If there is one thing we can all agree on is that we did not see this Covid-19 pandemic coming. There was no manual on how to deal with it. For months, we didn’t even know what this virus was and how to treat it. Now we know better, we have precautions and protocols to help us navigate the new world better.
There are guidelines on social distancing, masks and constant hand sanitisation. These guidelines have been applied to every industry; even the strip club industry has certain guideline to follow.
Strip clubs across Melbourne have put in place different things to help punters have a safe strip club experience. This may sound like an oxymoron, how can you have a lap dance when you are 2meters away from the stripper? Can we even still call a lap dance a lap dance if the dancer is 4 feet away? Maybe it’s time for Melbourne strippers to come up with new ways of titillating sensuality?
While you wonder about that, here are a few practical guidelines to strip club etiquette in the time of Corona.
#1. Masks on, everything off
There is no going around things, masks are mandatory not just got punters but performers as well. The dancers need to protect themselves so they don’t become carriers who in turn spread the virus around.
There are masks in strip clubs but most dancers have had to find a way to incorporate them in their costumes. What you will see on the faces of Melbourne strippers is not those boring surgical masks but creative masks that if incorporated nicely in a dancer’s repertoire might add a sultry element of mystery.
Do not ask performers to remove or loosen the masks they wear and do remove your either. Masks should be on at all times.
#2. The numbers and social distancing
Strip clubs have had to change their set up. According to the health regulations, only a fixed number of people can be in a club at one time. Club owners have had to adjust the setting inside and outside the club. The popular strip clubs in Melbourne still have lines of people who wait outside in line for a chance to get inside the venue. Clubs now need crowd control both inside and inside. The best thing about social distancing is that no more breathing on top of each other and no more bumping and unwelcomed touching.
Most clubs have had to rearrange the furniture. Change the staging of performances so it becomes more visually satisfying.
It might be less of a hassle to book a club for your group of mates. This way, what happens in the club is tailored to be all about you.
#3. Hyper-cleanliness
Strip clubs aren’t usually the cleanest places. The swanky, classier ones are but with Pandemic, everyone has had to be super clean. Surfaces are wiped clean, not only once but several times during the night. The stage and pole are constantly sanitised. The dancers keep their hands clean and sanitised. Sanitisation is so frequent, the smell of it has become part of the different smells that comingle in a club.
