Stone Park (Carl's) and Melrose Park (Bobby's and Louie's) field notes: March 17
Here's the latest info from my recent tour:
After visiting Polekatz in Bridgeview just after midnight on March 17th (see my report in the Chicago thread), I drove to Carl's Bar in Stone Park and got there around 1:30 am or so.
Plenty of parking in the lot--there was no need to park on Mannheim proper. There was a $10 cover; the bouncers scan the bar code on your license (which I don't care for, but at least they ask you first), then there's a patdown, and then you're in.
Bought a pop, tipped the bartender, and then got dances from the following: (1) Michelle: petite Latina, not a very aggressive dance; (2) Kelly: petite White, very energetic and lots of fun; (3) Marilouise (unsure if spelling is right): thick Latina. About in between the other two. There was another Latina dancer, but she left before I could have an opportunity with her. Dances were all $20 each; rates at Louie's Lounge are better at $10, but who knows if or when they will have dancers again (on which see below).
So in the early afternoon on Wednesday, I was keen to see what was happening with Louie's and Bobby's and had some time to pay a visit to each. Louie's is pretty much dead; I bought a pop, tipped the bartender, and left when I finished my drink. There was just one other patron and zero dancers. It certainly smelled clean in there!
I then proceeded to Bobby's Bar: bought a pop, tipped the bartender; it was only a little less dead patron-wise. Only one "dancer" (Bella, white, thick) in street clothes who said there were no dances, but she could provide a massage, which I declined.
I reckon I'll check back in sometime in April. Good luck, everyone!
Louie's Lounge Instagram post
So I saw this posting on Louie's Instagram feed:
[URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/CM0NqR2gSYl/?igshid=1w59jnq9adwwl[/URL]
It's a photo of four dancers and includes this sentence, "Back like they never left. " So I'm wondering if we have to wait until after Election Day, as mentioned further down this thread, to enjoy time with the ladies of Louie's.
At any rate it's something to hope for. I may have to make another field visit in the next week or so.
Louie's Lounge *Club* Instagram update
[QUOTE=BuddyBear;5274462]...a dj / party promotion group to try to go more of the night club route in the evenings[/QUOTE]Indeed, Buddy Bear, I agree: there are now in fact more Instagram posts along these lines. Here's one of them:
[URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/CM--DkpgrP0[/URL]
Apparently April 9 at 9 pm and April 10 at 8 pm there will be events that use the new format, incorporating bottle service ($250), Vegas bombs ($5), and free cover (I guess for now). The post says you should "dress to impress": so they're definitely trying to attract a different crowd. I also noticed that their Instagram handle has a new suffix that reflects this new emphasis: "louiesloungeclub" rather then just "louieslounge".
Earlier this month, I nearly went to Carl's Bar again and had even got to the point of pulling in their lot when I decided to try something new. Using my handy dandy burner phone, I did some quick research and decided that it'd be better to check out All Star Bar & Grill, 7949 47th Street in McCook, which was not too far from Stone Park (about a 20 minute drive south). I hadn't been to All Star for five or ten years, and I found it to be a pretty solid alternative to the Mannheim scene. Look for my review in the Chicago strip club thread (#2901):
[URL]http://www.usasexguide.nl/forum/showthread.php?5227-Strip-Club-Reports&p=5282112&viewfull=1#post5282112[/URL]
No clarity on individual dances at Louie's
[QUOTE=Lemeduyu;5286354]But no more dances? This whole concept change won't work for me.[/QUOTE]Lemeduyu: I share your exact concern, for it's hard to discern if they're just being a bit coy about individual dances right now.
I'm willing to pay Louie's a visit just to get a lay of the land and bring back a field report on the new setup, but if it's a pure night club play--even if it features so-called bottle babes--then they'll have lost me as a customer. $250 bottle service holds no attraction to me: when I go to these clubs I just buy a $3 pop as I'm there for the women (whereas I can always drink at home). But maybe that just demonstrates that I'm not a "baller" and thus not in their new target market.
In a similar vein, I was following a dancer from Louie's on Instagram and since mid-March she's been promoting some sort of activity organized by a J&J Entertainment at a place called The Chill Spot, 2305 Saint Charles Road in nearby Bellwood. When I look at those posts, some of which includes video footage, it seems like more of a traditional night club experience with some dancers in lingerie or dance outfits getting tipped in one dollar bills, but nothing talking about individual dances:
[URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/CM8ZJt2h1Kn/[/URL]
In the following post there are references to bottle servers--including JoJo from Louie's, bartenders, and dancers--including Winter from Louie's, but again no further details about one-on-one dances:
[URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/CMJFTkkA61a/[/URL]
A visit there would make for an interesting field report. I may very well TOFTT toward the end of this month (either Louie's or The Chill Spot or both).
This whole discussion reminds me of an old Latino club (now closed) that was attached to the Lido Motel in Franklin Park--I had written a brief review over 10 years ago and noted that the dancers basically didn't provide lap dances, but rather regular dances on a dance floor, some of them possibly intimate. At the time of my visit (again in 2010) only one white dancer was on hand who'd provide a lap dance and she seemed as confused about the setup as me. I wonder to what extent some elements of that scenario tie into this new direction. I'm not a fan at this juncture.
Melrose Park updates, or rather a lack thereof
[QUOTE=SouthSideRed;5297136]I was wondering since the elections took place a couple of days ago, any word on things opening back up?[/QUOTE]Hi, SouthSideRed: I've heard nothing so far. I was busy with errands late Saturday night and wound up driving home around 1:15 am on Sunday, which took me past Louie's. I was debating about stopping in since this past weekend was their grand reopening, but my quick scan of the parking lot led me to decline visiting: the lot in front of Louie's was heavily packed with cars, as well as the lot to the east side, which is a valid place to park when one goes to Louie's. There were two Melrose Park PD squads in that lot dealing with someone. Even the much smaller lot to the west which I think is also valid for parking--but not sure--was full.
I'll admit that whoever Louie's hired to promote their events really got some folks to turn out, but all in all, I decided it'd be better to check things out at a different time. However, not all is lost: through the power of the Internet I could gain a sense of what was going on inside the club via Instagram--the following post is quite telling:
[URL]https://www.instagram.com/p/CNk85AQABA0/[/URL]
Examine the video clip in the above post: yes, lots of sexy women serving up drinks and stuff and dancing, well, with each other. But there seems to be nothing like one-on-one dancing, not even in the background of that footage. Also there's lots of phones out with folks taking pictures, likely for social media, which may constitute a privacy concern for some who have a significant other at home. This is markedly different than the prior iteration of Louie's which featured signs stating that patrons were not to take photos.
At this point I think the Louie's pivot toward a more pure nightclub play may not bode well for strip club aficionados, but perhaps we're still playing a waiting game here--at least that's my hope. One could also argue that the bottle babes at Louie's might be open to OTC action if one possesses that sort of charisma and social skills, but that differs markedly from the typical lingerie bar scenario. At this point, we also still need to analyze the situation at Bobby's, and I don't know if Carl's will improve at all with these shifts in the local market for the lack of competition may lead them to become complacent. This may oddly leave All Star in McCook--about 20 minutes away--as the best equivalent experience these days (on which see my prior March review in the Chicago thread).
That said, I do wish the owners of Louie's well. I'm thankful for all the fun I had in the past and, alas, this is probably their most viable path forward if they wish to remain profitable. As noted above, I do hope that there will be room in the future for individual dancing, but it's hard to keep that hope alive these days.
License checks at Carl's Bar late at night
[QUOTE=Visconti5683;5305552]I think I will check out Carl's next week and see how it's looking.[/QUOTE]Just an FYI. The last time I went to Carl's about a month ago it was after midnight and their door security was looking to scan eveyrone's license or ID with a handheld scanner when they collected the cover charge and did the security patdown. I went back and re-read my original report from March (post 1006 in this thread) and it seems that they at least ask you before they do the scan.
Anyway, we just can't seem to escape these scanners--I don't like them one bit as it's yet another risk factor one must weigh. The first time I ever experienced that was at Kappa Kabanna down near Bloomington-Normal a few years back: the person in the security booth asked for my license and then they walked across their booth to, unbeknownst to me, scan it. Before I could object the deed was done. Oh well. Going forward in my strip club reviews I think I'll be sure to highlight whether or not they scan (in the pros and cons) for people's increased awareness.
