First of all, I am a titty bar virgin. My close friend(s) and I will be hitting up this week and none of us know what the heck is going on haha. NOT trying to get laid, of course, but going for the show/entertainment, so to speak.

Any location recommendation based on your experience would be appreciated. Preferably close to Midtown

the best strip club in NYC is in west midtown, Flash dancers.  best being defined as beautiful girls, with a secondary benefit that dancers are from all over the world.  a lot of Russians, but tons of variety.  not many American girls however.  caution for you first timers:  expensive.  the cover charge is high, drinks are insane, and for lap dancers, know that you are dealing with sharks.  they can drain your wallet in 20 minutes and have you back out on the street before you know what happened.  but you'll have a smile, unless that was your rent money that you just donated.  suggestion: go midday on a weekday, no cover (before 5PM) and the beers are 2 for 1 (before 4pm I think, check me), that way you can look around without getting skinned alive on money.  the night shift goes on stage at 7PM with a stage parade, quite entertaining.

I haven't visited the clubs in many years.  My entertainment dollars are better and more enjoyably spent elseTER, I mean elsewhere , if you catch my drift.  

FlashDancers (my personal favorite back then) used to be the flagship club of, I think, 3 or 4 other sister clubs: same owners, dancers would move around, as needed, similar but not the same policies.  One place, around 34th and 3rd was totally nude and nude lap dances (not table dances, LAP dances); the nudie place is long gone.  Private Eyes (E 45th) is a sister club. NY Dolls (financial district) is a sister club.

There are many other "gentlemen's clubs" around town not related to FD:  Scores (West 28th?) gets a lot of press because of illegal activities there - I'd avoid it; Legs Diamond still exist? Lace, Hustler Club. And many more.  

Watch out for the "Champagne Room" or other private rooms.  It will set you back a bundle for, usually, not much more than you get on the main floor.  At the legal places (FD, Lace, etc.), the bouncers keep a watchful eye on things.  Their liquor license and "open hours" are their money makers and they do not want to be shuttered for any reason.  They have zero tolerance for illegal activity (bj's in the back rooms) and you'll get thrown out if caught.  No, they won't wait 5 minutes for her to finish; you're finished!

SBB left out specific mention of the Brazilians.  There used to be bunch at FD.  Wow.  I remember the four sisters: Jane, Julia, Joanna, and J--- I forget the fourth J-sister!

But SBB is right: they will drain your wallet and leave you with blue balls.  

Another recent thread here asked about Candy's DVDs and Bliss: two other club-like places.  

You should note: FD, Private Eyes, Lace, etc are all legal establishments.   Bliss, Candy's, are more underground and questionable.  

Then there is Club TER which is whole other ball game

We all know the Flashing Dancers, courtesy of New York cabs haha.

It really sounds to me that you guys aren't quite recommending me the scene of these establishments in the first place (if I get your drift right). If I were to go, I understand where to be going, but at the same time, I am trying to make sure that titty bars aren't just things over-rated in the first place.  

What should I be aiming to spend during the mid-day or night. Thanks!

My recommendation is to take out whatever cash you are comfortable with spending and then go into the club and enjoy your time. If you run out of money, then it's time to leave. So go in there, chat some of the girls up. Get a dance, talk a bit more and so on. Don't go to the ATM inside unless you want to pay that 10% atm fee. That simple rule will leave your wallet feeling a bit better. Also don't use the credit card. Very easy to use it to go into a private room. I will personally go sometimes to these clubs with $300 - $400. I don't usually spend it all and a portion of it goes toward drinks and taxi anyways.

I tried Flashdancers once a few years ago and it was absolutely great. (I would avoid all the sister clubs of Flashdancers.) I mean normally I don't go for more than once day in a row, but there was these two girls where I went multiple songs in a row. And these were just $20 lap dances. The girls were just that hot and good. In retrospect I'd probably have a bit more self-control now. But strip clubs are good if you take them for what they are and go with friends.

As for other clubs, there are a few others are that good within midtown: Hustler is good. You can get private dates for $120 / 10 mins which is just about one of the best deals for private dances you'll find it the Manhattan. Has a rooftop too. Rick's Cabaret is also pretty good (also has a rooftop) along with its sister club Vivid. I've been to Lace in West Midtown and would never go again. Very tight layout and very little privacy. These are all in midtown.

There is Sapphire which is all the way on the east side and they seem to get porn stars on Fridays/Saturdays do appearances. But this would be I guess just a bit on the edge of midtown. A club in Queens called Rivieras in Long Island City (so really close to midtown, literally across the 59th st bridge) and it was quite packed and a good time. I saw at the very least 5 girls I would have loved to take home. Rarely has that ever been the case for me (only other time has been when I went to Flashdancers a few years ago). Usually its the waitresses and bartenders who are hotter than some of the dancers.

Also fyi, if it's all nude, they won't server alcohol. This may be great if you're not looking to drink. But it changes the mood of the club completely so be aware of that. Do all nude clubs even exist in Manhattan anymore?

If you don't have self-control, bring your cash limit ONLY and leave the CCs at home or in your car.  

The dancers are there to drain YOUR wallet into THEIR wallet.  Watch what happens after a dance when she says, "Would you like another dance?" and you say, "Sorry, no more money."  She's off to the next wallet, I mean sucker, I mean customer.  Some of them don't want to miss a beat ... which is the amount of time between your last song and the other guy's first song.  

I was enough of a regular to get a little extra no-fee chit chat while they were resting or sizing up who they were going after next.  It was all friendly for me 'cause I knew they weren't my girlfriends and I was a no-trouble polite customer that bought dances even I wasn't on an NBA-player's budget.

To repeat:  

1. limit how much $ you bring with you because it will almost all disappear.  Save something for the subway.  And if a dancer agrees to take your Metro Card with $8.75 on it, you'll end up walking home.  

2. Avoid the "private rooms".  Oh yeah -- they usually add a mandatory gratuity to the cost of a bottle of champagne.  They'll tell you ~"$200" but you'll be charged ~240 or so.  And there are no take-backs.

Have fun!  Let us know how it goes!

Flashdancers has many exceptionally beautiful women and occasionally the lap dance will be a little more racy than usual.  My complaint about the place is the women never cease the hard sell.  I realize it's their job, but if you just want to sit quietly and nurse your drink and watch the dancers, forget it.

I don't think there are any nude clubs left in town.  A combination of economics and political pressure forced them to close.  Those of us of a certain age can remember the greatest strip club of them all:  the Harmony.  Nude dancers, insane lap dancers, all sorts of forbidden acts in the dark.

Harmony uptown and Harmony downtown: both were GREAT.  And the slightly higher class Blue Angel around the corner from Harmony downtown.  Yes, those were the days!

Bring them back

There is one club in Queens called Show Palace which is all nude. It's in Long Island City and a sister club of Sin City in the Bronx. "Table dances" which are basically regular lapdances at any other club were $10 for 1 song. The all nude dance was $25 and you go to this private booth area for 1 song. $150 for 30 mins, $300 for 1 hour. And if things didn't get any weirder, it closes at 8AM! I don't think I've ever been to such a club that closes that late (or early). Not Manhattan by any means, but it's not that far away either by cab since it's literally right over the bridge. Quite a shame more of them don't exist. Then again, that no alcohol part really changes the vibe of the club entirely. Can't have it all I guess.

I'm looking for some place to blow off steam while I'm on a business trip.