Had an interesting but slightly disturbing experience this weekend. Went to a Korean club in Los Angeles with two Korean and one Thai friend. They had told me bits and pieces of their previous trip, which had caused me to assume that one of the Korean friends knew tons of people there and had introduced the Thai friend to about a dozen girls. Having just gotten out of a long-term relationship, I must say that I was looking forward to the evening. I typically only consume one drink (early on in the evening, giving myself 3 hours or so before driving home), but for some reason I had pulled out a little bit more cash than I usually do. Korean bbq was great (as always) though a little expensive (to me) at $45 a person. I figured I'd spend another $20 at the club, plus possibly an entry fee. My Korean friend called one of the bouncers/security guards outside the club, who then called upon someone else, and within seconds we were let in (after a brief security frisk). "Cool, no entrance fee." A waiter brought a bottle of hard liquor (Cointreau, I think), some cans of coke, a bucket of ice, and a platter of fruits. My friend told the waiter it was my birthday (not) and within moments I had consumed my first drink. Half an hour later, the waiter came to our table with two girls. We chatted for a while, and after they left I asked my Korean friend if he had known the girls. That's when they finally started explaining about booking in Korean clubs. By the end of the evening, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it. I did enjoy the experience (the girls were cute), but it also felt a little odd since some of the girls seemed less than thrilled to be dragged to our table. And it came with a hefty price tag: $260 for the four of us. And that didn't even include a tip. So $80 later (I felt a little bad for the other three, since as the birthday boy I had gotten the attention of most of the girls, so I put in a little more than my share), I came home to do some more research. Was this what Korean clubs are like? I guess they are. Has anyone else been to a Korean club like that? What are your thoughts on the whole booking thing?

Though I live in LA, I have never been to any Korean club, nor do I have any close Korean friends. I never knew this thing existed. Gotta try this sometimes.

"Book 'em Danno!"

I'm glad you had fun but I find the premise strange. They should call them "shy guy clubs".

sounds like a strip club without the stripping. Yes, that is strange.

It sounds like you're describing a "hostess club", popular in Japan. Look it up. I can't decide whether these or strip clubs are a bigger waste of money. How frequently are relationships carried on outside of the club in this case? With hostess bars, it's very rare that the girls will ever consent to carrying on a relationship outside of the bar.

EDIT: There is an informative description of the practice here. It sounds like a retarded, anachronistic, and misogynistic social practice, but if you have the money to blow and lack the moral fiber to be bothered by this, I suppose it's potentially more rewarding than either a strip club or a hostess bar.

Quote: Original post by trzy
It sounds like you're describing a "hostess club", popular in Japan. Look it up. I can't decide whether these or strip clubs are a bigger waste of money. How frequently are relationships carried on outside of the club in this case? With hostess bars, it's very rare that the girls will ever consent to carrying on a relationship outside of the bar.

Well, I've only been to a strip club twice. First time was an interesting experience, but I was bored the second time around. Felt like a giant waste of money to me, even though I had few drinks and no entry fee. Maybe I entered the strip world too late (this year) here in LA. I've heard stories of the strip scene being a lot more interesting (and cheaper) a decade or so ago. And I guess the one I went to wasn't a true strip club. No nudity, no touching, just (lap) dancing.

The Korean club gave me the same kind of interesting experience, but I'm guessing I may grow bored of it the second time around, just like I did with the strip club. But at least I got myself a likely date out of the Korean club this Sunday.

I think the hostess club you mention is somewhat like Chan Dara here in LA. One of my colleagues is a regular there, but I don't think he sees any of the girls outside that place. Ditto with the strip club he frequents.

Quote: Original post by Silvermyst
Well, I've only been to a strip club twice. First time was an interesting experience, but I was bored the second time around. Felt like a giant waste of money to me, even though I had few drinks and no entry fee. Maybe I entered the strip world too late (this year) here in LA. I've heard stories of the strip scene being a lot more interesting (and cheaper) a decade or so ago. And I guess the one I went to wasn't a true strip club. No nudity, no touching, just (lap) dancing.

I've never been to a strip club and likely never will. You're never allowed to touch and if you were, it'd be prostitution and even more sleazy than it already is. If you really want it that bad, normal nightlife venues will give you more bang for the buck, so to speak.

A strip club without some nudity isn't a strip club. In California only topless clubs can sell alcohol, so the nude clubs are called "juice bars". I haven't been to a strip club in ten years. A buddy of mine used to work as a bouncer at one of the local clubs. Then he got shot at and quit. Oh and you can touch in Vegas... [grin]

Quote: Original post by LessBread
A strip club without some nudity isn't a strip club. In California only topless clubs can sell alcohol, so the nude clubs are called "juice bars". I haven't been to a strip club in ten years. A buddy of mine used to work as a bouncer at one of the local clubs. Then he got shot at and quit. Oh and you can touch in Vegas... [grin]

I'm sure if you've got the money or the goods, every stripper has her price. An ex-Navy friend of mine told me about a guy he served with. Average looks but incredible game, this guy would unfailingly hook up with some of the most attractive women every time they went out around the world, and would get them to do some pretty wild stuff, too. It was so easy for him that he would eventually get bored and move on to strip clubs where his aim was to get laid in the private rooms with the strippers. My friend was never able to see how he pulled that off, but he suspects it involved coke.

I know about the 'juice bars', although I never heard them called that. Some of my friends in Reno would take road trips to Sac-town for one particular fully-nude club. Believe it or not, apparently Nevada ain't got nothing on Cali when it comes to strip joints :)

I should have added that they don't let you touch the girls in the public areas of the club only in the private back rooms and it costs extra. My experience with a juice bar was also in Sacto on the way back to Fresno from a road trip to Reno believe it or not. The car we were traveling in broke down in Sacto and we crashed overnight with a buddy who lived there. The trip to the juice bar was his idea and since we were on a road trip it added to the adventure. That was in November of 1994.