Inside world’s most notorious strip club where dancers earn $1,000 an HOUR & speak in code to sort ‘whales’ from ‘rocks’
IT’S one of the most notorious strip clubs in the world attracting thousands of girls from across the US.
But the stakes at the Crazy Horse III in Las Vegas are high – with $1,000-an-hour VIP dances and potential to earn up to tens of thousands in one night.
And with 20,000 strippers working in Sin City, it’s nothing short of all out war.
A new Paramount+ show, Strip, lays bare the secrets of the dancers at the iconic club, and reveals the infighting between the women who will stop at nothing to land a “whale” – a rich punter who’s willing to splash serious cash.
Self-titled ‘Queen Bee’ Natalie, 37, and pal Baby, 30, tell The Sun how they stay ahead of the game by splashing up to $10,000 (£8,200) on their looks every month, going under the knife on a regular basis, and muscling in on the other girls’ action.
“Vegas is the big league,” says Baby. “If you come out here you’ve got to be a bad b****, you’ve got to have your sh** together. I’m a money magnet. I wait till the money calls me and I go get it.”
Single mum Natalie, who moved to Vegas from Ohio as a teenager and has worked for the Crazy Horse for 17 years, says new girls need to watch their backs as rivalry between the strippers can cause vicious rifts.
“In this club you need to know your place,” she says. “Because in this club, if you don’t, you could make some very powerful enemies.
“You’ve got to be a shark – and I’m a Great White.”
£185K on ‘glam look’
Keeping yourself ahead of the competition doesn’t come cheap and Natalie, who calls herself the “OG in the game”, has spent over $223,500 on boob and butt jobs, face lifts, “maintenance” and “couture”.
Her monthly spend on looking good is more than most people’s salary.
“I’m going to be realistic, it’s between $5,000 to $10,000,” she says.
“So last week alone was $2,500. I like a glamour look. That’s just my personal look. Some people prefer natural. That’s not me. Even if I was natural, I would have my nails done. I like the glam.”
Baby admits to spending more – and says wearing very little costs a bomb.
“I would say I spend $10-15,000 a month. Just getting your hair done, getting your nails done. Just the upkeep of everything,” she says.
“Lingerie can get pretty expensive if you’re going to the sex store to get it, or if you’re going to Honey Birdette or Agent Provocateur.
“Agent Provocateur easily, you can get an outfit in there for $2,500. So I think the most expensive spend is on lingerie.”
Rich pickings
While they pour plenty of cash into staying glam, the rewards for successful strippers are huge.
In the main club, girls soon learn to spot the “rocks” – guys who nurse their drinks and don’t tip – from the free spending “whales”.
And the number one rule is “purse first, a** last”.
Baby, who was a teen mum, came to Vegas from California and remembers being shocked by how much money she made on her first shift in the Crazy Horse.
“I was a little insecure because I wasn’t like how I am now. I didn’t have any boobs or anything. So I remember just being nervous and scared,” she says.
“But at the end of my first night dancing, I made $900 and I thought that was a lot of money, so I was happy.
“I had to work hard, I wasn’t as game savvy as I am now. I did a lot of lap dances, a lot of dancing on stage like most girls do when they come to the strip club when they’re new.
“So I actually worked hard for that $900. But it was worth it to me. I’ve never made $900 in a couple [of] hours like that.”
While the new girls tend to start in the main club, dancing on poles, the real money is made in the private VIP areas where tens of thousands can be earned.
The minimum spend is $1,000 an hour; a bottle of champagne costs £1,200 and tequila is $650 a bottle.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t go on stage,” says Natalie. “I’m a VIP girl.
“I prefer to get them in VIP, more of an experience than just a lap dance or twerking your butt, because I can actually carry a conversation.
“I wasn’t raised as a stripper dancing for ones (single dollar bills), so it’s just never been my thing.”
He sprayed us with champagne and got all the one dollar bills wet. We were there until seven in the morning, blow drying ones and organising them
Natalie
Some rich clients become regulars at the club and one, Natalie reveals, likes to splash more than cash.
“We have a really big spender, one of the biggest, and he likes to spray us with champagne,” she says.
“So one night recently it was like $20,000 worth of champagne. And he got out $35,000 for seven of us. So he sprayed us with champagne and got all the one dollar bills wet.
“We were there until seven in the morning, blow drying ones and organising them. So that’s definitely the craziest night I’ve ever had in there.”
Ruthless rivalry
The club has a strict hierarchy, with the girls earning the most cash getting the best seats and lockers in the crowded changing rooms.
With fierce competition between the dancers, new girls are not welcomed with open arms.
In one scene in the three-part documentary, new recruit Mila is left in tears after old hands Amber and Londyn give her a grilling backstage.
Londyn tells her “people think you can come to Vegas and make s***loads of money, but you can’t learn Vegas overnight. You either get it or you don’t”.
Blonde Malibu adds: “You can tell when a girl’s new. It’s all fast erratic movements. That’s not cute.”
f I’m not making $1,000 in a night I feel really bad. I’ve made girls cry before but I don’t feel bad because it’s not your customer. I’m not going to turn down my money because some girl’s crying in the corner
Malibu
She reveals she is happy to steal a potential client from another stripper and recalls seeing $600 on a table where Amber and Londyn were already dancing.
She muscled in and “got grabbed by the guy with the most money”.
“If I’m not making $1,000 in a night I feel really bad,” she says. “I’ve made girls cry before but I don’t feel bad because it’s not your customer. I’m not going to turn down my money because some girl’s crying in the corner.”
She claims she is a master manipulator and skilled at getting men to part with more cash.
“I’m not afraid to ask for more money,” she says. “If the amount you’re asking for doesn’t make you uncomfortable, you’re not asking for enough. Sometimes I ask for crazy amounts and the guy will just go ‘yeah sure.’”
Mum by day, stripper by night
While they love the fast cars, stunning apartments and fancy wardrobe, for both Natalie and Baby the job is about providing security for their children.
“I was a young mum. I got pregnant in my senior year in high school, so for me it was more about making money fast,” say Baby.
“I could have went to school and got a regular job but I just needed to make money fast. I have two daughters now, my 12-year-old and one who’s four.
“I’m a soccer mum and a ballet mum. Soccer mum by day, stripper by night.”
Natalie, who has an 11-year-old son, was brought up in a strict Catholic family but says her parents have accepted her career choice.
“My family didn’t know for the first 10 years. It would’ve been frowned upon,” she says.
My family didn’t know for the first 10 years. It would’ve been frowned upon
Natalie
“I started modelling and I won $20,000 in the Hot 100 bikini contest. In the second year I got second, and I won $15,000, so they knew that I was using my looks to make money.
“I just didn’t really say what else I was doing. When they found out (I was a stripper) they were probably relieved. We really didn’t have a super in-depth talk about it.
“My child is well taken care of. I provide for him. I’m a single mum, I own my own house, so there’s really nothing they can say because I’m not hurting anyone. I’m just living my life.
“Obviously, would they have wanted me to have a different career? Yes, but they’ve finally come to terms with who I am and I really don’t care.”
Stream all three episodes of Strip on Paramount+ now.