The Paris strip scene

Paris though is a large city with a major business and government community as well as being one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations. It retains a wide variety of striptease based attractions which I will break into 3 main groups.

US/UK style table dancing clubs

Paris came rather later than the UK into the table dancing era, the first club only opened in 2001 and there are still only 3 {or 4 depending how you categorise the American Show club}. They basically operate like UK or US clubs though being continental they tend to open later and stay open very late indeed. Most of the places only come to life after midnight so to make the most of them you need to be something of a night owl yourself! Unlike the UK and US corporate entertaining at strip clubs has not really taken off in France so the main clubs tend to be less expensive than some in London. Most of the clubs in Paris are officially non touching but this seems to be taken less literally than in the UK. The clubs all recruit girls via the UK as the French labour laws do not recognise the self employed status which is central to the running of such places. The main clubs are,

The Paris strip scene Pink Paradise
36 rue de Ponthieu 75008

This was Paris’s first table dance club opened in 2001 by famous local DJ and recording artist David Guetta with his wife Cathy .As the address suggests it’s very central close to hub of the city just off the Champs Elysee. It’s a very smart up market place with a dress code { jackets though not in summer}, the entrance is 25 Eu { including your first drink} and it’s open from 10.30 to 4am or later Monday to Saturday. There are up to 50 girls on and full nude dances are 24Eu at the table and 48Eu in private rooms area. Website: www.pinkparadise.fr The Pink Paradise also has a pole dancing school called Pink School Pink School 36 rue de Ponthieu 75008 Website: www.pinkschool.fr
Stringfellow’s
59 rue de Ponthieu 75008

Stringfellow’s also opened up in 2001 in Paris, it’s an outpost of the famous London club operating on very much the same format. The club operates via local partner who actually runs the club itself but the girls are all recruited via London ensuring the same high quality. The club opens at 9.30pm and entrance is free up to 11pm, from then it’s 25Eu. Like London the club has a high class restaurant. It has a separate web site  www.stringfellows.fr though the recruitment is done via the main Stringfellow’s web site.

The Paris strip scene Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club
13-15 Rue De Berri

Although it’s called the Hustler club it’s actually owned by US giant DeJaVu and operated via local management. It opened with a media circus in October 2002 by Larry Flynt on his birthday. It’s located close to the Pink Paradise just off the Champs Elysee. It’s open from 10pm to 6am or later 7 days a week, the entrance charge is 30Eu which includes your first drink. It has 25 to 30 girls on, table dances are topless at 24Eu , private dances full nude in a separate area are 72Eu. There is no dress code and the club is aimed at more of a local market than the other 2. There is an excellent web sitewww.hustlerclubparis.com .

The Paris strip scene Cabaret shows

Paris is rightly famous for it’s revue type shows which have featured topless dancers for many decades. This include the likes of the Moulin Rouge and Lido which are really just general entertainment but also in this category is the famous Crazy Horse which is a unique up market type of strip club in my experience.

The Paris strip scene Crazy Horse
12, Avenue George V

The Crazy Horse is a world famous Paris institution, it opened in 1951 and has retained an image for stylish, innovative, and sexy shows. They call it “the art of the nude” and shows involve interesting lighting effects and costumes. In recent times it has been running a show in Las Vegas and there are regular rumours of a London branch being opened. It’s basically a stage show involving 20 or so girls which lasts about 90 minutes. The cost varies from 60 Eu to 150Eu depending on the level of catering you require, the club is open from 7.30pm until 2am. There is a web sitewww.lecrazyhorseparis.com .

 The Paris strip scene Red Light District

Like most European cities Paris retains a red light district which as well as prostitutes {illegal in Paris these days but still plentiful} includes sex shops, peep shows etc and a few live strip shows. The main red light areas in Paris are in the Rue St Dennis and the Rue Pigalle. Again like London but unlike Amsterdam these places should be treated with caution as many are rip off “ hostess” type places aimed at the unwary tourist. The ones listed are {or at least were} OK, they are rather more sleazy and down market than the places mentioned so far but not without their attractions. These clubs are generally very small and only have a limited number of girls on but that gives them an intimacy which is attractive in itself. They don’t normally have bars and though some of the places do private dancing but I’d be a bit wary of this myself as I have heard stories of rip off pricing, if you stick to the stage shows you should be OK.

French Lovers/Lovers Chair
62 Rue Pigalle

This one is open most afternoons and closes at around 2am, it’s a small theatre holding about 40 people which has 3 to 5 girls on giving fairly explicit stage shows.
It’s 55 Eu to enter and as far as I could see you can stay as long as you like for that unless it starts getting busy. The show features lesbian shows and even the odd boy girl live sex show. The girls in the main allow a certain amount of touching amongst the audience though the amount varies depending on the performer.

Chochotte
34 Rue St Andres des Artes

This place is also open all day from 12.30, it has a web site www.chochotte.com and has a similar format to the Loving Chair except that it’s even smaller seating only about 20 people. Entrance is 50Eu for men and 30Eu for women though it has been described to me as “ not the sort of place to take your girlfriend “.

Showgirls
5 Rue des Halles

This is a similar sort of place but slightly larger than Chochotte. It’s 50 Eu to enter.