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Personally, I hate negotiating prices with dancers. If a dancer says her price for a dance is something other than the standard price for that club—and every club has a standard rate for its dances—I usually decide right then and there if I’m willing to pay her price. If a club has a standard rate of $250 for 30 minutes, but the dancer I’m interested in says, “I charge $300,” I’ll either say okay or no thanks.
It’s not that I’d feel like a cheapskate if I said, “How about $250?” so much as I’m worried that I’ll get less of a dance if she says okay. I don’t want a dancer’s cut-rate version of her private show. I want her to do everything she can to try and tempt me to get another dance. And if I’m arguing about a $50 price difference, she might assume I’m bargaining because I’m short on funds (which may or may not be true), and she may not try all that hard to make me happy.
So my general approach to Vegas strip club negotiations is to try to ward off negotiations in the first place. If I were in a situation where I was going to have to negotiate because there is no standard club price for what I’m asking for, I’d still try to ward off negotiations as much as possible using the principles below.
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #1: Know the house rates.
At TVO, I list the house rates for VIP and private show dances, including the required bar tabs, for every strip club in Vegas. (See “Las Vegas Strip Club VIP Room Value Guide”.) If you don’t know the house’s standard rates before you go into a club, you will be at a great disadvantage when talking price with a dancer, the guy at the door, and everyone else. You won’t even know if a dancer or club employee is quoting you the standard price.
The house rate at a Vegas strip club is not like a price in a store. Because dancers are independent contractors and not employees of the clubs, the clubs can’t force dancers to charge the house rate. But most dancers at a club will charge the house rate. If there is a situation or club where many dancers charge a different rate, it is noted on the TVO VIP Value Guide.
If you’ve forgotten the prices listed on TVO and you don’t have your phone to check the house rates, or you think the rates may have changed, ask a host or manager the standard club prices before you start talking to dancers. Be sure to ask about the required bar tabs or bottle fees for the different VIP offerings. For one thing:
Many Vegas Strip Club Dancers May Not Actually Know the House Price
Vegas strip clubs are unlike strip clubs in most other cities because many of our dancers don’t live here. They drive in or fly in for weekends and special events.
Many of them also dance at different clubs on different trips, and every club’s rates are different. So a lot of dancers don’t know the standard rates themselves, and this is especially true when it comes to required VIP bar tabs.
Because of this, we have more dancers here who misquote prices out of ignorance than you’ll find in other cities. The best way to guard against being misquoted out of the dancer’s ignorance is to follow:
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #2: Never ask the dancer how much a dance is. Tell her.
The way I ask a dancer for a VIP show is by saying something like, “Is the house rate still $250 for thirty minutes?”
You’d be surprised how many dancers will say, “Oh. I’m not sure. I just flew in from Sacramento (or wherever).”
If she answers, “I charge $300 but I’m worth it,” at least you know what you’re dealing with and you have a decision to make. Which leads us to:
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #3: Never make an overt attempt to get a dancer to perform for a lower price than she quotes.
The reasoning here is described at the beginning of this article. If you’re a good haggler, you might be able to bargain down the price of a 30- or 60-minute show by $50 or more. But you’re buying a service, not a product. For the discounted price, the dancer might put less into her performance. If I feel a dancer’s 30-minute price is too high, I’ll often ask her to make it a 40-minute dance rather than offer her less.
Another tactic to get a lower price is to agree (or pretend to agree) to her price, but later, not now. Say something like, “That sounds like a deal since you’re the best looking girl in the club. But come see me later. I’m going to watch the stage show for a while.” The dancer is more likely to view you as a guy with money who’s worth trying to impress. And she’ll definitely be worried about losing you to another girl.
She will often drop her price immediately. You sound like a guy who’s not put off by the money, and she might figure that if she can get you into the VIP, she’ll get the extra $50 as a tip after the dance. (And she might!) You might even go for another dance.
See also my discussion of how to handle strip club employees who try to overcharge you.
Which brings us to:
Rule #4: Find a way to tell the dancer that you might be worth more than one dance.
Let’s say a dancer quotes a price higher than the house rate, but she’s so hot you’ll hate yourself later if you don’t go for it. Say something like, “Well, that’s more than I usually pay in Vegas clubs, but you’re the best looking girl I’ve seen all week and I just had a great day at the blackjack tables, so let’s do it.”
This informs her that you’re a Vegas strip club regular who gets VIP dances often enough to know the rates around town. Further, you could be sitting on a wallet stuffed with god knows how much money. This girl is going to try hard to be the dancer you look for next time you come to this club.
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What you don’t want to be is the guy from Poughkeepsie with money in your wallet that everyone in Vegas has only one shot at getting. Vegas is a town of hustlers. The entire purpose of the city is to get every last possible dollar out of you before you go home in case you never come back again.
That doesn’t mean that Vegas isn’t a lot of fun. It just means that if you start whining about a discount, you just blew it. Regardless of your financial position, you’ll have the most fun with a dancer if you present yourself as a confident guy with plenty of mad money looking for someone to have fun with.
Rule #4, incidentally, is not just for dancers who quote prices higher than the house rate. This is a tactic you should use with all dancers. I’ve had dancers offer me better than the house rate just to make sure they got to my money before someone else.
Rule #5: Never act like a rube (especially in Vegas).
Never say something like, “I’ve never done this before,” or “This is my first time for a private show.” If a dancer asks you where you’re from (and they all will), and you have to say you’re from Iowa, at least add something along the lines of, “But I’m here on business often.”
Again, you’ll get farther with a dancer if you act like you’re a guy who goes to Vegas strip clubs regularly and buys VIP dances a lot. All dancers are looking for regular customers, repeat customers. They’re not just trying to sell you one dance.
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #6: Don’t negotiate for VIP dances when you’re drunk.
Some dancers take advantage of guys who are too inebriated to make wise decisions. Dancers will definitely have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations if you’re soused.
Beer goggles will not only make a dancer look irresistible, they’ll make the money in your wallet look like nothing compared to the importance of getting the girl of your dreams into your lap.
Rule #7: Beware of dancers who urge you to use the club ATM.
This is especially true if you violate Rules #5 and #6. Some dancers see customers who use credit cards as guys with a virtually unlimited pool of money at their disposal. You should never use a credit or debit card in a strip club. Go to the club with cash, and only with the cash you can afford to spend.
Strip clubs typically charge 15 – 20% for card transactions. To get $1000 in cash, you’ll be charged $150-$200. Dancers view guys who use credit cards in the clubs as either drunk or ignorant.
Plus, even though the vast majority of strip club dancers and personnel are honest, the famous strip club rip-off stories in Vegas and elsewhere always happen to customers who pay with credit cards instead of cash, or who empty their bank accounts using their ATM cards. Leave your plastic in your hotel safe.
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #8: You may be able to negotiate with a manager on the VIP bar tab/bottle fee.
While you should not try to openly bargain a dancer down to a cut-rate price on a VIP dance, it may be worth a try to get a manager to lower the price on the VIP bar tab. Bottle fees in strip clubs are not reality based. A $250 bottle fee might get you a bottle that you could purchase for $30 in a discount liquor store.
Now, the club survives partly on the money from your VIP bar tab, so you can’t just say, “I’ve already had enough to drink tonight, so can you just keep the bottle and not charge me?” That won’t fly.
But because the bottles cost the club so much less than they charge their customers, you can often get the bar tab reduced significantly by talking to the right person — sometimes the VIP room host, sometimes a club manager — especially at the club’s slower times.
Strip Club Negotiations Rule #9: An outlandish price quote either means NO or the dancers at the club have gone temporarily crazy.
A commenter at TVO recently posted that a dancer had asked him for $2000 for a one-hour private-room dance at a club where the standard club price is less than half that.
Now if you use the advice above, this shouldn’t happen. If this did happen to me, I’d be polite (you can’t blame a girl for trying), but I’d probably find another dancer. If I really liked this particular dancer, and the price seemed particularly ambitious, then I’d go ahead and make a counter-offer lower than I expected to actually pay. Guys, we have to adapt to the times.
I wouldn’t haggle more than that, though. If I couldn’t reach a deal with this dancer, and I couldn’t find another dancer in that club, I’d take my cell phone out of my pocket and call for the free limo to another club.
Two thousand dollars will get you a full-service outcall to your hotel suite from the hottest independent escorts in Las Vegas.
Occasionally a dance price quote this outrageous may mean the dancer simply doesn’t want to give you a VIP dance, and there’s little you can do about it. There could be a number of reasons for this. She may think you have B.O, or bad breath, or something else about you is turning her off in some major way. Do you have dirt under your fingernails? You may look exactly like her ex-husband. Maybe some guy who smiled just like you acted really creepy to her once and she thinks you’re scary. See also: “Strip Club Etiquette”
Or she may just think you’re dumb enough (or drunk enough) to pay $2000 and she always tries to hustle drunks and rubes for whatever she can get out of them.
Not all dancers are ethical. Again, this is Vegas. It’s a carny town.
Or maybe a dancer at the club got $2000 from some guy last week, word got around, and now all the dancers think they’ll get that forever if only they just ask. My advice is not to reinforce unrealistic expectations.
Either look for another dancer, or go brush your teeth.
See also: “The Vegas Strip Club Hustle Factor”
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Hey Arnold,
Thanks for the website. It’s a great resource. My wife and I were recently at a LV topless club, and after my wife’s first lap dance, I thanked the dancer and handed her a $20. She looked at the bill and told me it was $40, to which I responded that it was $20. She told me that the dancers set their own prices and that her price was $40, to which I responded (a little annoyed now) that of the fifty-some-odd lap dances we’d received, it had ALWAYS been $20. I really didn’t engage her further (my wife did), and she eventually left, but I couldn’t help but wonder if we were in the wrong. I understand that the dancers set their own prices (esp. for VIP), but I felt like we were being hustled … the dance was done, it wasn’t that great, and then we were told that the price was higher … all after the fact. To be honest, it almost ruined the night, and had she just taken the $20, we might have invited her for a second dance later in the night anyhow (she was very attractive). We eventually invited several other dancers who took well more than $20 from us, so it ended up being a great night. But … yeah … thoughts?
J
J, it’s true the dancers set their own prices, but every dancer in Vegas knows the price of a lap dance is $20 and if she charges more she has to tell you in advance.
She was a hustler and you did right to stand your ground.
Hi Arnold. Piggybacking off your previous reply as well as other comments you’ve mentioned, how are you able to negotiate a longer VIP time due to the host? Like if a dancer agrees to a 40 minute dance for the standard 30 minute price, what happens when the host comes by and say time’s up?
I was curious since I did a 3 song VIP at Palomino. After it was over, I decided I wanted to do another 3 song. The host comes and says time’s up, so the dancer told the host we were doing another 3. After that was over, host comes again and says time’s up.
Speaking of timed VIP, how is the time actually calculated? While songs are easy to keep track of, time is a bit more difficult. I’m assuming the host?
Which then leads to, since I’ve never been to any longer ones, does the time actually start once you enter the room? After drinks are brought out (if required)? And if the dancer wants to drink, typically how much time is used up if that happens? I’m trying to gauge the cost to time ratio should I ever consider a longer one to see if it would be worth it, or just do small bursts instead.
And figured while I’m at it, for themed rooms such as at Palomino, you mention adjustable lighting and such. Is that just for colors and/or where the light shines at? Or can it be adjusted brighter? I’m currently writing my experience I had at the clubs which I’m going to post, but one of my complaints was how dark the VIP was. It always seems like a positive when you write about it, especially if it’s open or group which is understandable, but for more private ones, I like to be able to see things more clearly, so prefer brighter. Thanks again!
Mark, it used to be that the dancer was the one who watched the time and told you when time was up. Every dancer wore a wrist watch. If it’s a busy time at the club and a VIP host is watching the time, it’s going to be difficult to negotiate for extra time.
If you go earlier, things tend to be more flexible.
The time starts once your drinks arrive and the cocktail waitress leaves.
Different clubs have different lighting set-ups. There may be fixed ceiling and/or wall lights with a dimmer. There may be table lamps you can turn on or off, or they may have a dimmer as well. And yes, some clubs just have fixed lighting and it’s very dark.
Never hesitate to ask the dancer about the lighting before you commit. You can even ask her to take you on a tour of the VIP options before you commit, though this may not be practical at peak hours on a Saturday night.
Ha Arnold you did such a good job of explaining all these important pieces of information on how to keep from giving up to much money. Also what I have learned from you will give me the chance to have a lot more fun with all these nice ladies without making mistakes!!!
Partygoer, thanks for the feedback.
One important thing I should have explained better: The dancer can negotiate over the price for her time, but not booze prices or bar tabs in the VIP. The club (usually the club manager or host) can negotiate over booze prizes and bar tabs, but not over the price of the dancer’s time.
To save the most, you can negotiate with both. For the best experience with the dancer, it’s generally better to ask for a little more time for her price rather than a lower price, and try to negotiate savings from the club on bar tabs.
But remember, if a dancer agrees to a longer dance, you may still have to pay the club’s extra bar tab for that time unless you negotiate with the club not to pay it.
So what if you don’t drink, not just at the club, but ever?
Can they still expect you to pay for alcohol or bottle service? How would you avoid paying for a bottle you’re not going to touch without being a jerk?
C, the bottle is how the club makes its money. At off hours, occasionally you can get out of it (talk to the club manager). The rest of the time, if you don’t drink, take it back to your table with you after your private dance and use it to offer drinks to the dancers. You can even take it home with you.
Rock on Arnold. I’ll call in a few weeks to negotiate getting the bottle when we arrive in addition to receiving credit if we don’t find a dancer.
Worse case I’ll pull a trump card out of our sleeves: we are close friends with one of their DJ’s that has worked there for 10+ years. I hate asking for favors, but push come to shove I’m sure he can speak with the manager and put us in contact with the right host for the night.
You are the man Arnold. Thanks again for the help. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Me once again Arnold.
You may recall my wife and I will are looking forward to another all-nighter Dec 29th to celebrate our birthdays. She loved her first VIP (30 min group) at CHIII, but shes curious to see what a true private VIP experience is like. She still wants to go to Treasures, but I showed her your site and she understands that the best private VIP deals are at Sapphires, Palomino or Deja Vu. I tried selling the Pal but she vetoed it (not for good; just for time being). She’s interested in the Vu, but she understands more girls = more likelihood we find the right girl for private VIP. It’s not VIP or bust for us; but if our goal is to land a private VIP we will likely end up at Sapphires. That said we would need to find the right girl (i.e. chemistry, looks, mileage) to share an hour with and make it a memorable event for us both.
As I read above (Sep 2017) we should be able to pre-pay for a VIP/Skybox at Sapphires. My questions to you are:
1. We do receive the bottle upon entry, or only once we use the room?
2. If we don’t find a suitable dancer for VIP (Ha! unlikely), are we obligated to use the VIP room, otherwise we lose the $500 reserved for a dancer, or can that be credit back to us and we just pay for the VIP bottle?
3. Is it a 750ml bottle?
4. Pros and cons of prepaying?
Question #4 is rather loaded. I assume you’re a painted target all night for the girls that are in the know. From one angle I see this as a benefit, because girls will be trying to impress/audition via high mileage lap dances to be the one girl we take to the VIP. But on the flip side I see us opening the flood gates to vultures/hustlers cock-blocking, while at the same time not willing to push the envelope in the VIP.
We have plenty of funds set aside for the night, but not need throwing good money away for a bad experience. As always, your insight is appreciated.
Thanks
RK, the norm would be that you receive the bottle only once you’re in the Skybox or VIP. But if you’re reserving a Skybox in advance, you’ll be doing it with a custom package and you can negotiate over when you receive the bottle.
I wouldn’t pay for a dance in advance unless you’re confident you will use it. But again, in a custom package, you can negotiate over the ability to get that credited back to you.
Yes, it’s a 750 ml bottle. The pros of prepaying is that with a package in which you’ve prepaid for a Skybox dance, you’re a true VIP right away upon your arrival. You’ll get a better table, and you’ll get it all to yourselves. A host will be looking out for you from the start and sending over the best dancers in the house. Yes, you’re a target for the girls that know, but that’s a benefit. Yes, you’re right, you’ll get better lap dances, etc., from dancers who know they’re auditioning for a Skybox dance. And you’ll have to get rid of a couple of vultures who hit on you right away. But it’s not hard to get rid of them. You’re still at Sapphire and they don’t want to get in trouble with the host who is looking out for you.
In general, a package with a prepaid dance gives you extra power and service.
Is the bottle/tab requirement cost added to every vip dance? So if I get two 60min vip dances at the Palomino I have to buy two $150 bottles?
PUL, yes, when a bottle is required, you have to buy one every time. But remember, at Palomino there is no bar tab requirement in the private curtained booths, only in the private bedrooms.
Arnold,
I have question I don’t believe is answered anywhere explicitly on this site. This particular page seems to be the best page to ask it or perhaps the VIP room rates page: https://toplessvegasonline.com/las-vegas-strip-club-vip-rooms-a-value-guide/
Here goes: When buying a bottle, if you then subsequently decide to enjoy a 30 or 60 Min VIP experience at clubs who typically charge a minimum drink tab or includes a bottle of “X” value, will they drop the drink requirement or reduce the rate that “includes a bottle of X value”?
Thanks!
Sax, generally no, they won’t drop the requirement unless you work out a custom package that includes a VIP dance.
But if you’re willing to commit in advance to a VIP dance that includes a bottle, you can usually work out a custom package that includes the private-bedroom or Skybox dance, one bottle (instead of two) that you can start enjoying at your table when you arrive, a VIP table, etc. That’s what I’d recommend you do if you’re going for a big evening in a high-end Vegas strip club.
What I’m confused by is: if I call a strip club to say “send a limo, I’ll buy a bottle”, I’m told it’s cheaper than just booking the table/bottles online (which obviously is more expensive). Why would a strip club go for this? Does this only work closer to the day? Maybe I’m just bad at negotiating.
Drew, everything depends on which club you’re going to. Usually a bottle package or any package is cheaper than getting a bottle or the equivalent booze at the club. If it’s not cheaper at some particular club, it’s the same price and the club throws in amenities like a line pass, a better table, and you go to the head of the line for your preferred limo reservation time.
If you just call for the limo, you’ll usually have a wait for the limo and at peak hours it could be an hour wait or more. You have to take what’s left of the tables after the package guests’ tables are reserved. And you’ll have a longer delay at the door–no line pass, and you’ll be negotiating over your bottle instead of getting whisked to your table.
If you’re planning on going to a popular club like Sapphire or Palomino at peak hours, or you want the full VIP experience any time, a package is the way to go. If you don’t drink much and you’re going at off hours, or you’re heading over to the club in less than 24 hours, call and reserve the club limo as far in advance as you can. In that case, you may have to get bottle service to get a table at a higher price than you’d pay if you reserved online, but it may be the only way to get a reserved table or even a seat.
If you’re going to a club that doesn’t get as packed, I often recommend just calling for the free club limo.
Does a pre-paid “debit” card work in a club (in lieu of cash or credit cards) ? I imagine they still charge a service fee for those if they accept them?
Chris, it will almost certainly work but the service fee will apply.
One thing that I forgot to say in this article is that if you get a price quote from a club employee (not a dancer, but an employee like a host or manager) that is different from the price shown on TVO, I want to hear about it.
If club employees are quoting prices different from the official price, I’m going to report it to management and get a response.
I won’t let this site be used to advertise a fake price.