Strip clubs that no longer exist - trip down memory lane.
- Thread starter bangminton
- Start date
'Pandora's Box' was, if I'm correct, (I was also too young at the time to have been there) not so much a 'strip club' as we think of them now, but more of a 'burlesque show'. My impression is that the setup was more like a theater with rows of seats rather than tables and I'm not sure the place had a liquor license. Refreshments were limited to sodas/cider and movie-theater-style confections.
This goes back, I think, to the early-to-mid-seventies, so it's 40-odd years ago. Perhaps my impressions are not quite accurate, but this is what I vaguely recall.
Also, did the demise of 'Diamond's' on Bank lead to the sort of compound name of Barb's - 'Barbarella's Diamonds'?
Yep...the demise of Diamonds did lead to the compound name Barbarella's Diamonds...I assumed it was the same owner
Inthink the one in bank was called fannys . They used to have visiting feature dancers there . Tiffany towers used to dance there . She was a very nice person a couple times we grabbed food after her shift
This goes way back to about 1981. There was a hotel -- the Albion?-- near where the Rideau Centre is now. It was a real low-rent place. It was a good place to meet dancers, though. This was before the days of table dancing so they would sit at the bar and talk with you between their shows as long as you bought the drinks. They got a pretty good after-work crowd.
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GlavaMan
I remember this place, I believe it was part of the Albion Hotel and it was called The Red Den.
No it was Called Barbarella's.
Diamonds was the name of the club on Queen where Barbarella's is now. I know as I was one of the first DJ's at Barbarella's on Bank previously Spinner 50s/60s dance bar. The staff and management was comprised of several former employees of Fanny's before the sale to Andre of Pink Panther.
Strip Clubs I worked at in the 80s/90s
Hubba Bubba's on Richmond Road
Fanny's on Bank
Valentino's
The Lido
as the bars were all owned and operated by the Bentivoglio family at the time I also covered shifts at
The Playmate, Gypsy Rose, The Bare Fax on several occaisons and twice even at the Lipstick bar (male strippers) above the lido on the hull strip.
I am going back a bit further with this place late 60's early 70's. Anyone remember the Plaza, around the corner from the Regent theater?
It was downstairs and all the waiters wore tux's and looked like extras from the godfather.
They had tables but the stage had circular booths beside it and if you got a booth there was a good chance the ladies would use you as part of the show.
It was downstairs and all the waiters wore tux's and looked like extras from the godfather.
They had tables but the stage had circular booths beside it and if you got a booth there was a good chance the ladies would use you as part of the show.
That was never in dispute as noted and confirmed in post 28, the bar in question here was the bar above the Gilmour
Interesting historical info here, Cowboy. Thanks for the clarificaton. The Bank St. place was 'Barbarella's', the Queen St. place was 'Diamonds' (not the other way around), thus leading to the 'compound' name of the current SC at 340.That was never in dispute as noted and confirmed in post 28, the bar in question here was the bar above the Gilmour
But is my memory correct that 'Pandora's Box' was more of a 'burlesque house' kinda setup as opposed to a conventional tables/stage configuration that we associate with SCs?
It is kind of sad reading about all these great strip bars now closed. I remember especially Valentino's and I remember I was leaving to Montreal for study a few days before it was burnt down in the summer of 1993. Also I remember Fanny's on Bank street. Great bar and full of patrons and dancers even weekdays and even in early evening hours. There was another strip club further south of fanny's. Can't remember the name but that bar though not as crowded as Fanny's but was a great place to relax. It was table dancing only and only at $5 per song.
Ottawa was a real fun place with the Portage street in Hull full of young people and dance bars. The Zap discotheque and City Club were pick up places and Lido strip club was there too though it wasn't as great as Fanny's and Valentino. It felt so great to drop by one of these bars almost everywhere in Ottawa and have a cold beer in a hot summer day and they were always full of girls and patrons and no breaks between dances. I was more into dance bars then as a young student frequently visiting Zap and City Club. Now I am looking for same dance bars in Ottawa and cannot find any!!!! Ottawa was thriving with fun and bars and clubs. Whatever happened to my Ottawa? Damn internet happened!!!!.
Same disaster happened to Montreal. I was frequenting Dome dance bar at St Laurent and St Catherine's (club L'spirit before that) great pickup places for a young attractive graduate student with money and new car (working on funded contract research) like myself. Real fun and then heading to Super Sex (closed), Chateau du Sex (closed), Show girls (closed now Downtown), Sex Appeal, Cleopatra filled with patrons and girls if a successful pickup was not made at Dome or L'esprit. Same internet phenomena happened to Montreal.
Ottawa was a real fun place with the Portage street in Hull full of young people and dance bars. The Zap discotheque and City Club were pick up places and Lido strip club was there too though it wasn't as great as Fanny's and Valentino. It felt so great to drop by one of these bars almost everywhere in Ottawa and have a cold beer in a hot summer day and they were always full of girls and patrons and no breaks between dances. I was more into dance bars then as a young student frequently visiting Zap and City Club. Now I am looking for same dance bars in Ottawa and cannot find any!!!! Ottawa was thriving with fun and bars and clubs. Whatever happened to my Ottawa? Damn internet happened!!!!.
Same disaster happened to Montreal. I was frequenting Dome dance bar at St Laurent and St Catherine's (club L'spirit before that) great pickup places for a young attractive graduate student with money and new car (working on funded contract research) like myself. Real fun and then heading to Super Sex (closed), Chateau du Sex (closed), Show girls (closed now Downtown), Sex Appeal, Cleopatra filled with patrons and girls if a successful pickup was not made at Dome or L'esprit. Same internet phenomena happened to Montreal.
Yes, Hubba Bubba was referenced by Cowboy Kenny above. There was also a place on Richmond Rd. called The Bodee Shop or something like that. Not sure if these were different names for the same location, but don't think so.
There was a place (Hubba Bubba?) on Richmond Rd. near the corner of Holland, north side. The Bodee Shop was further west on Richmond, just west of Churchill I think (or was it just east?). The Bodee Shop goes back to the 70s, around the time of Pandora's Box on Bank.
Yup I worked at Hubba Bubba's I always found it humorous that they shared a parking lot (now a plazza) with the Church now Chinese Bible Church but was baptist at the time.
The place on Bank south of Lansdowne was Rick's Place. Only went to it a few times very plain decor kinda seedy joint, when compared to the Fanny's at that time.
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GlavaMan
It was called Cheeks! Before Cheeks, it was Rick's Place. (named after the owner) Before it was Rick's place, it was the Penthouse Discotheque!
Cheeks! I remember that now! and vaguely recall Penthouse Discotheque but you are correct , completely slipped my aging mind
I may be mistaken, but it's not the the art store, but next door, downstairs. A pinball and perogie venue now. The location has has a rough history. There was a murder there some years ago when it was a Caribbean venue.
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GlavaMan
The pinball\perogie venue is House of Targ, which is on the corner, Cheeks was a few doors down from it.
I fondly remember visiting Valentino's one slow afternoon and seeing a newly minted Tiffany Towers feature-dancing on stage. It was so slow, she asked one of the other dancers to join her on stage and they proceeded to perform a VERY hot menage-a-deux. I couldn't believe my eyes. Wow..., good times.
I spent almost 5 years trying to remember the name of that place!!! Cheeks!Cheeks! I remember that now! and vaguely recall Penthouse Discotheque but you are correct , completely slipped my aging mind
Yeah, a bit of a dive, but very casual place. I remember spending a small fortune on the busty regular who worked there, getting lap dances and buying her drinks in the hopes of getting into her pants. I got as far as a taxi ride to her place, at which point she said her mom was home, thanks for the dances, booze, taxi ride...
:frusty:
Good times...
Excellent work Tolleman. Thank you so much.
Out of so many bars we used to have in Ottawa/Hull/Gatineau only 6 left. Sad. But now lets support this few remaining bars to the best we can (by visiting the bars more often and taking private dances a much as we can) so that this few remaining ones stay open. Can you imagine Ottawa without any live entertainment?
Out of so many bars we used to have in Ottawa/Hull/Gatineau only 6 left. Sad. But now lets support this few remaining bars to the best we can (by visiting the bars more often and taking private dances a much as we can) so that this few remaining ones stay open. Can you imagine Ottawa without any live entertainment?
