How Much Does A Las Vegas Stripper Earn?

How Much Does a Las Vegas Stripper Earn?

According to our sources, four-figure nights with millionaire or celebrity customers do occur, but they’re few and far between. On most nights (and/or days), strippers have to grind it out, literally and figuratively, making $20 here, $40 there, and so on. An okay night means $300. A great night, $1,000.

Against the earnings, however, you have to subtract expenses. Strippers don’t work for the gentleman’s clubs, they work at them. Similar to the professional prostitutes at Nevada’s legal brothels, the girls are independent contractors; they rent space at the club by the night. Inflation in the rent figures has been enormous. In the early ‘90s, the girls had to cough up around $15 a night to fill their space. By 1995, it’d gone up to $35 and these days, it’s up around $80-$100.

Also, a stripper has a pretty hefty "uniform" expense -- many like to change their clothes, shoes, and accessories frequently in the never-ending quest to showcase their wares.

Depending on the club, girls are expected to make an appearance on stage every hour or two. The stage is geared for the masses -- plenty to see and plenty cheap. If a dancer makes $50 during her turn on stage, she’s really kicking ass.

Still, smart strippers view their stints on stage as time well-spent for getting noticed and selected for lap dances -- the next rung up the loot ladder.

At an average of $20 for a lap dance and four to 10 lap dances an hour, a girl can make between $80 and $200 an hour if she keeps moving (more often the average is on the low side, since she has to approach at least a few guys before one reaches into his pocket to pay for a dance).

Of course, the more creative a stripper, the more tricks of the trade she can employ to empty a guy’s wallet -- and ATM and credit-card accounts. The drunker the guy the better.

Some strippers prefer guys to be alone: No one to talk sense to them. Others prefer guys in a group: several other potential customers, all egging each other on.

Between the stage and the main floor, strippers can earn a solid $300-$500 a night. But hitting a home run in the stripper business means coaxing customers into the VIP or High-Limit Room. That’s where the big bucks await, for private and (in some cases) anything-goes performances. Per-dance prices usually double or triple in the VIP rooms (or more, depending on the club). Tips also skyrocket.

The $5,000 nights depend on a girl landing a big fish to whom money’s no object, or scamming a guy who’s too plastered or flustered to know what he’s doing. The big-time is when a prosperous guy comes expecting to shell out thousands for a night of female attention or when one hands over his credit card and just keeps signing when a girl tells him to. That’s rare, but it does happen.

In addition, there’s a difference in the cash flow depending on the club. If a stripper is young, beautiful, and lithe, she can work at the top joints, where guys with money to burn hang out. But girls at the smaller and less-classy places are in a very different league financially.

There’s also a differential between topless and all-nude clubs. The latter are almost always dives, which can’t serve liquor (they don’t qualify for liquor licenses). When there’s no chance to ply your customers with booze, it’ll certainly affect tipping levels.

Ultimately, however, no matter what she looks like or where she works, the more creative and intelligent a stripper is, the more she’ll recognize financial opportunities on the job.