Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

  1. #1
    Member
    Joined
    Oct 2003
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    OK, this may be an offshoot of the myriad Phoenix threads, but I swear I searched as thoroughly as possible before posting this, and I couldn't find an answer to this particular question.

    Anyway, I currently work in Los Angeles, and one of the good points about working at clubs in CA is that there is no smoking in bars or restaurants. I am looking to make some trips (and possibly relocate) to the Phoenix area, and I was wondering if there were any non-smoking clubs. I don't think there is a state-wide smoking ban, but are there any Phoenix-area cities like Mesa or Tempe that have municipal smoking bans? Barring this, are there any Phoenix area clubs that are very well-ventilated? (like with a large floor area and high ceilings?) When I've worked in other states, I've found the smoke to be more bearable as long as the club was large enough, rather than a stuffy little room. If anybody knows any clubs that fit these parameters, I'd really appreciate the advice.

    Also, while I'm at it, what are some nice neighborhoods in the Phoenix area? I've heard good things about Scottsdale, but also that property is really expensive there. What about Gilbert, Chandler, and Mesa? Would these be considered desirable areas to live?

    Thanks in advance for your help.

  2. #2
    God/dess
    Joined
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Phoenix is home, work in Upper Midwest Boonies
    Posts
    3,274
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 107 Times in 61 Posts

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    As far a larger clubs with more ventilation, Christies may be better, but for the most part they are all smoky to some extent. Excessive smoke causes me lung problems so I can sympathize with you 100%.

    The better clubs there are Christies, both Tempe and Phoenix, Hi-Liter, Bourbon Street, Skin, Candy Store, just to name a few. By going in as a customer and observing, you can get a feel of where you feel comfortable, or can "deal with".

    El Paso Texas is another city that enforces a no smoking ban in bars which may be worth you checking out.

    As far as decent affordable areas to live in the Phoenix metro area, since my fiancee' was born and raised there and I have spent time there I can help you out.

    The Ahwatukee area which is near I-10 behind South Mountain is nice.
    The newer areas of Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, and east Mesa are decent.

    The area behind Arrowhead Mall on the west side (83rd Ave and Bell), towards the 101 loop is nice, as well as newer western areas near Litchfield Park and Goodyear are exploding. You will get more house for your money on the west side and there are some nice places here. Litchfield Park has always been upscale. I stress the area NORTH of Arrowhead Mall as far west as you can go, and as far east along the 101 loop towards I-17. Nice places and housing will be comparable and cheaper here than in the east side areas like Ahwatukee.

    The 24th Street and Baseline area just SOUTH of the new Fry's and Target shopping center is exploding as well. This area used to be iffy but is jumping with new nice housing and apartments.

    Some of the newer areas which are near agricultural areas can get dusty when it gets windy, but you can evaluate that as you drive around and spend time there.

    If you like to be more centrally located, the North central corridor (areas between 7th Street and 7th Avenue, near where the skyscrapers are have nice apartments. Also the Biltmore area which is between 16th Street and 32nd Street and north of Camelback is nice.The 16th St and Glendale area has some nice apartments and is somewhat upscale and affordable.

    North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills is kind of pricey. I would avoid that.

    You can tell by driving around and shopping in stores in those areas where you would feel comfortable living.

    Most of the clubs are centrally located as in every city and if you were to live in the Mesa, tempe, Chandler, or Gilbert area, only 3 topless and one nude club are in the whole area so your drive would be longer should you not work out there.

    There are some nice areas near Paradise Valley Mall, and that may give you a quick access to the 51 Squaw Peak Fwy, which gives you easy access to lots of clubs.

    Avoid the Maryvale and Central West Phoenix areas. That includes the Desert Sky Mall and Metrocenter Mall areas, although if you go west of Desert Sky Mall past 107th ave it is all new and nice. The same goes for Metrocenter. Go north on I-17 towards the 101 loop and it's nice.

    Hope all goes well. You can PM me when you move there if you have any questions on areas. Good Luck.

  3. #3
    Member
    Joined
    Oct 2003
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Thanks for the suggestions Tina. You have a wealth of knowledge and are such an asset to this board! I will be sure to check out those areas when I make my visits.

    I want to relocate primarily b/c I am looking for an area with a lower cost of living, where I can buy property in the next year or so. I do not even live in Los Angeles proper, but rather an hour to the east, and property prices have become so ridiculous that you can not find a new single family home for under 400K. I know several dancers who have purchased homes, and have assumed mortgage payments in the area of $2,500-$3,000 a month. I don't want to deal with that responsibility, and would like to move to a major city where there are still new houses in good neighborhoods available for between 200K-300K. I thought Phoenix would be a good choice, as I like the warm, dry climate of the southwest.

    By all accounts, Phoenix is a good place to make decent, consistent money, so I am not too worried about that part of the equation (although I plan to verify for myself). I just find cigarette smoke to be really noxious. I can deal with it in larger clubs, but if I am in a crowded, smokey room, I will be literally sick by the end of the night. But, I guess the only way I will find my tolerance level is to go work a few nights in a particular club.

    I'm really excited about going to Phoenix, I just hope I find a good working environment. Thanks again for the help!

  4. #4
    Featured Member Chili Palmer's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2004
    Location
    In the locker room, but I don't see you here
    Posts
    1,247
    Thanks
    95
    Thanked 475 Times in 164 Posts

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Having just returned from my annual visit to Phoenix, sadly there are NO places where there is a smoking ban. It's the one thing about this town that really, really sucks.

    The best clubs (Hi-Liter, CC's, Skin, Babe's, Centerfolds, BSC, all have about as much smoke as a human can tolerate. The best for me from a non-smoking viewpoint was Skin in Scottsdale, but that was only because they had just four custy's in the place and none near me.

    So, when ya movin' to DVCOI, Bailey? We're waiting breathlessly for ya.

    CP

  5. #5
    God/dess britneyireland's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Dallas
    Posts
    2,568
    Thanks
    283
    Thanked 602 Times in 340 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Inspired

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    A state-wide smoking ban was on the ballot. It didn't pass, but the right to carry a loaded weapon into a bar passed. No, I'm not kidding. Welcome to the Wild Wild West.

    I work at the Christies on 32nd street. Great ventilation and since it is an open 2 story floor plan, most of the smoke drifts up and away. The only time the smoke really bothers me is when I'm sitting on someone's lap who's smoking a $3 cigar they bought from the bathroom attendant. The Christie's in Tempe is a one story building, so it's not as well ventilated. I thought the smoke at Skin was unbearable when I worked there (for a week) I was literally coughing on customers by the end of the night. You must have been there at an off-hour, Chili.

    I moved here from California 2 1/2 years ago and it was the best financial decision I ever made. ALL the clubs here rock! Most of them have an open scheduling policy and truly treat us as independent contracters, unlike many of the chain CA clubs.

    The real estate market is very strong here. My house appreciated 100K (50%) in just 14 months. I'm in the process of refinancing and buying a second home as a rental before the prices get way out of hand. Unfortunately, investors are driving up the home prices and causing a shortage of available homes for first time buyers. Homes on the MLS are usually snatched up within days of listing, and the best properties have bidding wars; often with them most qualified buyer winning. There about a 10 month wait for new home construction, so if you are ready to put a deposit on a new build, be prepared to have a temporary rental. Hmmm...I may have a temporary rental in a few months

    Most importantly, use a real estate agent. Especially if you buy a new construction!! It doesn't cost you anything, and they handle all the legal crap for you. I didn't use one and ran into a lot of problems with the builder and financing.

    If you're not familiar with how real estate sales works, here's what they don't tell you: Real estate purchases carry a 6% commission. The guy sitting in the office of the model homes wants that full 6% commission for himself. If you use a real estate agent, he has to split that commission with your agent. So, if you are browsing model homes alone, try to be discrete because if you talk to them, fill out an info card, or even if they just recognize you later on....they will not allow your real estate agent to represent you at closing.

    To make matters worse...most builders have their own in-house financing. They give perks to you (and to their sales staff) to use their finance guys. If you have filed taxes for the past 2 years and can otherwise qualify for a conventional loan, you have nothing to worry about. However, if you plan on using a stated income or low doc loan with little or nothing down.... and IF they approve you, they really screw you on the interest rates. So, find a mortgage broker who has experience with low doc loans. You can PM me for my broker's info if you'd like.

    Tina's description of the area is right on. The newer developments are located on the fringes of the metropolitan area. Although, the "fringes" are only 30 miles from downtown, so compared to LA's sprawling suburbia, it's really not THAT far.

    Some good resources are
    http://www.azcentral.com/relocationguide04/
    http://www.azcentral.com/class/realestate.html

    Good Luck!
    Rebecca Avalon







  6. #6
    Member
    Joined
    Oct 2003
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Quote Originally Posted by Chili Palmer
    Having just returned from my annual visit to Phoenix, sadly there are NO places where there is a smoking ban. It's the one thing about this town that really, really sucks.

    The best clubs (Hi-Liter, CC's, Skin, Babe's, Centerfolds, BSC, all have about as much smoke as a human can tolerate. The best for me from a non-smoking viewpoint was Skin in Scottsdale, but that was only because they had just four custy's in the place and none near me.

    So, when ya movin' to DVCOI, Bailey? We're waiting breathlessly for ya.

    CP
    Thanks for the response Chili. As always, I will defer to your expertise on any strip club-related issue. Too bad about all the smoke, though. Between the desert sun and all the cigarette smoke, I am envisioning lots of haggard, leathery skin in the Phoenix area. Actually, it would probably be the perfect market to launch a post-dancing career as an aesthetician, since all strippers aspire to be real estate agents or aestheticians when we grow up.

    As for DVCOI, I plan to defect there in the imminent future, especially since the framework for those wretched money-collecting machines has already been installed back in NoHo.

  7. #7
    Member
    Joined
    Oct 2003
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    58
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Quote Originally Posted by britneyireland
    A state-wide smoking ban was on the ballot. It didn't pass, but the right to carry a loaded weapon into a bar passed. No, I'm not kidding. Welcome to the Wild Wild West.

    I work at the Christies on 32nd street. Great ventilation and since it is an open 2 story floor plan, most of the smoke drifts up and away. The only time the smoke really bothers me is when I'm sitting on someone's lap who's smoking a $3 cigar they bought from the bathroom attendant. The Christie's in Tempe is a one story building, so it's not as well ventilated. I thought the smoke at Skin was unbearable when I worked there (for a week) I was literally coughing on customers by the end of the night. You must have been there at an off-hour, Chili.

    I moved here from California 2 1/2 years ago and it was the best financial decision I ever made. ALL the clubs here rock! Most of them have an open scheduling policy and truly treat us as independent contracters, unlike many of the chain CA clubs.
    Thanks for such a detailed and informative response, Britney. You have no idea how much this information helps me! I figured Christie's would probably be one of the largest clubs in the city. Although I've never worked at the AZ locations, I did work at the one in Greensboro, NC briefly during a trip home a couple of years ago. So, I figured most of their clubs would have the same open, expansive layout. I've worked in smaller clubs where smoking is permitted, and by the end of the night, I've invariably developed this really sexy, tubercular-sounding cough that probably makes me oh-so-appealing to all the men in the room. So you can probably see why I would like to avoid this happening in the future.

    Thanks for the explanation about real estate commissions. One of the reasons I have been considering a new construction is b/c the apt. complex where I have lived for the past 2 years allows you to accumulate a credit that you can apply to the down payment of new homes by participating builders (like KB Homes and Beazer). The credit can be applied to a 3% down payment, with the stipulation that a real estate agent isn't receiving a commission for the sale. This makes sense in light of your explanation.

    I don't really mind the 10 month wait b/c it would allow me time to save more money for closing costs and the down payment. Also, I am currently leasing a car that messes up my debt-to-income ratio, but that lease ends early next year. So, my gameplan was to research neighborhoods and get approved for financing in the next few months, so that construction would be finished around the same time that my lease ends.

    I had already figured that I wouldn't want to finance through any builder's in-house mortgage company. I probably will need to do a stated-income loan, and I only want to put down 5-10%, and probably do an 80-10-10 mortgage to avoid the PMI. I will definitely be contacting you for your broker's contact info.

    I'm glad to hear that moving to AZ has worked out for you financially. I've never thought that CA is a bad place to make money dancing, I just think the high cost of living makes it hard to get ahead here without being overburdened by debt.

    BTW, I'm still LOL about how the voters wouldn't ban smoking, but they were in favor of carrying loaded weapons into bars. I guess I'll know what to do if some customer ever tries to assault me in the VIP room

  8. #8
    Senior Member DeeJay's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2005
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    157
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Wow, great thread ladies!! It's been a wealth of information for me as well. I've been wanting to get the hell out of New York for a long time now. My choices are Miami, Arizona or Italy. Each year, Mens Journal Magazine does extensive research to determine "Best Places to Live" based on median income, real estate affordability, employment, activities, etc. Well, Scottsdale, Arizona came in #2 this year just behind Boulder, Colorado. I was thinking of moving to Arizona as well, around the Phoenix area? Because, that would put me in the middle of my favorite two places, Sedona and Mexico. Bailey, you must visit Sedona, Arizona (for chilling-out purposes, rest, and relaxation). Sedona Arizona was voted most beautiful place in the United States. I've been there four times!! I love it. So my question to all of you? As a DJ, can I make a decent living? What are the tip outs in the major clubs? By the way, working in New York I've become accustom to smoke-free environments so I'm spoiled. I hate smoke too!!

  9. #9
    God/dess britneyireland's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Dallas
    Posts
    2,568
    Thanks
    283
    Thanked 602 Times in 340 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Inspired

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    The standard DJ tip out around here is $10 minimum per girl, 35-50 dancers per shift. When I first moved here, I was used to giving 10%, because that was how we did it in California...but then I realized that no one else was giving the DJs 40-80 bucks!

    I read that article in Mens Journal. Actually Flagstaff was #2, Scottsdale was further down the list in the 40's. Regardless, Scottsdale is a great place to live, it is an established city and had already reached build out, so any homes for sale would be a re-sale. Sedona is gorgeous, we go there a few times a year. Much closer than the Grand Canyon, with the same "take your breath away" factor. The beaches of Rocky Point are only 3 hours away, so I don't feel too landlocked.

    I went out investment searching this weekend. There's a new twist in many of the new developments. Not only do you have to sign that you will LIVE in the house for a year after close, but there is a minimum downpayment of 50K to even QUALIFY for the lottery of availible lots! I kid you not: there are so many potential buyers in Gilbert, that they put the names into a lottery every week for the available homes. If your name is picked out the hat, you have to be there with your 50K in hand to claim your lot! Wow!
    Rebecca Avalon







  10. #10
    Senior Member DeeJay's Avatar
    Joined
    Mar 2005
    Location
    New York City
    Posts
    157
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Yep, you were right about Mens Journal, my mistake. Nonetheless, Arizona is a great place to live. This Rocky Point? Is it a nice beach area? Is it safe? So I see they make it difficult to become a homeowner? 50K upfront...ouch!!!

  11. #11
    God/dess britneyireland's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Dallas
    Posts
    2,568
    Thanks
    283
    Thanked 602 Times in 340 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Mood
    Inspired

    Default Re: Non-smoking or well-ventilated clubs in the Phoenix area

    Only the new developments in high demand areas are asking for 50K down. There are still plently of resale homes that offer convention and seller financing.

    Here's an interesting news article on Real Estate from the local paper.
    http://www.azcentral.com/class/marke...main13-ON.html

    Rocky Point is the American name for the Mexican town Puerto Penasco. It's on the Gulf of California about an hour past the border. It was a sleepy fishing village 20 years ago, but there's been lots of American developers going down there and putting up gated communities and hi rise condos on the beach. It's relatively cheap (120K for a beach condo) and relatively safe (I wouldn't stray from the tourist areas)
    http://www.azcentral.com/travel/regi...ointindex.html
    Rebecca Avalon







Similar Threads

  1. photographer in the Phoenix area?
    By savannah429 in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-28-2010, 11:21 PM
  2. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 11-30-2009, 10:35 PM
  3. Phoenix area clubs offering hourly pay?
    By Nina77 in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 02-19-2009, 01:04 PM
  4. Phoenix Area Dancewear ~
    By Arizona_Angel in forum Body Business
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-20-2008, 08:05 PM
  5. clubs in the phoenix, scottsdale area
    By gotdanni in forum Club Chat
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 04-08-2005, 06:29 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •