A Day in the Life of a Las Vegas Stripper
By: Erin Taylor
Tags: Sexuality, Sex Work, Work, Sex, Feminism

My morning routine depends on what happened the night before. If I had been up till 7 or 8 am, then I wouldn’t be waking until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Breakfast would be a late lunch, and dinner would be a glass of champagne at the club because I didn’t want to be full in my lingerie. That’s the truth.

But for the sake of this article, let’s pretend that last night, I was feeling like a good Christian girl because I knew I was going to be a bad girl at work.

Let’s imagine I politely declined any invitation to go out with a high-roller client on a Thursday night and instead, I stayed home with my pup and binge-watched a season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I went to sleep early, and woke up bright and early at 7:30 am on a Friday morning, ready to start the day.

7:30 am — Breakfast

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I am a tea-enthusiast. I usually have a cup of tea in the morning, either a lemon turmeric tea, or an English Breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I love a savory omelet — eggs, bell peppers, avocado, tomatoes, red onions, and some smoked salmon help me start the day right.

9:00 am — Gym

It is rare to find a stripper who isn’t concerned about her physical shape. Keeping a consistent exercise routine is important for strippers because our livelihood depends on our physical body and how we look naked.

The job of a stripper is already physically demanding — the kneeling, squatting, dancing, standing. Staying in shape helps us work longer hours and be nice and flexible for a good, dirty, VIP dance.

I always worked hard to keep everything tight, toned, and smooth. But I worked long hours, and I also partied pretty hard in the beginning. Sometimes I couldn’t make it into the gym for a single squat or deadlift. That’s when I knew my priorities needed rearranging.

10:30 am — Errands & Shopping

After showering from the gym, I’d make a list of any grocery items I needed, any errand runs I needed to make, and I’d tackle all of that before heading home for lunch.

The biggest perk of working night shifts is that while everyone else was at the office from regular business hours of 9–5, I was free to do my shopping and errands with no long lines. I lived for a Home Goods shopping spree at 11 am because I knew the store would be quiet and the aisles would be empty. And yes, I’d pay for everything in cash.

Did you ever imagine that a stripper’s life could be so normal… and boring?

2:00 pm — Me time

I’d spend time with friends, take my pup to the dog park, read a book, get my nails done, do a laser hair appointment, and relax at home. Sometimes I’d take a bubble bath if I was feeling tense. If I was more tense than usual, I’d either get a massage, or I’d use that handy dandy removable shower-head of mine and have a party in my bathtub.

I also used this afternoon free time to go through my budget and organize my bills. I’d document how much I’d made that week, and how much I needed to make that night in order to stay on track. I saved this document on my phone in case I needed reminding that night’; Do not go home until you’ve made X amount of dollars.

7:00 pm — Stripper mode is on

After getting everything done for the day, that was when I could switch over into my Erin-stripper persona. I put a fun party playlist on my speaker, and I’d do my hair and makeup — nude lipstick, long eyelashes, bronze cheeks, and long, curled hair.

Some of my close friends who also worked at the club in Vegas would come over to my place and get ready for the night. They might have walked into my apartment looking like regular girls, but when we all walked out and got into our cab, there was no denying that we were a group of strippers with a mission to make big chunks of change.

I liked to spend about 2–3 hours getting ready, and I did this because I liked to take my time. I’d watch a movie while I curled my hair, and I’d even do squats while my eyelash glue dried. The worst feeling in the world to me was getting ready for work in a rush because that put me in a bad mood. I felt like if I wasn’t looking my best and as stress-free as possible, I wouldn’t make as much money as I could. I had to look great, taste great, feel great, and smell delicious too. That was my key.

I usually liked to get to the club early, around 9 pm, to get settled in and in the mood for a long night.

9:00 pm to 4:00 am (sometimes even 5, 6, or 7 am) — Stripping my ass off.

The cab drops us off in the “dancer entrance” of the club because we’re not allowed to enter where the customers are walking through. Management likes to keep us (and the fantasy) alive. So, we walk right into the administrative office, pay our club dues for the night (this ranges from $25-$200 per night, depending on what time you arrived at the club, whether you’re dancing on stage, and what club you’re working at.)

After paying my fees, I walk straight into the busy dressing room and find my locker. I get undressed and then dressed in lingerie, fix whatever needed to be fixed, adjust whatever needed to be adjusted (walking around in a g-string thong calls for frequent adjustments), spray myself with a bit of perfume, and then get out on the floor and start working.

The first customer of the night, no matter how long you’ve been stripping, is always the hardest customer to approach. You’re still warming up your stripper persona, and it’s still pretty early in the night to hit the jackpot.

Sometimes, the very first customer you approach will say yes. Most of the time, they’ll say no. That first rejection will put you in the right state of mind and remind you — there is no such thing as a rich, lazy stripper. After that initial rejection, you perk up and gain a bit of fire in you. From there, you can approach customer after customer until you meet the right one. Because you’ve already been rejected, there really isn’t a scenario worse than the one you’ve experienced. So get out there and make that money.

I’ve had nights where I’ve gotten very lucky with a client, and I’ve met my goal within an hour or two. That’s a rare — and wonderful — night. Usually, I work until 3 or 4 am on a slow night. But on a busy night, even after surpassing my goal, I stick around to make more money.

Some strippers use their bathroom breaks to freshen up, others use them to do drugs, and others, like me, use them to count and store their money. I counted my money often, making sure I wasn’t missing anything and then I’d place it safely in my locker. Walking around a busy strip club with $1,000 in your purse isn’t the smartest idea — and girls get their money stolen all the time.

4:00 am (on an early night) — Breakfast with the girls

My friends and I liked to coordinate our shifts, and if all of us were ready to leave by 4 am, for example, we’d pile into the same cab and have breakfast at a local diner. We’d fill up on eggs, pancakes, waffles, and muffins as a reward for a hard night’s work. Diet who?

This was a fun time for us because we’d share all of our crazy stories from the night. We’d lift whoever didn’t have a great night, and we’d congratulate whoever made a killing that night.

“Did you dance for the guy who bit my ass? It still hurts!” “I fell in love… again. He’s coming back tomorrow to see me, so I have to get there early.” “My client paid me in advance to go gambling with him tomorrow, so I’m not going into the club!”

And then we’d go home and crash.

6:30 am to 3 pm — Beauty sleep

Rinse, and repeat, because we have to do all of this all over again the next night. And the next night. And the next.