The Gold Club

I know how drinks at Local happened after a lovely dinner at Cafe 1912 - drinks tend to happen frequently with me and my friends...it's how/why we ended up at the Gold Club after drinks where it starts to get fuzzy.

Maybe it was the giant pitcher of alcohol we consumed on a random Sunday night. Maybe it was the full moon. Maybe it was because we were all celebrating something...I guess it doesn't really matter though because the end result was me in the back of a car at 11:00 screaming, "let's go!"

I should preface this story with the fact that I don't like gentlemen's clubs...or at least, my prior two experiences to this were not good ones. They were dirty and sleazy (in my eyes) and just not places I want to spend my time - mostly because I'm always scared of what I might accidentally touch and use the light on my phone to inspect everything before sitting down. But I'd never been to the Gold Club and I have passed it a million times and was always curious about what it looked like on the inside. Plus, they have to keep their tops on so how bad could it really be?

I will freely admit part of the reason I am giving this place 4 stars is because they keep their tops on. If you're a dude, this probably is not a positive for you (sorry, Memphis law). But their clothes helped me feel a little bit more comfortable in an otherwise awkward situation because I've seen more nudity on a beach!

I guess this place is newly renovated because it was nice...and clean...and kinda sophisticated in a conference room/board room style way...it just happened to have a stage and stripper pole in the middle of it. It was almost like I was watching a Vegas show. And the bathrooms were super nice, always a bonus.

There were maybe 4 girls working that night and were in a rotation for stage time. I actually had quite a few lovely conversations with the girls when they were on their breaks. One even had the bartender put cherry soda in my beer to make it taste better since I hate beer and that is all they serve. I would say 2 of them were pretty...the other 2 were ehhh. Then again, I'm not a fan of head-to-toe tattoos.

In conclusion, I wouldn't really call this a strip club - more like a bikini bar. I mean, it was just watching girls dance with their clothes on. And Mary Jane really knows how to dance on the pole - I'm not even being sarcastic when I say that that girl makes it look like art. She should enter competitions!

I tend to do things for the story and I don't think I need to repeat this experience. But I will say this place was very clean and girl friendly!

Growing up in Atlanta, I would ALWAYS hear about a place called the Gold Club- and probably for all of the wrong reasons.  It was apparently the cream of the crop, but I never could end up going to see for myself, as it was shut down for a slew of prostitution and drug charges.  This had highly upset me.

One day, my buddy and I, were cruising down Summer Ave. to head towards downtown, and we couldn't believe our eyes.  Could this be a reincarnation?  We were filled with mixed emotions.  Well, after a long day at the zoo and having some drinks after that, it came up in discussion.  I looked online for a website, and appropriately enough, they had an "ad" for a Spring Fling on April 21- which included free entry, free buffet, and 2-1 drinks.  We figured what the hell, why not?

So, it was arrival time.  And for a Spring Fling, we were saddened to not see more cars here.  We also saw a sign that said BYOB- and we were empty handed, so we had no idea.  We went in, and showed them the flyer- they looked at us like we were loonies.  Well, I didn't photoshop the damn ad!  So my buddy ended up paying $8 cover for each, however parking was free.

And then we entered.  First of all, there is an ATM at the door- I would highly suggest you go to your bank to get money- they charge a WHOPPING $12 fee!  I would have expected a drink to come out with my money.  

As we walked to the bar (at the other side of the place)- i noticed an elevated area with a lot of couches, a long catwalk area with pole, and a smaller area with pole.  IT was indeed a large place.  

We talked to the bartender so we could get the lowdown.  It was definitely a culture shock for both of us.  They do serve beer, and Pepsi (yuck)- and for $10, you can bring your own bottle of whatever (I wonder if moonshine is acceptable?)- and they will serve it for you.  We ended up getting a pitcher of brew, and they actually served it with chalices, haha.

So it was time to sit down and see what happened.  It took a few to get warmed up, but it was soon known that we were in there, and from out of town.  While the girls were dancing on stage, we realized how different this was, and actually surprised at the amount of alcohol they use to sanitize the work area.  

Long story short, our table quickly became occupied by some decent looking dancers, and the next thing I know, I am getting dragged up to the VIP area (those couches in the elevated area I spoke of earlier).  Up there, it is $20 a dance, and I tell you what, when my glasses and belt are forcibly removed, I knew one of two things could happen, but both with the same response: "oh shiiit!".

I will not go into detail, but I will admit, well no, I am admitting to nothing.  What happened was actually very unexpected for a place with strict laws.  

With that being said, I saw an old drunk guy doing inappropriate things to a dancer, and later, we saw him get kicked out.  She then came up to my table and we discussed it.  She was pretty cool- one of the younger ones, and told her unfortunately that can be part of the business.  Best of luck to her.

And then to top it off, I saw a girl on pole- her name was Mary Jane- she had done pole moves like I have NEVER seen before in my life (sorry, Chevy and Dallas!)!  She must have spun 15-20 times while upside at the ceiling without losing any distance or speed.  I asked her if she gets bruises, she says not anymore.  I told her she should surely enter a competition.

For the fact they sell Pepsi and false advertising, I will have to give this place 4 stars. We also later found out, there was no buffet, unless they referred to the popcorn they handed out, or the actual dancers (which I may add, kind of offended some of them!).  But for the people we met, the good times we had, and the fact you can BYOB, truly makes this a unique gem in my book.  Now if I could only find a Catholic church around town to repent, that would be wonderful....

I'm guessing that going here on the night of the Super Bowl is definitely one of the slowest nights of the year.  3 strippers were working when I left, so I could only imagine what this place would look like on a Friday night right before Thanksgiving or something of that nature.  The dancers were eh, and the non-topless part sucks, but that's Memphis being a Holy City and closing every strip club except this one.  If I learned anything from going here, it's that I should find better cities with better strip clubs.  $20 a lapdance is a little high considering what you get in return.