I'm not a dancer. Which contest should I enter?

I assume that you want a nice (non-sleazy) club where you would feel comfortable. I would say that the Plan B (bikini) contest is nice in that it's a very large and upscale club. For nude, I would consider 4 Play.

However, keep in mind that although most of these contests are billed as "amateur", most (if not all) the contestants are professional dancers (i.e. strippers from other clubs) OR dancers who just do contests on the side (i.e. have regular jobs but need extra money). Therefore, I highly recommend that you go and watch the contest FIRST to see how things are before entering.

One other very important thing to know: Many clubs regularly cancel their contests if they do not have enough contestants. There are even clubs that will decrease the prize money if they feel they did not have enough customers. It's a big rip off in the industry. In fact, some clubs are notorious for this type of rip-offs. Also, many contests are "rigged". This means that the winner will tend to be a "ex-dancer" from the club or someone who the club managers/owners know.

Are there any clubs with male dancers for us gals?

The Hollywood Men perform on Friday and Saturday nights in upscale venues. For current info, visit their website at www.hwmen.com or call (818) 845-6636 for more info. Click here to read a review from a female reader.

La Bare Hollywood performs in West Hollywood on Saturday nights.  Call (818) 841-1775 or visit their website at labarehollywood.com.

Camacho's features latin male exotic dancers on Thursday nights (Club Flesh) at 8:30pm. They are at 13101 Crossroads in the City of Industry. Call (626) 297-3134 for more info.

"The Hollywood Strip" performs Friday nights at the Metro night club in Ventura. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at about 9:30pm. Call (805) 653-CLUB for more info or you can email shiinu@aol.com.

The Right Track Nite Club in South Central LA has 20+ hot black male dancers. They are at 1732 W. Florence Ave (corner of Hobart & Florence). You must be 21+ with ID, cover is $18 (including drink chip), doors open at 7:30pm, show time starts at 8:30pm. For more info, call (213) 753-5481 or (213) 360-4330.

Mahoney's in the City of Industry has male dancer night on Thursdays. They are located at 15425 E. Valley Blvd. or call (626) 336-4666.

Mr. J's has male dancers (g-string) on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 8:30pm until 11:00pm or so. Click here to read a review from a female reader.

Others to try are, Club Metro in Riverside on Thursday nights from 8pm to 10:30pm (heard this club is closed as of 2006), and Cheers Bar in Moreno Valley on Thursdays from 9pm to midnight. For more for info call (909) 247-3233.  Also try Club Zelda's in Palm Springs on Tuesday nights. The Shock in Anaheim might have a night with male dancers also.

If you are planning a bachlorette party, you might checkout bacheloretteparties.com.

You might also checkout these websites to see if they are dancing in the Los Angeles area:
chippendales.com
latinmen.com
latinstrip.com

If you have any information on this topic, please e-mail me.

Is it ok for a group of ladies to go to strip clubs? Will we be harassed?

Very good question. It is fine for a group of ladies to go to strip clubs, especially topless or bikini ones where you can have alcoholic beverages.  Over the years, I've seen more and more groups of ladies going out to strip clubs for a night out and it seems to be more accepted and common now.

Depending on the club, you may get some guys trying to pick you up but if you're in a group, it's easier to fend them off. Just politely tell them you are just trying to enjoy the show and to please not bother you.

Are there any clubs for Lesbian gals to see female dancers?

Girl Bar in West Hollywood has go-go dancers and plenty of Lesbian customers.  See their website for the 411.

Michelle's XXX Club is currently at the Arena in Hollywood at 6655 Santa Monica Blvd. on Tuesday nights. The Arena is normally a dance club but they do have a stage and pole for the booty shaking action. You can find out more by calling (818) 410-6833. For more information on Arena, call them at (323) 462-0714.

CoCo Bongo in downtown has "exotic dancers" and allows 18+ to enter, and drinks for 21+ customers.  Located at 3311 S. Main St., Los Angeles.  For more info: (213) 748-2682 or their website.

Peanuts at 7969 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood has a competing Lesbian night but I'm not sure when it is. This is a regular dance club on other nights so don't expect anything crazy.

There might be another one on Thursday nights ONLY at Marino's at 9911 Pico Blvd. near Roxbury. Their phone number is (310) 201-7979.

If you have more information on this topic, please e-mail me.

Which club should I work at?

Many dancers ask me this question which has now become a FAQ. The answer depends on what type of club you want to dance at and what type of dancer you are. If you are looking for a classy club to work at, look at my reviews and find a high rating for the club itself. If you are a good hustler that can get a lot of laps out of customers, look at my reviews and find a high rating for the nasty factor.

From my experience in trying to help dancers pick a club, most of the time, you will have to visit the club yourself and get the general feel of the club and the dancers there. Sometimes you will click with the club and other times you just won't. Some dancers don't care if they don't fit in as long as they make money. Other dancers don't care if they don't make money as long as they fit in.

Also, if the club has a dance contest, enter the contest or just go there and check it out during the contest. If you enter the contest, you will get a flavor for the management, club amenities and customers. Go with your feelings. If you don't get a warm and fuzzy, perhaps it's not the right place for you.

If you want more specific help, please email me with answers to the following questions that will help me narrow down your choices:

1. Have you danced before?  If so, where? What did you like or dislike about those clubs?
2. Do you want to dance bikini, topless or nude?
3. Are you a good hustler? In other words, are you good at asking customers for dances and getting them, even if there are a lot of other dancers working.
4. Are you a nasty dancer? In other words, are you willing to touch, be touched, or basically have sex.
5. Do you want to make your money on stage instead of lap dancing? If so, can you do pole work?

How can I find out which clubs are hiring?

In terms of openings, frankly, strip clubs are not like normal businesses where they can only hire a limited number of employees. In most (but not all) clubs in Los Angeles, the dancer is an independent contractor and do not get paid by the club. This means that as long as you are attractive, the club will hire as many dancers as possible. The more dancers, the happier their customers. It's just harder for each dancer to make money.

What this means is, basically your looks determine if you would be hired. If a club is short on girls (e.g. a new club that just opened), they are likely to hire anybody that walks in the door. If a club is very popular and already has many girls, they will be picky and only hire very attractive girls.

Most clubs (especially nude) are not concerned about your dancing ability. If you know how to take your clothes off, that's about all you need to know. You can pick up the rest as you go along.

I highly recommend that you go to a club that you think might suit you and just watch the dancers and customers. See how they dance, interact, etc. Once you feel a little more comfortable, try entering a contest. This will give you a taste of what you will be doing if you start dancing. If you like the club that you did the contest at, you can ask them if you can work there. Basically, dance contests are a way for the club to "audition" you. So that's usually when the manager will ask you if you want to work at the club.

What is the procedure in getting hired?

If you have never applied before, the normal method would be to call the club and ask to speak with a manager. Ask the manager what the procedure is for you to audition. Do NOT ask if they are hiring. The reason for this is, if you are good looking enough, every club is always hiring. So by asking, this will give them the opportunity to tell you they are not hiring but to come in and they will take a look. This just gives them a way out in case they don't want to hire you.

Usually, the manager will tell you to come in at a particular range of time. Some clubs only hire on certain days of the week, while others will hire on any day of the week. Many clubs don't like to do auditions on busy nights (e.g. Friday, Saturday).

On your meeting with the manager, be sure to bring your work clothes in case you need to audition.  When you arrive, the manager will take a look at you. If you are way off the mark, s/he may just tell you that they are not hiring. I've known managers that will be brutally honest and point out all the problems the you need to fix before you can work there. If you are really good looking, they may hire you on the spot without an audition. Otherwise, normally, they will ask you to dance on stage and will watch your moves and interaction with the customers. I know of one manager that will ask you how much money you made on stage and judge accordingly based on how much you made.

At this point, the manager may hire you or ask you to fill out some forms and they will contact you. With some clubs, this is the normal procedure and they will call to give you a schedule. With many other clubs, this is just a way for them to brush you off and never call you.

Some clubs will allow the dancer to start working the same night as the audition, while others will call you later. Some clubs will force you to be in a dance contest before you can be hired. That usually means they are not sure about you and want to see how a real audience reacts to you.  Some clubs will offer you to work but only if you are on a schedule, which might require you to work a minimum number of days, or at least one slow day to work a busy day.

One last trick you might want to use.  Some clubs have multiple managers that hire the dancers.  Even if you are rejected by one manager, if you return when another manager is working, s/he may hire you.

Do you have any advice for getting hired?

Go in with the the right attitude.  Sometimes attitude can be more important than looks.  Like any job interview, first impressions are important.  I often see dancers come for auditions looking the way they normally go to work, without any makeup and in baggy sweat pants and shirt.  Most managers are used to this and can look past it, but some can't.  Why take the chance.

If you've done this before, go alone.  If you need moral support, bring a guy friend who has been to strip clubs many times before.  But make sure it's obvious that he is not your boyfriend.  Some clubs do not allow boyfriends and husbands to come along.  The male friend can give you a male point of view of the club.  The reason for not bringing a female friend is, you don't want the club employees to think that your friend is also applying for a job, unless your friend is very good looking.  Otherwise, the club might think that to hire you would require also hiring your friend and refuse to hire.

It's also probably a good idea to go to the club before you audition there to check out the club.  That way, you can see if you like it, how they operate, what kind of customers go there, how much money you might make, and how busy they are.  If you want to be diligent, go there when you think you will be working to see how it is.  However, you probably don't want to audition when it is busy because some managers won't have enough time and might ask you to come back when it's not so busy.

I have heard of busts at clubs. Should I be worried?

If you are observed by an undercover vice officer doing an illegal act on stage, you can be arrested and booked. It's unlikely that an undercover vice cop could see what you are doing in a private booth. However, it's common practice for vice cops to pose as customers and get private dances. They will try to entice you to do illegal acts via physical contact without verbal communications.

This would also be a good time to wake you up to some cold realities of life. Vice cops will lie to get a conviction. Yes, that's right. And you take a guess who the jury or judge is going to believe. A dancer who has a lot to lose from the case or a cop. Just remember that if you go to court thinking that the "truth" is on your side.

If you get busted by a undercover vice cop in this fashion, you are not in good shape. Upon a second conviction of this type, you will have to be registered as a sex offender (same as child molesters and rapists) and will have to abide by the laws pertaining to registering your residence when you move.

Of course, if the dancer initiates the solicitation of prostitution to an undercover cop, you can be cold busted. This does not fall under the same category as the above mentioned offence but jail time is waiting for multiple convictions.

Do I need a license to dance?

In Los Angeles, as of September 1999, only Beverly Hills requires a dance permit for dancers to work. However, in Westminster (Orange County), you do need to get a license. As of this writing, Anaheim and other cities are also considering licensing dancers so check in the city that you will be dancing in. The club you will be working at will know what you will have to do.

In other cities like San Diego and Las Vegas, you need to get a license from the city. For more information on getting a license in San Diego, read Summer's FAQ.

Are there unions for dancers?

Unlike Canada, there are no national unions specifically for dancers in the United States. There is an organization in San Francisco called Exotic Dancer's Alliance that has formed a union at a club there. They might be able to help you form one in your club. However, you'd better think this thru before making any final decisions. Obviously, you will get oppositions from the club owner but you might be surprised to find that many dancers object to it as well for various reasons (such as taxes).

How can I be Dancer of the Month?

The best way would be for you to email me at least 2 good pictures and tell me what club you are working at. The pictures don't have to be professional quality, but just good enough for me to be able to see what you look like.  I'd prefer a full body shot and a head shot if you have them available.  If you don't have the pictures available in digital format, you can scan them into your computer.  If you don't have a scanner, you can go to Kinkos and scan your picture, or you can snail mail me the pictures to:

Z Bone
2118 Wilshire Blvd., #110
Santa Monica, CA 90403

By sending your pictures to us, you are agreeing to the terms in the model release form, which allows us to place your picture on this website.  All submissions (including physical copies of the photos) become the property of zbone.me upon submission and cannot be returned.  So please send us copies and not originals.