Big thanks to Redditor ‘Ex-Stripper’ for answering all these questions. Link at the end of the article.
Q: What was the strangest comment ever made to you while you were dancing?
A: I had just finished giving one of my clients (a guy around 50 years old) a 2-hour long private lap dance. Now, he was always super sweet and he was a regular customer of mine, so it wasn’t like I had never interacted with him before. So I’m getting dressed, still half-naked, when he smiles at me and says in the most satisfied voice:
“You remind me of my daughter.”
WHYYYYY?!
Q: That’s when you say, “I feel we’ve made some important progress today, and I hope you understand I’ll be charging my psychotherapy rate from now on.” Right?
A: I wish! I just had to grin and bear it, followed with the most insincere, “Well, that’s nice. Thank you!”
Q: Was it your first job?
A: Nope! I used to work in a sheesha bar, and before that I used to tutor in French and Spanish.
Q: Did anyone there fall madly in love with you and offer you the world?
A: Oh man, I had this one guy come in so super smashed, and he kept talking about our “amazing connection” and how he wanted to go out with me. I definitely wasn’t feeling it. Alcohol definitely had something to do with it. People say the darkest things to strippers under the influence!
Q: Did clients often get erections during lapdances? Or premature ejaculate?
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A: Oh yeah, sure, quite often actually. I just kind of ignored it, we had a “no touching” policy so there wasn’t really anything I could do about it. I don’t think I had anyone premature ejaculate though. It’s entirely possible – who knows!
Q: How old were you when you started?
A: I had just turned 18 actually!
Q: What got you started stripping? Was it just something you decided to try on a whim and enjoyed it so you kept doing it, or was it something you had wanted to do for some time?
A: Curiosity, really. It seemed like an exciting experience and a good way to earn money, so I just decided to go for it! Definitely auditioned on a whim, and I’m glad I did.
Q: Was it a positive experience? If you could go back would you do it again?
A: Absolutely, it was heaps of fun! As an exhibitionist, there’s nothing sexier than dancing all seductively in the nude while a bunch of strangers watch and hopefully enjoy.
That, and you get to drink on the job.
Q: Do your family/friends know and how do they react?
A: Yep, everyone’s aware of it. Friends didn’t really give a damn and were super supportive/curious. My family on the other hand…not so happy about it. I don’t really blame them, though.
Q: Was stripping “addictive?” I can imagine people either hating it but doing it for the money or loving it and getting a kick out of the reactions they get. Which one were you?
A: Oh yeah, most definitely. You gain so much experience and you get so comfortable with it, good at it, that you don’t really want to quit. I definitely had a fantastic time, it’s such an interesting and fun experience. It’s a sexy job!
Q: Did you ever go all the way with any of your customers?
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A: We had a “no touching” policy that was strictly enforced, and we weren’t allowed to exchange contact details with customers, so sadly, no. We weren’t allowed to see our clients outside of work. The potential of losing a well-paying client over one poor outsider encounter wasn’t worth the risk. It could potentially ruin the club’s reputation, and that’s not something that the managers felt they could risk.
Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have on one or two occasions, though!
Q: On one of the occasions where you would have done it… Was it because you liked the guy? Or were you just horny?
A: Maybe a bit of both? There was a group of guys that came in for a bachelor party one night, and all of them were getting lap dances/private time with the dancers, except for this one guy, so I just kept him company (free of charge) for most the night. Really sweet guy!
On the other hand… one of the older clients offered a pretty large sum of money for me to sleep him, and had the policy been different, I probably would’ve done it, to be honest.
Q: Really? How much are we talking about? Because it really must have been a good amount if you were willing to do it right?
A: He offered me 10,000 ~ 25,000 ($16,000-$40,000 US) depending on if I would spend the night or not. A hard offer to turn down!
Q: How would people know if you had done it though?
A: Clients can always talk to a manager. If we exchange phone numbers, e-mail, or communicate in any other way, they have proof that we broke house rules. It’s easy to think that a client wouldn’t stoop so low, but it’s also easy to lie about keeping it a “secret” if the encounter doesn’t go well.
Q: Did being a stripper affect your sex life in any way?
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A: Hmmm. I don’t know, really. I’ve always been kind of a frisky little lady, so I guess being a stripper just kind of reinforced that, if anything. I’d say that’s a good thing.
Q: Did you ever find it difficult to maintain sexy, playful dialogue with your customers?
A: Sometimes! I had this horrible man come in one evening, he was such a sourpuss, the biggest Grinch I’ve ever met. He just sat at this table with his friend, arms crossed, not saying anything.
His friend invited me over and we talked for a bit, but every time I tried to talk with Mr. PartyPooper over here, he just wouldn’t have it. Didn’t say anything, just frowned as if I had pissed in his cereal.
Thank goodness I didn’t have customers like that very often, because it’s super awkward and uncomfortable.
It was only him and another friend. I can understand not wanting to be at a strip club, but it’s a bit rude to give dirty looks to the women working there. We’re just trying to do our jobs, you know?
Q: I’ve never really understood strip clubs. What’s the point if I can’t touch you?
A: There are a few reasons why a guy would go to a strip club. Part of the fantasy that an attractive woman would give them so much attention. A lot of the guys that came in weren’t the most decent-looking guys, but part of the job is flirting with everyone, regardless of who they are. Some men were clearly not used to such overwhelming female attention, so it’s enjoyable and exciting for them in that sense.
Some of our older customers came for the spectacle. They genuinely seemed impressed by the art of pole-dancing.
Some of them hardly asked for lap dances. They just wanted to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
And finally, some men just wanted some conversation. Some were shy, some were drunk, some were cocky, but when it came down to it, talking to a woman about everything and anything is a great way to blow off steam. Tough day at work? “Sorry baby, maybe I can help you relax. The exchanges are just sexy and stress-relieving, as you can imagine!
Q: Are you gonna tell your kids you used to be a stripper?
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A: I’d like to have kids at some point, but not in the near future. Sure, I wouldn’t mind telling them. I’m not ashamed. As long as they were old enough. It’s not something I would tell a 14-year old, if you know what I mean.
Q: Is there any part of your body that stripping helped you become more confident about or were you entirely confident from the get-go?
A: I was always a little bit nervous about my stomach region, but since I’m fairly big-chested, being topless drew all the attention up there, and not to the part I was most insecure about. That kind of helped my confidence!
That, and drunk clients tend to tell you how beautiful they think you are, no matter how bad you think you look.
Q: Are you fully retired? Plans for life? Wishes, dreams?
A: Retired for the time being, but wouldn’t mind getting back into it. Plans for life… well, volunteer for as long as I can, and then either complete my studies as a translator, or go into a different field of study, maybe nursing.
Q: Have you ever considered doing other work in I guess you could call it adult entertainment such as webcam shows or even porn? Or was stripping fun for a while and that’s it?
A: Yes, of course! I’m not sure if I’ll actually go through with it though, in case I want to transition out of the adult industry. I won’t be young and sexy forever, so maybe it’s best not to get involved, you know?
Q: I’ve never been to a strip club. Any advice for a first time customer?
A: The more money you have (or seem to have) the more strippers will want to talk to you and be around you.
Start off by getting something to drink if you’re nervous, it takes the edge off, and bonus points if you invite the stripper(s) to drink with you. You’re allowed to sit and drink and enjoy the strippers on stage without getting anything personal (i.e. a lap dance), but it’s preferable that you do, of course. Make sure you know how much you’re comfortable spending, because you might wake up upset the next day!
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Q: My area has some weird rules. Essentially, if they have fully nude ladies, you can’t serve alcohol. Were you merely topless or fully nude?
A: I was in one of the g-string clubs, but I didn’t wear any pasties on my nips. I get what you mean about wanting to see full nude, but drinking on the job is pretty fun, you know!
We had a few customers who would come in at around 3 or 4 in the morning after most bars/clubs had closed nearby, just for the sake of drinking, so that was kind of a benefit to a non-nude club as well.
Q: Did you have any say in the music you performed to?
A: Nope. We had a DJ who used a specific setlist every night for the week. Some of the music was pretty good, but after you’ve heard the same setlist every night, it gets tedious.
Q: What would you think about on stage during your performance? Was there a conscious plan you would go through or was it entirely improvised?
A: A little of both! I didn’t know exactly what song I was going to be dancing to, so I had to listen to the music and just kind of roll with it. I would practice before work on the poles in the VIP section just to warm up to it, though.
Q: Did you have any kind of signature or specialty in your performance or was the club designed more so every stripper does the same thing?
A: Actually, each dancer had a lot of freedom in what they could do during a performance, as long as they were confident and sexy. A lot of it had to do with skill and experience level – someone just starting out couldn’t compare to someone who had worked there for 10+ years.
Everyone just kind of added their own flair to each dance, which was really lovely!
Q: What annoyed you about the job?
A: It’s a bit annoying how some of the strippers treated one another. There was definitely a lot of competition, so even if you had been talking to a customer all night, another dance could easily swoop in, and essentially “steal” your pay check for the night. Definitely not fun.
I wouldn’t really say it affected any of my relationships, to be honest. If anything, it’s made me more confident and secure about myself, and I’d say that’s a good thing.
(Source)