Las Vegas strip clubs battle tough times with freebies, buffets

So says the Las Vegas Review-Journal, in a story about Sin City's famed take-it-off attractions.

More than ever, clubs are relying on discounts and special offers to compete against each other and lure clientele, the story says. Cheetah's offers two-for-one lap dances during the day and Treasures provides a free buffet in the early evening, according to the newspaper.

It says the Can Can Room and Crazy Horse III have halved the price of a lap dance at certain times (in Vegas, dances typically cost $20 a song).

Customers "want a deal. They want something for free," Jacko Smiley, a VIP host at Treasures, told the Review-Journal.


Summer is traditionally a slow time for strip clubs, mainly because conventioneers -- the life blood of clubs -- are less numerous. Also, the Vegas economy has been hard hit by loss of jobs (such as construction workers) and a huge number of foreclosed homes. That means clubs need to do more if they want locals in the door.


When I was in Vegas this spring, the Spearmint Rhino -- voted best strip club in Vegas by a panel of insiders selected by USA TODAY -- was offering an amazing lunch deal: $4.40 for a burger, fries and drink. (LasVegasAdvisor.com CEO Anthony Curtis just checked out that promo recently, which included a beer). Once in the door, the hope clearly is that patrons will drop some cash into the g-strings of the hundreds of strippers who work every shift.

Curtis, an expert on hitting the discount jackpot in Vegas, agrees freebies and deals are out there at the city's 30 or so strip clubs, but says the offers aren't always new and that a lot are more about getting people in "during the off-hours" than spawned by the edgy economy. Also, the scene is competitive with some clubs closing and new ones opening. LasVegasAdvisor.com just came out with the latest edition of its Topless Vegas guide ($6.95 for an e-book).

Meanwhile, Wayne Bridge, CEO of the Sin City Chamber of Commerce (that's its real name), an association of adult-oriented businesses, told the Review-Journal that strip clubs in the Vegas area generate an estimated $8 billion per year, second only to gambling. That's really hard to prove, since club revenues aren't counted systematically as are gaming revenues, but there's no argument that clubs are a big draw for Vegas visitors, especially males (though women guests increasingly are welcomed at most clubs).

Courting women clients is a strip-club trend, Curtis says. Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, one of the newer Vegas entries has a "ladies drink free" special in the "Hustler Hideaway" after midnight as well as Ladies' Nights with $2 drinks.