The thing nobody tells you about Stripper 101 is how ordinary the room feels once you're in it. It's a women-only pole class in a studio at the Miracle Mile Shops, 75 minutes long, taught by dancers who do this for a living, and the people in it are on birthdays and hen weekends and afternoons off. Nobody is auditioning. The whole design of the thing is that you will be bad at it in company, which turns out to be the point.
What the 75 minutes actually involves
Stripper 101 splits into two halves. The first is a choreographed lap dance routine, broken down step by step by an instructor who works the clubs and teaches this the way any dance class gets taught: slowly, in pieces, with a lot of repetition. The second half moves onto the poles, where the instruction is mostly about momentum and grip, and where everybody discovers that spinning is harder than it looks. Bring heels if you own them, though plenty of people go without. There's a bar attached to the studio, and using it beforehand is actively encouraged rather than frowned upon.
Stripper 101 | Stripper 101 Studio, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood | 75 minutes | Women only | 18 and over
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The rule that breaks plans
It's women only, and that's enforced rather than suggested. For a hen party with a mixed guest list, or a group where somebody's husband was going to tag along, this is the detail that has to be checked before anything gets booked. Women who want to come and watch rather than take part can buy a ticket and sit it out, which is the usual solution for anyone in the group who isn't sold on the idea. Everyone needs to be 18 or over, and the studio asks you to arrive half an hour early so the class can start on time.
Who books it, and why it works
Bachelorette parties overwhelmingly, then birthdays, then groups of friends who wanted something to do that wasn't another show. It works because it's participatory in a city where almost everything else asks you to sit and watch, and because 75 minutes is exactly long enough. The other advantage is the timing: it runs in the afternoon, so it slots into a day rather than eating the evening you'd rather spend at dinner or a show. If you want the sit-down version of the same energy, our guides to the best female revue shows and adult variety and burlesque cover the shows worth booking.
