By Rachael Bentley
After watching movies, reading articles and hearing guys talk about strip clubs, I found my self driving past the Gold Club in Hartford one day and wondering “What is it really going on behind those window-less doors?”
I asked a good friend what he thought of strip clubs and I was suprised that the had never been to one before, and he too had always wondered what it would be like inside. I jumped at the opportunity to finally get my answers and asked him if he would want to go together.
Now, I know what you are probably thinking. “Why would a girl who isn’t a lesbian want to go to a strip club with someone who isn’t her boyfriend?” That’s a great question, but the truth is I am just a curious person, and I wanted to figure out what all the hype was about. After we told our friends of our plan, I had another friend (a female) who also wanted to tag along and see what the big deal was.
After pulling into the parking lot, the first thing I noticed was that the place was packed. It was a Thursday night, around 11 p.m., and I was lucky to get a parking space. We accidentally walked into the 21+ section and were quickly told to go next door to the 18+ section, which was a surprise because I didn’t realize strip clubs actually did that. Finally we got into the right section, I paid my $5 ladies special fee, got my hand stamped with a smiley face and took a good look around.
First off I noticed that the 18+ side was much cleaner and smelled alot less like sweat and smoke than the 21+ section. There were also a lot less people sitting around the stage. My girl friend and I took seats further away from the stage, while my male accomplice made a bee-line for a front row seat.
Now this may come as a suprise to many, but what I learned was that the section for people over 18 actually had more nudity than the 21+ section, mainly because there is no alcohol involved and people are less likely to try something with one of the strippers.
As we sat down, one of the strippers was just finishing up her dance, and soon afterward a new girl came out. To my sheer dismay, I realized there were no outfits involved. I was under the impression that strippers came out in outfits like cops or nurses and that they made a real show of taking their clothes off. Instead, they came out in just a bra and a thong and started rolling around on the stage.
After about half an hour of watching this dancer and some others do their bit on stage, I came to the conclusion that my $5 would have been better spend on a Subway sandwich and that I would have enjoyed it more.
While the dancer was finishing up her routine, she started to collect the cash that had been thrown on the stage, and it disturbed me greatly how many times she said thank you to the guys around her. Hearing her say “thank you” each time a guy threw a couple ones or a five her way seemed excessive. Both parties, the stripper and the customer, know that the correct thing to do is to pay a stripper if she skakes her butt in your face or lets you motor-boat her breasts. I figured the guys should be saying thank you to the stripper for letting him get up close and personal.
Soon after the first stripper got off stage, she came over to us and asked if we were having a good time. Obviously not trying to be rude or arrogant, we said yes. She then asked us if we were planning on having any “personal dances,” to which we quickly replied “no.”
But instead of walking off and looking angry like I expected her too, this stripper sat down and started talking to us about our night, with questions like “What brought you guys here tonight?,” “Are you two a couple?,” and being generally pleasant. After explaining that I was doing research for a column, she opened up completely.
We learned that she was a part-time stripper, in the sense that she only comes in once or twice a month, and she makes around a thouand dollars every night she works. Even more shocking was what she was doing with the money: saving for her tuition to the police academy! Yes, you read that correctly. She told us that her uncle was a state policeman, and that she was only doing this for the money.
“I know what people must think when they see me dancing on stage, but I’m not like a lot of other strippers. I don’t allow any touching, I don’t do personal dances, I don’t do coke and I don’t suck c***. I’m basically an angel compared to alot of other girls here.” She seemed like she wanted to continue talking, but when her manager came up and told her to do another dance, she smiled and waved goodbye.
After a couple dances, and a lap dance for my guy friend, we decided to head out. To my suprise, even my male counterpart was pretty unimpressed with the whole event and decided that he probably wouldn’t be going to a strip club again any time soon. I left the strip club with a profound sense of gratitude, feeling thankful that I will probably never have to do something like the women on that stage. That does not mean I think less of them, for I understand that everyone needs to make their own way in life. And deep down I somewhat envy the fact that they can be brazen enough to be so open and comfortable with their own bodies. Although the entire experience didn’t really entertain or excite me in any way, I am very glad that I took a chance to open my eyes and see things in a new perspective.