Don’t be a cunt at the strip club

The end of 2025 marked another let-down by segments of the pole community towards the stripper community.

If you’re in the pole Insta world, you may have heard what happened. I won’t go into too much detail, but essentially a Bristol pole dance studio has a “tradition” of going to the strip club. This, in and of itself, is not the issue. Going to the club can be a fun and supportive experience, please do go, organise the girls, gays & theys for an outing to the spicy club.

However, how you show up matters.

If you’re going to the club, please bring a budget. I understand that life everywhere is stupid expensive, but going to a strip club is participating in a workplace where people are earning their income. It’s important to think ahead: how much can you afford per person? £100, £200, £300, more? Is this including drinks? Are you planning to get dances, or are you primarily tipping dancers for their time and presence?

Make a plan, make a budget, and know what you’re going in with. Ideally, bring cash.

Alongside this, be mindful not to spend all of the group’s money on one dancer, especially if you are visiting as a large group. In this case, the studio essentially gave all their money to one dancer they already knew. This is unfair to the other dancers working that night. Strip clubs usually have many dancers on shift, all of whom have paid to be there and are trying to earn. You can almost certainly find a few dancers whose company you’d enjoy, whether that’s for a dance or simply a conversation. If you don’t want a dance, tip for a chat. If you do want a dance, don’t haggle. Prices exist for a reason.

Another issue was the use of fake stripper names and made-up backstories to “cosplay” the dancers. This is where a bit of education and self-awareness is needed. You don’t actually know what the job entails, you don’t know the people who work there, you don’t know their backgrounds, and you don’t know why they chose sex work. Assuming you do, or performing those assumptions in front of dancers is disrespectful. At best it’s uncomfortable; at worst it’s offensive. Either way, it creates a tense environment that negatively affects everyone’s experience.

It’s also important not to linger if you’re no longer spending. If the group has run out of money and has no intention of buying dances or VIP, don’t hang around rejecting dancers one after another. Dancers only earn when they sell dances or private rooms. If you’re finished spending, it may be time to leave, unless you’re willing to tip dancers for their time and conversation. Otherwise, you’re taking up space, time, and energy in a workplace where earnings are directly tied to customer engagement.

For additional context: in the UK, dancers are self-employed. They do not receive holiday pay or sick pay. Most clubs do not pay dancers a wage; income comes from commission on dances and private rooms. The UK also does not have a strong tipping culture, meaning customers are rarely “making it rain” on stage, if ever. On top of this, dancers often have to pay a house fee just to work a shift. These fees can be exploitative, sometimes extortionate, sometimes paired with fines for minor infractions. There is much more to be said about this system and people like Gemma Rose has shed light these topics, I would recommend looking at their work

If you’re going to a strip club to enjoy being entertained in any capacity, come with money and respect. That is quite literally how the dancers working there get paid. When customers are generous, respectful, and mindful, everyone has a better time. This applies to anyone entering a strip club. However, for those in the pole dance community, it arguably applies even more.

Pole dancing as we know it today comes from strip clubs, specifically from Black strippers in America. The roots of pole dancing and stripping are deeply intertwined. If you enjoy putting on heels and dancing in an erotic, old-school way, it’s important to respect where that practice comes from. When visiting a club for fun or experience, remember that your hobby has real roots in the labour and struggles of marginalised people within the sex work industry. Go with respect, and go with a budget.

Moral of the story: Go to the club with a plan and a budget so everyone can have a good time. If you can’t afford it, don’t go. If you look down on or disrespect the women working there, don’t go