SHARE:
Florida's Vice Economy
Vice: Strip clubs in Florida
The number of clubs isn't increasing, but the business is growing — and playing the ‘more acceptable' card.
Rohlsen wouldn’t discuss the arrangement at Baby Dolls or the confidential settlement of her suit. She did say “there are some clubs better than others. In that kind of atmosphere, there’s nights. It’s basically like you’re in a casino. You may hit on some money. You might not.” She adds she never would say dancing is over for her. “I liked the club environment. I’m a music-type of person. I see dancing as art,” Rohlsen says.
Pixelated Tittilation
Don Kleinhans, owner of 2001 Odyssey, a strip club on Dale Mabry in Tampa, took a financial beating as an early adopter of live subscription digital streaming of his main stage in the late 1990s. The telecom bills were huge, and most people’s DSL and dial-up modems couldn’t deliver. “Disastrous,” Kleinhans says.
It cooled his ardor for the digital age, but only until about seven years ago. Now his main stage is live streamed — about $24 a month for a subscription — and his dancers get an audience in day shifts when the club sometimes is quiet and, via a monitor that faces them, can see how many people are online, who wants to be blown a kiss and whether the tips are flowing.
Kleinhans’ online customers can even hit a club video-on-demand service to view a virtual reality private dance, provided they have headsets at home. (Otherwise, it’s regular display.) This year, he added a 360-degree camera and a live, virtual reality stream of the dancers’ dressing room.
See other stories from Florida Trend's December issue.
Get Florida Trend's December magazine – print or digital. Select from these options:
* offer valid for new subscribers only
