Chapter 1: Introduction to the Club

The Club had several levels, although even many of those who had visited several times knew only of the first two. The first level was the public bar, open to all, with a DJ and dance floor. The second, also open to the public but requiring a $5 admission, was a topless bar featuring some of the most beautiful women in the city. Both levels were busy on weekdays and packed on weekends.

To enter the second level, you paid the bouncer at the bottom of the stairs, walked up the stairs to the bouncer who guarded the top, and entered the lounge through a set of doors. The second door opened only after the first was closed, allowing a maximum of four people to enter at a time. Inside was a central pit of tables ringed by three stages, with a bar along the fourth wall. Dancers rotated from stage to stage, pausing between sessions to work the crowd of mostly -- although not exclusively -- male patrons.

Raunchy music, perfectly suiting the hip-grinding, tit-shaking needs of the dancers, pounded constantly, making conversation difficult except in the brief pauses between numbers. When the girls talked to customers, it was necessary to lean in close to hear. Since this provided a look down already low-cut cleavages, everyone tried to think of things to say to the circulating women -- not that they were hard to talk to. It was part of the job.

To enter higher levels, you had to be a member of the Club, innocuously named the Management Training Association of Los Angeles. This required payment of the $25 annual membership fee, a careful ID check, and a signed statement affirming, among other things, that you were not associated with any law enforcement agency.

Once a membership card with picture was issued, entrance to the Back Room was free, although few left without spending considerable money on drinks and tips for the dancers. Back Room dancers stripped all the way, and the standards were even higher here than in the outer lounge. All of the girls were drop-dead knockouts and terrific dancers besides.

After midnight, the Back Room got really raunchy, and the later it got, the raunchier it got. Not satisfied with displaying themselves, the dancers fondled their breasts and pussies, rubbed their clits, and inserted fingers and other objects into themselves. One girl was notorious for grabbing a customer's empty longneck beer bottle (or even a partially empty one) and sliding it first into her mouth and then into her snatch. Another often brought a dildo with her.

There seemed to be dozens of girls working the Back Room. You had to stay for several hours to see one repeat. A careful observer would note that, after working the Back Room's two stages and making a trip or two around the tables, some of the girls would slip into the dressing room and not reappear for an hour or two. Sometimes, in the brief lull beween songs, you might hear music from elsewhere in the Club. Most assumed it was from one of the outer areas, but some members knew better.

For there was yet another level to the Club. Knowledge of its existence spread by word of mouth from friend to friend, and no one was allowed to join without a sponsor. The cost was $50 a year, but many paid it gladly. There were additional requirements that, as a condition of continued membership, nobody was allowed to reveal in advance. To my knowledge, no one ever violated this condition. I certainly won't.

Members of Level 4, as it was known, entered through the door marked 'Manager' at the end of the hall where the restrooms were located. The door was locked, but it would be opened if you knocked the right way. Inside, a team of bouncers checked your identification carefully and, if you passed, allowed you through yet another door that led to a stairway. Descending two flights, you found another final door that led to the club area know as the Basement, since that was where it was located.