High heels, silver poles and tiny lingerie can only be accompanied by two more things – bare breasts and rules.
Many may not expect regulations in a strip club, but the venues provide many rules to abide by.
Customers should remember the club is a business, and everyone is there to make money, said Catherine Wall, promotions and advertising director at Déjà Vu on Bourbon Street. Déjà Vu is a gentlemen’s club in New Orleans.
“While you don’t have to constantly tip the girls, it is really appreciated,” Wall said. “If you are at the stage and not tipping, leave so someone else will.”
Wall said if a customer pays for a VIP room, constant tipping isn’t necessary.
“Even though you are getting special attention, you don’t have to keep on throwing out money,” she said.
While “stripper” is the street term for the dancers, most prefer to be referred to as professionals.
Paul Zeringue, manager of Rick’s Cabaret in New Orleans, said some are offended if a customer calls them a stripper.
“All like to be called professional entertainers,” Zeringue said. “These girls have an official title just like everyone else.”
Wall said flirting is appropriate, but the boundaries are separated by a fine line.
“It is OK if she touches you,” Wall said. “But you cannot touch her. Even if she puts your hands on her, it’s still not OK with her boss.”
Wall said violators are given many warnings.
“We will escort people out if they aren’t listening to us,” she said. “But we give a lot of chances. Many people from out of the country that come here don’t understand the rules.”
Wall said people get “kicked out more than you would think.”
Zeringue said his club does not have many issues with unruly customers.
“Well, yes, we do have to remind some how to behave,” he said. “But we make it clear from the start that our club is meant for an experience, not for drunks who are horny.”
Chris Bordelon, finance junior, said the rules are not always followed at some clubs.
“I got a lap dance for my birthday, and my dancer said she didn’t care if I touched her,” Bordelon said. “But she told me the security would kick me out if they saw me.”
Zeringue said a lap dance is not specifically defined by the club.
“But the patron must be seated in a chair or on a pedestal,” he said.
Wall said it is “technically” illegal under Louisiana law for a dancer to accept a date from a customer.
“It is solicitation,” Wall said. “Still, people ask them out all the time.”
Bordelon said this rule is often disregarded at some locations.
“Someone I know very well has taken many dancers home with him,” he said. “It has happened multiple times.”
Zeringue also said a big problem in clubs is photography.
“The girls get really upset if someone whips out a camera, even a camera phone,” he said. “Don’t even take pictures with your friends. It’s just rude to have a camera at all.”
He said many of the dancers fly in from out-of-state and do not want anyone to know they dance.
“You never know who is taking that picture and if it’ll get out,” he said. “A lot of mothers and other professionals like to keep their hobby quiet.”
Zeringue also said it is inappropriate to buy a dancer a drink.
“They cannot accept it,” he said. “They are working and have a job to do.”
Wall said it is impolite to be excessively intoxicated in the club.
“It really just depends if you are a good drunk or a bad drunk,” she said. “Just don’t be too drunk.”
—-Contact Ashley Norsworthy at [email protected]