^^^Yeah but that's not a realistic goal for many people. I assume most gals are not walking out of their club after a 9hr shift with $1OOO.





^^^Yeah but that's not a realistic goal for many people. I assume most gals are not walking out of their club after a 9hr shift with $1OOO.







Okay how about $400 take home for every six hours. So after 9 hours you would have $600. Like I said that is the low end.
I'm not trying to pick on any one, and I want dancers to make money. The landscape of dancing has changed dramatically so people either have to take hustling seriously or what they do outside of the club (job). Gone are the days of sitting around and making money (and the consistent $1000 nights). Those days may come back...they may not.
So yes I agree and disagree at the same time. If the money is simply not there a good hustle won't mean a thing in some cases.
Here is a joke we used to say in the dressing room:
300. It's the new 1000.![]()



ITA... when I quit in Nov it was a struggle to make $200 a night in my home club. A club where 3 years ago I had consistent $800 nights... on a Monday!
I had nights where I would struggle to pull in $60. It was getting bad.
But the worse of it is... its hard to find a regular job these days too and if you do they're only giving minimal hours at minimum wage. So really $600 a week dancing with 9 hour shifts is still probably going to be more then what a regular job will bring in(if you can even find one).
I agree its not right to be happy with that but at the same time we're from an era where $600 would be an average 5 hour shift kwim?(sad thing is I only danced for 5 or 6 years) I pray those days come back. Because im more then likely going back to dancing after my kid is born so I can pay for school *sigh*
There is NO consistency $$ in the industry now. It's not only the recession but IMHO it's become TOO mainstream and throw in sex on the internet, the stripping industry has changed in ways it will never recover from.
HARD HUSTLE works to a point, but even then sometimes it just doesn't work ... and I don't mean the extra girls. I've seen super hot chics come away in the negative or breaking even ... I'm always shocked at this and puts things in perspective for me.
Every dancer has her bottom line $$ what it's worth to dance or get a *normal* job ... and like everything else in life this will vary from dancer to dancer.
In an ideal stripper world we should be making at least $400 for working 6 hours, but it's just NOT realistic anymore. Now-a-days a shift can go from in the negative to -->$$$$. The only consistency is working regularly, then average your earnings for the week and/or month.
I'm disheartened by the change in the industry. I've been dancing a long time, and I love being a stripper. Sometimes I get soooooo frustrated I ask myself is it worth it? Should I get a normal job? Then I remind myself why I love being a stripper ... and I get back to a place where I'm happy w/ my job and count my blessings.
And there is NO security in a normal job, especially in our economy. I count myself lucky to be able to support myself in our industry that is now feast or famine.





Depends on two things in my opinion.
Can you make the same in a regular job? (even if you have to work more hours) You are not taking your clothes off in a regular job so...
Does it cover your expenses and allow for savings?
$600 wouldn't even come close to covering my weekly living expenses.





If you like your job, why should it matter if you are taking your clothes off? That is no big deal to me. I hardly factor that in to my equation of whether or not $600 a week is worth it. What I think about is how hard I am working, how often I am working, and my stress level.
Also, $600 per week in a BUSY club? Not ok. In a slow club where only a couple customers show up a night? Probably worth it-Taking into factor all those other things I mentioned.
"You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories -Stainslaw J. Lec
Confuscius say: "Man who pull bra stap get bust in face"

I think that depends on your mindset.
For me I'd rather make $600 a week dancing then working full time at Starbucks (and pretty sure you won't make $600 a week doing that.
You would have to find a job that pays $15 an hour to make $600 working 40 hours a week. Most "normal" jobs don't pay that.
Frankly if you find stripping to be emotionally damaging I don't think you should be doing it period.





Keep in mind that the original poster is only 20. She doesn't have the schooling or work experience ( yet ) to get some great paying day job ( just like everyone else when they were 20! ) .
Dancing 3 days a week for 8 hours a day is yeilding $600 a week ( which averages out to $25 an hour ) . Where is a 20 year old going to make $25 an hour?
You WILL want to be careful though because if your earnings don't climb when you turn 21 and get into a better club because I also agree that dancing is really hard to justify for $200 a night over a long period of time.
Personally ....... I get upset about a $200 night. I expect more since once I get there , I hustle really hard ( but I work in the middle of no-where and it takes forever to get here ) .
Oh wait ........ I just re-read your post. Over the last two weeks ..... you've been averaging $100 a night ? I don't know. You might want to consider telling your family you lost your "office job" and seeing if they can help you. You can easily make $100 a night as a bartender or server at a nice place with your clothes on, so I definitely don't think you should settle for $100 nights. I have a feeling that once you turn 21, you'll find stripping a lot more profitable though!
Last edited by carmen_b; 04-26-2010 at 08:35 AM.




$100 per shfit (9 hrs) is pretty lame. But since the OP is only 20, perhaps she could stick it out for a few months and try to hone her hustling/stage skills and when she turns 21, she will have more choices.
Coming out to her parents about losing her job is yet another option.
(Formerly known as 'Korina')





Not wanting to rain on anybody's parade but $600 a week of untaxed self-employed dancer income is not the same thing as a $600 weekly paycheck with estimated taxes and Social Security already withheld. As income tax enforcement rises exponentially thanks to state and federal budgets running in the red, it becomes more and more likely that appropriate taxes are going to need to be paid on self-employed dancer income. For starters there is a 15.3% Social Security tax = $92 out of the untaxed $600. Next is at the very least a 10% federal income tax = another $60 out of the untaxed $600. So the real question is whether or not it's worth it to 'strip' for $450 a week net of taxes.




For Me personally, that money would not be worth it. I got into this industry to make more than I would at a regular job. That was the whole point. Granted the economy is bad and anyone working is lucky to have that privilage in these times but for me if I wanted regular money I would get a regular job. When or starts being comparable to working at starbucks on a consistent basis , it would be time for me to be out





^^^ well obviously it's possible to earn $450 net of taxes with three nights of dancing, versus Starbucks requiring five instead. On the other hand, at Starbucks there is zero risk of being busted and having to explain a 'sex crime' misdemeanor charge on your permanent record. On the other hand, at Starbucks you would be building a mainstream work record for your resume, whereas working as a 'stripper' could potentially work against you with certain future 'straight job' employers. Working at Starbucks could also provide employee health and retirement benefits that have a net positive cash value, while working as a dancer does not ( short of a class action lawsuit being brought against the club, anyhow !)
I'm not attempting to make a point that exotic dancing 'isn't worth it' anymore ... just pointing out that between elevated tax enforcement of 'cash' businesses, elevated bust risk, declining dancer income potential etc. it is now very necessary to weigh the positives and negatives.
I'm really disenchanted with the adult industry these days. It's getting harder and harder to make a decent living in this industry. Competition is getting fiercer, and guys want more bang for their buck. $600 is better than nothing, but you should also be setting up for your future.
It may sound difficult on so little earnings, but if you put back $75 a week, you could get a decently priced laptop (I paid $480 for mine) in about six weeks. Add a cam for about $30 - $60, and you could start camming a few nights a week in addition to dancing. Save ALL the cam money you make in a bank account. I make on average $100 - $200 per night doing webcam work. Save up for a few weeks, and either put that money into your education, or to live off of while you search for another job.
If I'm not mistaken, you said you worked in NYC. There is a mecca of waitressing jobs available out there, from low end diner jobs to high end nightclub cocktail waitressing. You could make about the same or more in one of those jobs.
Slightly off topic but my question is simple: can I get away with camming using only a vibrator instead of my fingers? Masturbation wasn't what I thought camming would be initially but I think there's definite pros in being in the safety of your home....so could I still bank using just a vibrator and would any of the companies even let me make that decision??
Hun, there is a wealth of information available at your fingertips in the "otherwork" forum. Do a search here on "camming" before you ask questions though because some of the girls can get a little uppity about the same questions being asked constantly. Just forewarning you. You don't want to poke the bear.
But just so you know, it's possible to fake masturbating on cam with your fingers. There are even techniques to fake anal on cam. A vibrator will work, guys like toys. And it's not really up to the cam companies to tell you how to operate, so long as you don't deviate from the rules.
Visit the otherwork section, it will tell you more.
Whether its "worth it" is all relative to you, and you only. Everybody has a different needs and different opinions. I would have to make very little money to quit, because stripping is not ALL about the money for me. I need the flexibility, the hours, and I have kids that I need to at home with so I can't have a day job right now. I need to be able to take time off at the drop of a hat, and I need the money that stripping provides. As long as my income is = to or more than any 'straight' job I could get, I will continue because I don't hate it, and I love the flexibility of my job more than anything. $600 a week is low to me, but I would still do it even if I made that much. I work 3-5 days a week and I have to hit certain marks to break even, and more if I want to pay for "extras." Thats just me.




Heh, meanwhile I quit Starbucks (which is actually not an easy job at all) to strip full time after doing both for a while. As others have said, it's all up to what the individual wants. My club is not big big money but I work 3-5 days a week, whenever I want basically, and it's a very low stress kind of place usually. My bills get paid and my savings account is steadily growing. I am free of the stress of my Starbucks job, plus even with bad days I am still making on average far more money for less time than I would with any other job. And that's after taxes and with purchasing my own health insurance.
OP, I'd suggest breaking it down hourly instead of weekly, and deciding what's most important to you at this time, and then going from there. Would you make more per hour at any regular job? And is what you are making per hour acceptable compensation for what you have to deal with as a dancer?
I agree that someone who is actually being emotionally damaged might not want to dance. I am often annoyed and occasionally really pissed off but honestly not any more than I ever was at Starbucks or as a pizza delivery driver. Money is so not worth it if it's going to give you issues later on in life.


I just scanned this, but I don't think I saw anyone mention anything about seasons!
Are the girls at the new club seriously happy with that amount, or happy for it this time of year? In my area, it's really slow for like 4 months, average for about 4 months, and pretty sweet for about 4 months. In the dead months a weekday can mean possibly going home in the negative or with a couple hundred, but at the end of the year it averages out to decent $$.


You could consider doing private parties in NYC. Especially if you're thinking of going to AC to work at Bare. That is a slimy nude club and they won't let you work just on the weekends, you'll have to put in weekdays as well. They don't care if you live several hours away. Too high of a cost, you won't see a return on your time/$ investment. Work at your lil div 2 days a week and keep sat nites open for private parties. There is a much smaller time investment needed so i will give you variety without feeling burnt out. I can give you some reputable companies in your area if you want to PM me.
XOXO Jessica Blade
WWW.PERFECT10ENTERTAINMENT.NET





When I was at Bare they let select girls only come on the weekends, and for a portion of a shift too.



It's worth it to me, but I work dayshift and we're in the off-season right now.
In fact, when I started at the club I now work at a month ago (with absolutely no regs) my weekly goal was about $500 take-home (working 8 hrs/day, 4 days/week)... when I realized how easy it'd be to make that, I raised my goal to $600. I may raise it to $700.
But I probably have like the lowest expenses of any dancer on this site (w/ the exception of girls who are living on financial aid or living w/ their parents), and no kids. I can live very happily on about $1200/month.
As others have said, only you can decide whether it's worth it to you. There are girls who make $500 a day and act all judgmental towards me, but they also have to put lots of pressure on themselves in order to maintain their expensive lifestyles and don't save a dime.
Depending on what area you live in, it may be damn near impossible to make $100/hr. I mean, not impossible, but very, very difficult. Don't stress too much comparing your own earnings to top earners in other parts of the country (on this site in particular)



depends on where you are...im in nashville which is verrrry strict. (only nude onstage with a three foot law and no touching during dances, which are fully clothed) so i am happy with 200 a day. because i dont do very much for the money. if i were having to deal with touching and things i would expect to make way more.
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