully clothed. Variant terms include couch dance which is a lap dance where the customer is seated on a couch, and bed dance where the customer lies down. In some places a block session (usually half an hour to an hour) can be booked in the champagne room, where the dancer and the patron talk in an intimate setting and drink champagne together. The dancer/sex worker might perform lap dances too, depending on the patron's wishes

In many clubs, the duration of a lap dance is measured by the length of the song being played by the club's DJ. Charges for lap dances vary. Sometimes sexual partners will perform lap dances for their partners as a teasing kind of foreplay.

Full-contact lap dances often involve non-penetrative sex where the stripper may rub her lap or genitalia (if naked) against the patron's. Local jurisdictions and community standards typically determine how much and where the patron can touch the dancer during the lap dance. In some cases, any touching by the patron is forbidden. On the other hand, absent any oversight by the club, various levels of contact may be negotiable between the participants. Clubs vary widely with regard to whether they enforce their rules, or turn a blind eye to violations. Some patrons wear a condom before they enter the club: along with wearing pants that are very loose, this allows the man to have so called dry sex, while being safe.

It has been alleged that club owners, by installing dark private booths and charging dancers steep stage fees, are covertly condoning and encouraging sexual acts between customers and dancers

Lap dancing clubs are a development of the earlier strip clubs, in which strippers danced on stage and were paid a wage. In the 1970s, New York's Melody Theater introduced audience participation. The Melody Theater became the Harmony Theater and operated in two locations in Manhattan for over 20 years until it was closed down in 1998.

In 1980, San Francisco's Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre changed its policy so that customers could have dancers come to sit naked on their laps for a $1 tip. The practice quickly spread.^[2] It suited club owners, because it brought in more customers and it meant they had to pay less to the dancers. Sitting on customers' laps evolved into lap dancing.

In some areas of the U.S. and Canada, local authorities began cracking down on lap dancing after reports that some clubs allowed customers to engage in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity with the dancer during lap dance sessions.

In 1994 – in a ruling which was to have an impact throughout the English speaking world – a Canadian court (Judge Hachborn of the Ontario Court, Provincial Division, in the case of Pat Mara and Allan East, the owner and manager of Cheaters Tavern) ruled that lapdancing did not contravene laws on public decency and defined what lap dancing should mean. This was a huge victory for the sex trade. A number of conflicting judgements were passed in the years that followed, including decisions to close certain bars in which sex acts took place on the floor of the club and other rulings in which patrons were allowed to touch the dancers as long as an actual sex act didn’t take place. Finally, in 1999 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that lap dancing was legal.^[3] This led to the displacement of strip clubs and table dancing clubs in Canada by lap dancing clubs. Lap dancing arrived in Britain, quickly flourishing in every major city. A court ruled in 1998 that full strip at a Liverpool club, Angels Paradise, was acceptable, as long as the dancers were not touched at all by the client, and that the dancer must remain 12 inches away at all times. Some jurisdictions in the United States outlaw lap dances and enforce a minimum distance between dancer and patron. One such minimum distance ordinance in Seattle was overturned by public referendum in November 2006. ^[4]

Concerned about reports of sexual assault and illegal stage fees, in 2006 San Francisco's Commission on the Status of Women recommended a ban of private rooms and booths at adult clubs in the city. Some dancers protested against these efforts, fearing for their income and claiming that these rooms are safer than other venues

The economic position of the dancers, as employees of the clubs, has also changed. Over time, the clubs stopped paying the dancers. The stage dancing became a showcase to advertise the bodies of the dancers, whose money came from the tips – or standard charges, depending on the club – that the patrons gave them for lap dancing. In the majority of clubs, dancers are simply charged a percentage of their takings. However, the latest development in many countries, including Britain, the United States and Canada, is that many clubs charge dancers a "stage fee" or "tip-out" per shift. Given that they are paying to be there, some clubs allow as many dancers as possible to appear on any given night, increasing competition among the dancers. The vast majority of clubs will not waive this charge if the night happens to be slow. Consequently, the dancer either leaves her shift out of pocket or builds debt to the club.^[6]

In the U.S., most clubs treat dancers as independent contractors, thereby avoiding the need to pay minimum wages, overtime pay and other benefits required by law. This status has repeatedly been challenged by dancers. While labor commissions and the courts have for the most part ruled that exotic dancers are employees and deserving of reimbursement for back pay and stage fees^[2][6], some court decisions have decided that an exotic dancer can be classified as an independent contractor. In June 2006, in case number A108951, Tracy Buel v. Chowder House (dba The Hungry I), an appellate court of California's first district ruled that dancer Tracy Buel (aka Daisy Anarchy) was correctly classified as an independent contractor, and that "Buel shall pay defendants’ costs on appeal". A publication called the California Employment Law Letter described the case as follows: "The dancer based her suit on the fact that she was an employee of the nightclub rather than an independent contractor. The appellate court, however, after applying a 10-factor test, upheld the jury's verdict in favor of the nightclub and its owners and found that the evidence weighed in favor of classifying the dancer as an independent contractor rather than an employee

In 2007, based on statistics from 18 dancers over 60 days, it was noted that female lap dancers earned the highest tips around the time of ovulation, during the most fertile period of their menstrual cycle, and the lowest tips during menstruation; the average difference in earning between these two times amounted to about $30 per hour. Women on the pill earned overall less than those not on the pill. The results were interpreted as evidence of estrus in humans: females apparently advertise their fertility status to males in some manner

A strip club is a nightclub or bar that offers striptease (the erotic removal of a performer's clothing) and possibly other related services such as lap dances. While usually considered much less objectionable than more explicit adult entertainment such as live sex shows, they are often the focus of morality campaigns and restrictive legislation.

High-end establishments tend to be known as "Gentlemen's Clubs". More down-market competitors may be referred to as titty/tittie bars, nipple derbies, skin bars, girly bars, nudie bars, or go-go bars. Sometimes, they are referred to as men's clubs (not to be confused with working men's clubs). In a bikini bar, dancers must not disrobe completely

Men are the primary consumers of this form of entertainment, at straight clubs and gay clubs, but at least one chain, Chippendales, caters mainly to straight women. Since the main attraction of a strip club is the stage show, almost all clubs have a cover charge.

Gentlemen's and strip clubs are a $5-billion dollar industry in the US, and generate approximately 22% of the gross revenue in US adult entertainment. Some clubs have hundreds of entertainers appear on stage within a single year

Sapphire Gentlemen's Club in Las Vegas has been billed as the world's largest strip club; in 2006 it was sold at auction for $80 million. Tampa, Florida is well known for its strip clubs including the famous Mons Venus. Howard Stern, a radio host and television personality, makes frequent mention of Scores, another famous strip club in New York. Scores front man, Big John, opened his own New York strip club, HeadQuarters, in October 2005.

Bangkok and Pattaya are world famous for their go go bars offering a variety of extra services (but no legal strip-tease). Amsterdam is famous for its live sex shows in De Wallen.

There is also a club on Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey made famous by the television show The Sopranos. The club is actually a go go bar and does not offer nudity, but serves alcohol and not an actual strip club. It is also called "Satin Dolls" in real life, but is known more universally around the world and in the show as "The Bada Bing".

The Gold Club was an Atlanta adult entertainment club receiving national attention for the indictment of several of its owners, managers, and employees. The Gold Club trial also received significant attention because numerous significant professional athletes were called to testify.Idiot's Guide to Gold Club Trial. The club was closed after the convictions of its owner, managers, and employees

Based on a 2008 article by the AskMen.com portal, the top 10 strip clubs in the world ^[2] are: 1.) Hot Lap Dance Club [1], New York City 2.) Night Flight (night club)[2], Moscow, Russia 3.) Larry Flynt's Hustler Club [3], New York, New York 4.) 4 Play Gentlemen's Club [4], Los Angeles, California 5.) Spearmint Rhino[5], Las Vegas, Nevada 6.) Le Crazy Horse (cabaret) [6], Paris, France 7.) Seventh Heaven [7], Tokyo, Japan 8.) Mons Venus [8], Tampa, Florida 9.) Wanda's [9], Montreal Quebec 10.) K5 Relax [10], Prague, Czech Republic

Champagne room

A champagne room (also called a champagne lounge, or champagne court) is a specialized service offered by gentleman's clubs where a customer can purchase time (usually in half-hour increments) with an exotic dancer in a private room on the premises. Depending on the quality of the club, the room, which is away from the hustle and bustle of the main club, is well decorated and usually has its own bar. Clubs sell champagne by the glass or by the bottle for both the dancer and the customer. Some clubs also offer a food and/or cigar service.

Comedian Chris Rock pokes fun at the champagne room in his hit single, "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)." Wyclef Jean later noted Rock's comment in his own reflection on exotic dancers, Perfect Gentleman

Prostitution in American strip clubs

Newspaper reports ^[3][4] and anecdotal evidence indicate that customers can occasionally purchase sex in American strip clubs. In most cases this is illegal except when it occurs in one of Nevada's legal brothels. There are many factors which influence whether a customer can illegally purchase sex in a US club. Some of these factors include: the amount of money the customer is willing to spend, the willingness of the stripper to have sex, local political attitudes toward prostitution in strip clubs and the nature of the relationship between a strip club and local law enforcement agencies. The prices of these sexual encounters vary greatly because this is a black market service

Performers

Performers are called strippers, exotic dancers or just dancers, or entertainers. House dancers work for a particular club or franchise. Feature dancers tend to have their own celebrity, touring a club circuit making appearances. Porn stars will often become feature dancers to earn extra income and build their fan base. However, some dancers are simply college students or single mothers attracted by comparatively high pay.

Dancers collect tips from customers either while on stage or after the dancer has finished a stage show and is mingling with the audience. A typical tip is a dollar bill folded lengthwise and placed in the dancer's garter.

Where legal (or legal restrictions are ignored), dancers may offer additional services such as lap dances or a trip to the champagne room, for a set fee rather than a tip. This fee will typically include a set fee for the room, for a set amount of time. usually ranging from half an hour to an hour. The fee will typically include a "complimentary" bottle of champagne. The bottle of champagne is normally ranging in actual cost for the club, between $3–$200 depending on the brand one chooses. Also, if you elect to buy a better bottle of champagne, you may get more time in the room "on the house". These fees rarely include the cost for the dancer's time, which will always go up the more amount of time you spend in the room, regardless of how much one may spend on the bottle of champagne. These fees also do not include, the tip for the waitress who brings the bottle, or the manager who arranges the set up in the room. Nearly every person one comes in contact with inside a strip club, that is in some way staff, is looking for or expecting a tip. For example, on average, a single trip the champagne room, with the dancer of your choice, will range in price from $100–$2000, with the typical price being $300 for a half hour.

In the U.S., striptease dancers are generally classified as independent contractors. While a few smaller strip clubs may pay a weekly wage, for the most part all of a dancer's income is derived from tips and other fees they collect from customers. In most clubs, dancers have to pay a "stage fee" or "house fee" in order to work a given shift, which can range from $10 to $100 or more for larger, high-end clubs. In addition, most clubs take a percentage of each private dance. It is customary—and often required in the United States—for dancers to also pay a "tip out", which is money (either a set fee or a percentage of money earned) paid to staff members of clubs, such as DJs, house moms, make-up artists, servers, bartenders, and bouncers, at the end of their shift

United States

In several regions of the US, primarily due to the local legal restrictions, strip clubs often fall into one of two categories: topless and all/fully nude. Dancers in topless clubs are allowed to expose their breasts, but they are prohibited from exposing their genitals. Topless dancers typically perform in a G-string and, depending on local laws, may be required to wear pasties covering their nipples.

Fully nude clubs may be subject to additional requirements such as restrictions on alcohol sales or no-touch rules between customers and dancers.^[6] To get around these rules two "separate" bars—one topless and one fully nude—may open adjacent to one another. In a small number of states and jurisdictions, where it is legal for alcohol to be consumed but not for alcohol to be sold, some clubs allow customers to bring their own beverages. These are known as BYOB clubs.

In Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., decided in 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state can totally ban topless or nude dancing as Indiana did, though the decision was criticised for not doing enough to clarify to what degree nude dancing is considered free speech protected by the First Amendment.^[7] In the 2000 case City of Erie v. Pap's A. M., the Supreme Court reaffirmed its finding that nude dancing was expressive conduct "marginally" protected by the First Amendment, but ruled that it could be regulated in order to limit "secondary effects" such as crime.

A relatively liberal social climate keeps many locales in the USA from passing stricter legislation against strip clubs, or from enforcing it fully. However, in recent years, many cities, such as New York City and San Francisco, have enacted ordinances prohibiting "adult entertainment" businesses from within a certain distance of houses, schools and churches, and perhaps each other. Often, a distance of nearly half-a-mile is stipulated, thus guaranteeing that no new strip clubs can be opened in many major cities. Courts have generally upheld these zoning laws. “That crime and property depreciation are the inevitable consequences of the presence in a community of exotic dance adult entertainment” has, however, been called a myth, “perpetuated by media sensationalism, vocal minorities of the Religious Right and the feminist movement, the misinformed, ‘studies’ commissioned by various localities, [and] the justice system.”^[8]

Touching of strippers is illegal in most states. However, some dancers and some clubs condone touching of dancers during private dances. This touching often includes the fondling of breasts, buttocks, and in rare cases the vaginal region. In some locales, dancers may give a customer a "lap dance", whereby the dancer grinds against the customer's crotch while he is fully clothed in an attempt to arouse him or bring him to climax. For example in Tampa, Florida, some clubs such as the famous Mons Venus allows patrons to have full contact with the dancers during both private dances as well as while dancers work the floors visiting with the patrons