Top Tips

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Before you go to work in a club or at your audition try to find out about the security measures in place. Ask about the house rules/code of conduct, levels of house fees and commission, how you get paid and fining policy.
If you are not happy with a club, leave. There are many different types of managers in this industry; the manager greatly influences the culture in the club. So if you feel that you don’t get on with him/her, you don’t like their management style and how they treat you do not be afraid to try a different club where you may find that you are more comfortable.
Avoid leaving the club alone, leave in pairs or larger groups!
If you collect money from customers keep it somewhere safe, close to you or where you can see it. Never make a show of your earnings.

This is your job and so adopt a professional approach to how you go about your work, be professional with the club/s that contract you, other work colleagues and customers.
Be friendly with other dancers and others in the club and they will be more willing to help & support you. Yet remember it is a work place and you can’t be close friends with everyone.

New dancers - you need to keep your eyes open. You can make bad friends and trust people you shouldn’t.
Dancers stressed the importance of trying to make and maintain good relationships with other dancers, barstaff and doorstaff. They stressed that the clubs can be a very competitive workplace and it is important, especially as a new dancer, not to annoy others when you first start.
Don’t do dirty dancing! (i.e. break the established none touching rules of the club) - it won’t help you in the long run with customers, other dancers or management. Don’t say you do dirty – because you’ll have trouble if you say you do and then do the dance and you don’t – so don’t offer something that isn’t true.

Think about and decide how you want to sell your services: dancers do this in different ways but you need to think what will work for you. For more information see the ‘How to Sell Safely’ section.
Be in control & don’t let anyone be disrespectful: it is really important to let your client know from the start that you are confident and in control of what happens.
Be aware of how you position you body all the time: you can generally avoid being touched where you don’t want to be by thinking about distance and positioning.
Do only what you are comfortable with; remember you can refuse to dance for someone if you don’t feel comfortable. Remember you can walk away or call security when you feel uncomfortable.
Some dancers choose to work in secret because of some social stigmas still attached to working as a lap dancer. Of course this is a personal choice but try and find someone that you can confide in so that in the event of an emergency someone knows where you are.

Always take the payment from customers first.
Sometimes you will get customers who will try to bargain, customers should be aware of a fixed price, don’t enter into bargaining. It is unfair both on other dancers and ultimately yourself if you work for a lower sum of money.
Always set out the rules to customers clearly before you start & tell them if they break the rules you will call security. You can tell them this in a pleasant but firm manner.
Don’t dance with anyone who is too drunk.

If you collect money from customers keep it some where safe, close to you or where you can see it. Never make a show of your earnings.
Be realistic about your earning expectations. The amount you can earn will vary from club to club. You can make good money but you have to take the good nights with the bad, plan for this to avoid any stress or pressure on you to break house rules.
Don’t spend all the money you earn – you need to budget for the quiet periods, any financial targets you have, and to cover you during sickness or injury. If dancing is your only income this is especially important.

I always think save at least 6 weeks money because that’s the minimum it would take you to recover from a broken leg
When you are earning good money it’s tempting to live the high life and spend all your money on designer goods and holidays – it’s your choice so enjoy it if you do – but think about the future you might want other things in life at some point – so try and have a plan and save some of your money.

Avoid over consumption of alcohol and avoid using drugs. If you do use drugs it is important for your health and safety that you find out about them, how to reduce the risks and follow key harm reduction tips. Keep an eye on your use – you can develop problems that can get to a point where you can’t do your job and your personal life and health is affected. Go to http://www.talktofrank.com/ or call: 0800 77 66 80 for a wide range of information about substances, including information about the effects, risks and legal status of a wide range of drugs including alcohol.
Think about and be prepared for the impact of working at night on your physical, mental well being and social life– try and keep some day time normality. You can lose friends if you don’t see them because they’re working day time and you night time.
Be aware that as a dancer you have to be very strong mentally. You will receive many compliments from customers but you also get insults from other customers who are drunk or just rude. Positive or negative, don’t take their comments seriously.
Lap dancing is a difficult job to sustain for a long time, new dancers arrive constantly and also there are not many opportunities for promotion into management etc. Therefore try and decide upon an exit point so that you know what you are working towards and don’t feel trapped or worried about leaving.