Montreal: March 2012. Introduction.

[+ newatthis]

Just back from a wonderful 5-day trip to Montreal. The weather was glorious, with daytime temperatures ranging from the high 60's to high 70's (perfect for shorts) and nary a cloud in the sky (save for a few hours Thursday afternoon). Ste. Catherine was full of people -- it was a shame the street wasn't already closed off -- and most nights the restaurants had their windows wide open and were still filled with diners after 10 pm, just like summer.

 

A more substantive report about my adventures, with the details Montreal freaks dote on, will be forthcoming as a continuation to this thread as soon as I have time.

[EZEtoGRU]

Well we look forward on your report. I am interested to hear how Taboo is doing and if they can really create a niche for themselves. Also, how are they managing with ricky's passing?

 

Sounds like you were really lucky with the weather. I know Chicago and Detroit were both in the 80's for several days this week. Montreal must have benefited from the same system.

[+ newatthis]

Montreal: March 2012. Some details.

 

Taboo. I missed Taboo’s reopening last fall by a couple of days, and I’ve been keen to go back ever since. I have very fond memories of the “old” Taboo, circa 2005-2006 – it took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, I had more fun there than in any other club. Initial reports had the new manager, Ricky, getting off to a promising start, but there was no further news after his untimely death in February.

 

I stopped in on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday, arriving around 9:30-10 each night (they’re closed Monday and Tuesday). There are lots of positives. Drinks are very reasonably priced. Ricky’s replacement, Carl, is slowly renovating the room – the stage and the stage wall have been refinished; the furniture is slowly being replaced. There is a much better sound system.

 

Dances are only $10/song. Most importantly, the cubicles in the back are almost as private as at Campus. To be precise, there are solid walls on the sides and curtains which can be pulled closed across the front. The curtains are somewhat flimsy and leave about an inch open on either side.

 

Sunday, there were 8 dancers and maybe 15 customers – a bit sparse, but still a vast improvement over a year ago The average dancer was perceptibly younger than at the other clubs, but didn’t hover close to 18 like in the old days. With one exception, I found none of them very attractive. The exception, strawberry blond Samuel, was tall, cute, and a bit hyperactive; he was very good company in the back.

 

Wednesday and Thursday were much livelier: more (and more attractive) dancers and many more customers. In fact, on Thursday the room was almost full and 2 waiters were working. I had a lot of fun at my table and in back with a slim, dark, sassy, good-looking 20-year old named Bobby. I discovered Leo as well and will make time for him on my next visit. Some other dancer names I recall: Zoan, Samy, Brian, Francis.

 

One thing hasn’t changed. Many of the dancers seem more comfortable hanging out together than circulating among the clientele – you need to be proactive to get them over to your table.

 

There is some pleasant carry-over from the old Taboo. Ex-dancer Hugo tends bar a couple of nights and ex-dancer Jean-Sébastien is the Wednesday and Friday DJ. Another former Taboo mainstay, Francis (who now tends bar at Cocktail), came by with his friends on his nights off.

 

It’s too early to tell whether the new owner and manager will succeed, but they’re trying hard and moving in the right direction. A lot will depend on whether they can attract a larger, fresher crop of twink dancers as summer approaches.

 

Campus. I was here every afternoon till 9 pm and it’s still comfortably at the top of my list. There was a mix of veterans (Pascal, Davey, Jimmy, Anthony, Johnny, Pablo, Nick, Josh…) and attractive newcomers (Olivier, Joe, Jake…). Alejandro has taken Damien’s place as afternoon waiter. The customers were enjoyable companions too. One local told me that many of the post-9 pm muscle boys have been replaced by good-looking newcomers, some of whom came over from Stock. The percentage of gay dancers has decreased and some of their straight replacements talk a good game out front, but don’t deliver much in the back.

 

Stock. It was my good fortune to overlap with Mtlover, for whom Stock is like his own backyard. I always have a better time there when he’s along. The weekdays were a little quiet – not many customers or dancers (there were certainly more dancers and customers at Taboo than at Stock on Thursday night). But I got a very friendly vibe – the dancers circulated and chatted pleasantly. It might be a statistical aberration from a small sample, but on the whole, the dancers were less heavily muscled than I recall from previous visits. As is usual at Stock, they were all very good looking.

 

My plan to stop in at least once at JP’s was frustrated by having too good a time elsewhere – I never wanted to stop what I was doing (or was too exhausted from what I had been doing ).

[corndog]

Thanks, newatthis, for the excellent report. One question:

 

When I visited the newly reopened Taboo in December, the dances in the back were $10 for "non contact" dance, and $20 for a... how shall I say... "regular" dance. Do you think they've lowered their prices to pull in more business, or was the $10 dance you mentioned a tame one?

[12is12]

Newmatthis, I second Corndog's gratitude.

 

I'm a newbie, and need guidance before my first visit to a strip club. Extending Corndog's question:

What's allowed and not-allowed during the dance, in terms of touching?

Is it possible to go "all the way"?

How are the rates for these various activities?

 

If explicit answers necessitate discretion, please PM me.

Thanks

[+ newatthis]

...One question: When I visited the newly reopened Taboo in December, the dances in the back were $10 for "non contact" dance, and $20 for a... how shall I say... "regular" dance. Do you think they've lowered their prices to pull in more business, or was the $10 dance you mentioned a tame one?

I think you were being subjected to a dancer scam. The only posted signs are quite explicit that dances are $10 per song. MickO reported on this back in November (I heard a similar report from a friend who visited in December):

 

...One dancer did tell me that the $10 per song fee was for non-contact dances, and that it would be $20 for a full-contact experience. I told him I'd try a $10 dance, and then we'd see. He started out trying to be a bit standoffish, but he abandoned that halfway through the first dance, told me we'd switch to full contact for the same price, and a good time was had by all over the course of the next few songs. None of the other dancers mentioned anything like this $10 vs $20 pricing, and they certainly didn't hold back...

 

Reviewing MickO's excellent post brought home my encroaching senility. He had already described the new arrangements in the back:

 

...There are private stalls in the back room now, with curtains on the front. So it's much more private than it used to be, but it's still less private than at the other strip clubs. The curtains are too small to reach all the way across the front...

[EZEtoGRU]

Thanks for the report newatthis. I am curious if you saw Brandon dancing at Campus during any of the afternoons? He has danced there during afternoons for years. Short, blond, and very muscular(for his size). Last time I saw him was summer last year and I have not seen him since. I'm curious if you have any news.

 

Again....thanks for the Montreal report...informative as always.

[+ newatthis]

...What's allowed and not-allowed during the dance, in terms of touching?

Is it possible to go "all the way"? How are the rates for these various activities?...

There's no single answer to your question. What happens in the cubicles depends on you, the dancer, the dancer's mood, state of horniness and/or inebriation, his rating on the Kinsey scale, and the alignment of the stars. Generally speaking, bring respectful is smiled upon; being grabby is not. If by "allowed" you mean "what are the official rules?", the answer is probably much more restrictive than what often happens in practice.

 

If you've got a little time, browsing through the many, many reports in this forum over the past 10 years will give you a good idea of the possibilities.

 

I've run across dancers who will offer to do "more" for additional fees. I've found those dancers, almost without exception, to be a big disappointment and I now always decline such offers.

[+ newatthis]

...I am curious if you saw Brandon dancing at Campus during any of the afternoons?...

No Brandon sightings, unfortunately. I don't think he's dancing any more. Some of the newer dancers had no idea who he was.

[EZEtoGRU]

No Brandon sightings, unfortunately. I don't think he's dancing any more. Some of the newer dancers had no idea who he was.

Thanks for the info. Last time I saw him he had a another job and was only dancing a few days a week. He must have stopped dancing altogether now. What a shame. He was always my favorite at Campus. Very cute and very nice guy.

[corndog]

To elaborate a little on the $10/$20 dance situation I ran into last time at Taboo:

 

I had a fun time chatting with the dancer (sorry, I can't remember his name) in the main part of the bar, and formed a bit of rapport with him. He honestly wasn't really my type, but I enjoyed his company and he spent quite a bit of time with me. I'm sure my perspective here is unusual, but in my mind the dancers in the Montreal bars often earn their money chatting and being friendly in the main part of the bar, and then are paid in the back.

 

So, when I was feeling it was time to take him into the back, I asked him about the pricing, because I had heard that Taboo was less expensive than the other bars. He explained that "non-contact" dances were $10 and regular dances were $20. The whole idea of a non-contact lap dance seemed absurd to me, and I laughed hysterically before saying to him, with a big smirk, "ok, I'll try a $10 dance."

 

We went to the back and I sat on my hands as he proceeded to dance his ass off. He did a surprisingly good job as I sat their smirking about how ridiculous this was. As the song ended, I said, "Ok, now let's do a regular $20 dance." His regular dance was excellent, and I certainly enjoyed myself more while allowing my hands to respectfully participate in the experience.

 

As it concluded, I paid $40 for the two dances -- effectively an extra $10 tip, and we laughed about the whole thing. I commented that he worked a lot harder for the $10 dance than the $20 one, and he agreed.

 

Whether the $20 dance is a "dancer scam" or not is debatable. If a dancer wants to charge $20/dance, I don't think I want a half-hearted $10 experience, even if that's what management prescribes. I would feel scammed if they represented that the dances were $10 before hand, and then told me afterward that it was $20 because it "went further," but as long as they charge as agreed, I think it is fair game.

[12is12]

Corndog, thanks again and hope your patience doesn't run out.

 

Since being respectful is priority #1 for me, I really need to understand some kind of line between frowned-upon "grabby" and "allowing my hands to respectfully participate".

Am I supposed to ask him where my hands may roam? (torso yes; cock no; butt maybe)

In any case, aren't there any generally acceptable rules of thumb? like an 'average'...

[Karl-G]

Thanks much for your update on Montreal. It is good to hear that Taboo is drawing crowds again; may it continue to grow and prosper. And it is reassuring to know that Campus maintains its good practices and success and attracts ever newer dancers. Next time you must fit in a couple of minutes to check on PJ's (or is it JP's?) and see how they are doing, on an upswing or downswing. You were very fortunate with the weather.

[corndog]

I really need to understand some kind of line between frowned-upon "grabby" and "allowing my hands to respectfully participate".

I think this is a really difficult question that can only be answered "it depends."

 

It depends on the dancer and the rapport you have with them. If you make it clear to them by your words or actions that you intend to be respectful, I think they'll often allow more. In other words, I think you can get more by "asking" than by "taking." The dancers like to feel like they're in control.

 

It's also important to understand that they want to keep you going for as many $20 songs as they can. Very often, they become more and more permissive with each song to tempt you into staying longer and spending more. It can be very easy to lose track of how many songs you've had in the back, and some of the dancers are very creative when it comes to counting songs. Every single time I get a dance, I tell the dancer "you must tell me the song count after every song. OK?" This may seem a little blunt, but it politely tells them that you're not going to put up with any shenanigans.

 

When I go for a dance in the back, I usually plan to spend $40. At the end of the first dance, if I'm not really feeling any chemistry, I politely tell them I'm finished and pay $20. If they're good, and I'm feeling it, I proceed to the second dance and pay $40. If there is really magic, I'll sometimes go for the 3rd or 4th dance, but I'd usually rather sample a couple of songs with several dancers than go on and on with just one. At some point it makes more sense to just hire an escort.

[12is12]

thanks a lot for you patience.

[+ newatthis]

One thing I forgot to mention: it's easier and more fun the first time if you are with someone who knows the ropes. If you have a trip planned, consider posting the dates and your willingness to meet for a drink with others visiting at the same time.

[Jake]

Glad to hear the 'boo is on the rebound! JP has stolen the show when I've been to Montreal the past few visits.

[eeyore]

Thanks for the update! I can't wait for the summer season to begin on Ste. Catherine's.

[Poppie]

Great advice. Very much like the way I enjoy myself at the clubs. I've been known to buy a dancer I'm particularly fond of a shot before we go in the back. Sometimes it works wonders .....