Difference between Seattle strip clubs and Portland strip clubs
This last weekend we visited Union Jack's in Portland because I heard it was the best strip club in town. At first when we walked in I saw that it was extremely tiny and folks were milling about not even paying attention to the stage. My first thought was, this is is a dive. Why would anyone recommend this place? Then we made our way to the stage and I saw a woman doing something that I've only seen one world pole dance champion doing. She was in a hand stand holding it with her legs splayed in the air...and holding it...and holding it...and walking around the stage on her hands like that...and holding it. Damn wow. That club may have been a dive but the girls were great!
One major difference in strip clubs in Seattle and Portland (other than alcohol being allowed in Portland) was that the girls in Portland really expressed themselves and their personalities (or fantasy personas as the case may be) with the way they dressed. In Seattle the woman are all wearing similar stripper outfits and the same style stripper shoes. The only variation is the occasional goth girl or pinup looking girl. But for the most part their outfits all say "stripper". In Portland girls were unique and had fun little outfits that all seemed to say something about them. And a lot girls, instead of wearing platform high heels, wore flat little ankle boots. But they were all cute in some way like fur covered go-go boots or sequin covered ankle flat boots. They were so flat they looked like slippers, covered in fur or sequins.
Most of the girls did pole tricks, some I've only seen at pole championship competitions. These girls go all out!!
At Seattle clubs it's all very serious and we all sort of sit there quietly staring at the stage. I guess because there is alcohol in Portland strip clubs it's all very relaxed and fun. People are having drinks and chatting up their friends. There are lots of women there and they're all having a good time (in Seattle the women often look like they were dragged there against their will by their boyfriends or did it just to keep an eye on him). People who sit up at the stage are actually smiling and calling out to the dancers and tipping.
The club is also very supportive of tipping. There is a sign at the edge of the stage that says, "Dancers work for tips only." When there were two people sitting at the tip rail who were not tipping I saw the dancer go up to the wall and actually slap the sign hard to point it out to the non-tippers. They promptly tipped. I also heard the DJ remind everyone that you should be tipping at least $1 per song they dance to. I've never heard a DJ in a Seattle club do that.
A lot of Seattle dancers take weekend trips to Portland to be guest dancers at Portland clubs. This is easy to do since Portland, unlike Seattle, does not require any kind of license to strip. This also allows people on government assistance in Washington, such as disability, to come down to Portland on weekend and strip for cash and never have to report the income or lose their disability benefits. I know this because at Union Jacks we ran into a dancer we knew that was doing this. Without licensing like they do here in Washington, there is nothing to tip off the state or IRS that these girls are making $500 to $1,000 per weekend. These girls in Portland have it pretty good.
One major difference in strip clubs in Seattle and Portland (other than alcohol being allowed in Portland) was that the girls in Portland really expressed themselves and their personalities (or fantasy personas as the case may be) with the way they dressed. In Seattle the woman are all wearing similar stripper outfits and the same style stripper shoes. The only variation is the occasional goth girl or pinup looking girl. But for the most part their outfits all say "stripper". In Portland girls were unique and had fun little outfits that all seemed to say something about them. And a lot girls, instead of wearing platform high heels, wore flat little ankle boots. But they were all cute in some way like fur covered go-go boots or sequin covered ankle flat boots. They were so flat they looked like slippers, covered in fur or sequins.
Most of the girls did pole tricks, some I've only seen at pole championship competitions. These girls go all out!!
At Seattle clubs it's all very serious and we all sort of sit there quietly staring at the stage. I guess because there is alcohol in Portland strip clubs it's all very relaxed and fun. People are having drinks and chatting up their friends. There are lots of women there and they're all having a good time (in Seattle the women often look like they were dragged there against their will by their boyfriends or did it just to keep an eye on him). People who sit up at the stage are actually smiling and calling out to the dancers and tipping.
The club is also very supportive of tipping. There is a sign at the edge of the stage that says, "Dancers work for tips only." When there were two people sitting at the tip rail who were not tipping I saw the dancer go up to the wall and actually slap the sign hard to point it out to the non-tippers. They promptly tipped. I also heard the DJ remind everyone that you should be tipping at least $1 per song they dance to. I've never heard a DJ in a Seattle club do that.
A lot of Seattle dancers take weekend trips to Portland to be guest dancers at Portland clubs. This is easy to do since Portland, unlike Seattle, does not require any kind of license to strip. This also allows people on government assistance in Washington, such as disability, to come down to Portland on weekend and strip for cash and never have to report the income or lose their disability benefits. I know this because at Union Jacks we ran into a dancer we knew that was doing this. Without licensing like they do here in Washington, there is nothing to tip off the state or IRS that these girls are making $500 to $1,000 per weekend. These girls in Portland have it pretty good.
They are quite literally not allowed to post signs encouraging tipping, nor are the DJs allowed to say anything along those lines. It's a company decision, not a Seattle one.
As to the shoes, again the company sort of requires girls to wear certain kinds of shoes; rather they wont allow certain kinds. No they don't all have to be 6 to 8 inch heels, but they do have to have a certain kind of bottom so that they aren't scuffing up the stages. Turns out 'stripper shoes' are one of the only kinds that don't scuff.