Going broke, have a lapdance

The NYT reports that:

"The implosion of the financial markets seems to mark the twilight of the secondgilded age. History may look back with scorn at $30,000 couches, $600-an-hour therapists, $25,000 hot chocolates andsuper Sweet 16 parties.

The Wall Street folks, you’d think, seem tobe saying goodbye to all that.

Except, apparently, in one area: strip clubs (or “gentlemen’s clubs,” as they like to brand themselves).".

Not that there are no logistical issues here:

"Mr. Zherka and the club decided to introduce a premium product: the $1,000 lap dance package.

The package will buy a 20-minute lap dance, a bottle of Dom Pérignon and a private Champagne room. Not to mention, as Mr. Zherka did, they also “get to keep the girl’s G-strings.”

That raised eyebrows. Does she take off the G-string there (seems illegal), and if not, how does the customer know it’s really the G-string she was wearing?

Mr. Zherka replied: “She can’t take off the G-string in the room with the guy. She has to go out to the locker room and take it off.”

But management, he assured, was going to reinforce the G-string distribution. (Apparently, the G-string is even going to be autographed, as amNewYork noted this morning.)

What is the normal rate for a lap dance at V.I.P. Club?

It’s $20 for a song, or about three minutes of lap dancing, Mr. Zherka said.

A quick calculation showed that the lap “dancee” could get more than 20 minutes of lap dancing for only $140.

Mr. Zherka responded: “Yeah, right. But you are not getting the G-string, you are not getting the bottle of Dom Pérignon and you are not getting the Champagne room.”

Still, is there really a market for this? Why not just start with the $100 or $500 lap dance?

That is where the market seemed to be heading. “A lot of people are coming in and spending $2,000 and $5,000 and $10,000,” Mr. Zherka said. “They are spending like they are making millions and millions of dollars. I don’t know if they are depressed or what.”"

And it ends with an awesome quote:

"“Yeah, you can get a woman, but you can’t get women”"

Amen to that.