Gallery Vancouver, a Premier Nightlife Experience
I had first heard of The Gallery many years ago, when my at the time coworkers, asked if I had visited and suggested I did. Since then it has taken me almost 4 years and a career change to finally do so.
We were in the Richmond area looking for a change of pace and to lift our moods, after a pretty abysmal event. And as per our tradition, we always look to turn the night around with a visit to a strip club. Such establishments always interest me because of their taboo nature and my natural interest in human sexuality. Being a female, I am less likely to visit or frequent any. However, when I am with a larger group of friends and they are guys present, I do like the experience. Not to mention it is often free for women to enter, and one of my male escorts ends up picking up the drink tab, as well as any tip money. Therefore, this is just an overall fun and free experience for me.
That was pretty much the the case this night. But on this Friday after 12pm, the night club was empty.
The multiple bouncers at the door were trying to have us commit to $400 for a table and bottle service. However, coming from an event where we were also offered bottle service and it didn’t meet our expectations, we decided to not test our luck.
Instead, we decided to hedge our bets and just opt in for general admission. $25 for each guy and free for me. This was the right decision as the lively atmosphere we had hoped was lacking; and had we, we would have been stuck committing to a bottle’s worth of drinking.
There was only three other groups aside from ours. One being a solo gentleman who did opt in for the bottle service and got the light up sign welcoming him to the club as “Daddy Dan”. He also earned the company of the women as he drank and watch the performers on stage. At one point he bought a stack of bills so that one girl could make it rain on another.
They were definitely more girls standing around than male spectators. And I think management also called more in, dressed in street clothes, to fill up the venue. You could tell, as they claimed VIP tables and approached the DJ booth too comfortably.
Maybe the lack of visitors was due to the lighting. There was a lot more strobing and moving coloured beams that of other night clubs or strip clubs I have been to. My party of men certainly thought so, and repeated themselves on how bright it was. I think the ability to clearly see the faces of your companions, coupled with where their eyes are looking, might be a turn off.
We took a seat right by the stage, parking ourselves in front of one of two poles. Our drink of choice for the evening was canned Ole tequila cocktails. We got one round of the Palomas, and another of their Margaritas. They did well as a sipping drink, as we sat and watched. As expected, drinks were expensive and ridiculously overpriced. This was the best bet, but still not worth inflated price tag.
The DJ was situated behind the stage, so he was constantly in your focal point, you watched the dancers on stage walking between the two poles, trying to garner any attention from the measly crowd. We stayed for a good hour and a half, if not two, and during that watched four different performers, and the repeat of one.
My tip money went to the one that I found gave the most excitement and enthusiasm on stage. She danced with purpose and a smile. She did well to make eye contact and engage with myself, and my table mates. She even asked what we were celebrating and offered special winks and nods throughout her set. She definitely gave me a private show as she was undressing and revealing herself spread eagle.
She was the first performer we watched, so I was surprised when she pulled her panties back and sprung them forward unleashed her labia and the well groomed pubic hairs above it. I found it a redeeming and unseen quality these days. Whereas my male cohorts said that, that should not be seen at a strip club, and that they want a tiny strip or for it to be barely there. I thought her triangular patch was well hidden under her thongs, tasteful.
The show does go full nudity, and they don’t coyly hide the vagina. It isn’t lewd, but you do get to see lips. And not just for one song or one motion, but for a good amount of time that would leave you feeling like you are getting your moneys worth. How long each performer stays on stage is determined by the crowds reaction, and the staff do cut those not getting enough.
One girl with a more robust backside simply twerked and jiggled her whole set. She didn’t touch the pole or strip down. She even covered her nipples with electrical tape. Daddy Dan did make it rain on her, allowing his table companions to shower her in ones.
I like how you are able to trade in your colourful Canadian money for pale US dollar ones. Male staff members walk around the room offering the exchange from buckets. I have never seen such a sight, but it did add to the atmosphere, especially if you like the idea of being a 90’s raper in a music video.
Aside from the dancer, I favoured, who I would later learned is called “Silver”, tips don’t get you much here.
Silver went over and beyond to to lick her palms in order to adhere each five I gave her on to either crest of her breast. She then jiggles and declared it her new bra. She later allowed me to slide another on to her thigh strap, during her next set.
The rest of the dancers barely acknowledge it, even as you place a bill at the edge of the stage. You don’t get anything extra by tipping them.
As an overall critique of the show, I wish the DJ did better to introduce the girls, creating a relationship between them and the audience. Each set didn’t feel like a solo either. They were not dancing to their own choice tracks. There was no choreography for the predetermined songs. The DJ was not acknowledging the room, but with head down was just spinning tunes. I guess this is meant to be more like a night club, but with a stripper performing.
There were even show girls dressed in sparkling silver bikinis and feathered head pieces, dancing on either sides of the DJ. I just found that they drew more attention to him, and that is not what I wanted to focus on.
All of the above, taking away from the woman on stage, trying to earn her money. They dance for their lives, in order to get tips and I felt bad when none was coming. I myself would petty tip, if they did not look so dead inside. However, I guess that’s part of the job and how some get the job done. To have no emotion and to just consider what you are doing on the stage a routine. One frowned the whole time, and only 2 of the dancers actually climbed the pole and really utilized it for daring spins.
I didn’t look into it, but I don’t think the club has food either. And oddly enough inside the woman’s washroom were tip jars tips for general tipping, and one specifically for “candy”. Not sure if that was a stripper’s name or they were offering candy, but I didn’t really dig around to find out. At the sinks, and by the mirrors were bins of female hair and make up products. A nice gesture, but I don’t think I would trust using anyone else’s products in a strip club or not.
Not needing to see any other girls’ repeat performances we decide to leave. None of this evening went as I expected, but still an experience I can write about, at least. Cross another strip club off my list. At this point, I think I have seen all the ones Vancouver has to offer, but only written about two for this 2.0 version of my blog. So I guess there is still a reason to revisit.
Gallery Vancouver
1312 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver, BC V6P 5Z6
galleryvancouver.com
