Another Renaissance

After my last entry, which sounded like I was apologizing for the Lounge, the following week we were PACKED. As in, every table taken. I don't know what brought this on, it's not like we had new advertising, but things do fluctuate in the club environment, so for whatever reason, we had a great night. We also had 5 "nude boys", including one new one (he picked the unfortunate name "Satin" for his first week, but when he returned the following week he had changed it to "Persage" - apparently it means Prophet in some language). That night was fun for everyone, and the energy and excitement carried over to the following weekend, which was equally as amazing. This past weekend we had 7 nude boys, including 3 new faces (counting Persage) plus Mandy and I managed somehow to shoot 4 different video scenes in the backroom which we immediately played for the audience. We had a special visitor who travelled a long way - a nice guy who fell in love with Marshall when he saw him in Mayhem Men #4 decided to fly in from New York with the hope of meeting Marshall in person. Luckily Marshall was at the club, and happy to oblige this guy's request for a meet and some VIP dances!The new faces include Paul, a muscular guy who works full-time as a construction worker during the week, and made the 5.5 hour drive from Sudbury to earn some extra cash. He is an experienced stripper, but with none of that attitude that so often embodies the Chippendales type. Trust me, this guy is very down to earth, friendly as hell, and open-minded. And he says he's returning this weekend for some more fun, possibly even bringing some friends (as he is one of the main booking agents of strippers in the Sudbury area). Another guy came in named Sal - Sal is from a small town in Quebec, and at first was too shy to strip, so sat at the bar watching. He finally agreed to do "around the world" and soon-after he had a line-up for VIP dances, so he too says he'll be coming in next weekend. And the newly-named Persage... where to start, where to start. Well, let's go with Mandy's introduction: "Welcome to the stage, he's calling himself Persage, he's quite eccentric, but hey, he's got a great ass, doesn't he?" She also asked the audience if anyone had any testosterone, because the boy is a bit on the femme side. But we're open-minded at the Lounge, and as long as the femininity is not accompanied by the extreme bitchiness and bitterness that is often the case, we're OK. And Persage grew on us as the night wore on - he really is an adorable boy, with a great ass, and he doesn't have any attitude. He was having a little difficulty getting aroused for his jerk off video, so Mitch and another one of our strays Jasper lent their cocks to him for our first "Lounge Strippers After Hours" video, a little hardcore scene we shot after the customers went home.... Come in this weekend and you'll be the first to see it. Other news: We are taking four of the guys to Barrie to a club called "Club C'est La Vie" on Friday December 3rd. The club is located at 23 Collier Street in Barrie, and we'll be hitting the stage near 11pm. The guys will also be available for VIP dances, and I will be selling DVD's from a table near the VIP area. So if you are in the Barrie area, come check out one of our Lounge road-trip appearances!And last news: I will be at the Ramada Hotel this weekend on November 27th from 10am to 5pm selling DVDs at the Mr Leatherman Toronto fair. This is a good chance to avoid paying shipping, and to get great deals on all our Mayhem North titles - I will be selling them for $20 per title, or 3 for $50, tax included. So if you've been avoiding buying our DVD's because you were worried about the shipping costs and exchange rates (each title ends up running near $50 once you've taken those into consideration), do stop by the Ramada this weekend and say hello. As I've always said, Mandy Goodhandy videos would make EXCELLENT Christmas gifts for the sophisticated consumer and for friends who are hard to shop for. Hope to see you this weekend!!!By the way, I will also have DVD's available for sale at the DJ booth from now on - I won't always have the complete library with me, but you can peruse my order binder, see high quality photos from the titles and synopses, and I'll bring them in the following week. (There are also a couple of titles that you will NOT be able to buy anywhere else.... just ask!)
Photo links:
http://www.loungestrippers.com/media/nudeboys/paul_homepage01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/lah01_03.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/media/nudeboys/paul_homepage02.jpg

Assorted pix from July and August

These pix were on the front of the site for a while, cluttering things up, so for archival purposes I will put text links here.... enjoy:

http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/caesar01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/caesar02.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/caesar03.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/clark01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/clark02.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/marcos01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/marcos02.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/marcos03.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/marshall01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/maximus01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/maximus02.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/mexicanos01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/oliver01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/stifler01.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/cyberboys02.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/stagette.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/tiger_hardon.jpg
http://www.loungestrippers.com/blog/update_07112004/tiger_ass.jpg

Almost one year of "nude boys"...

Long time, no write. Sorry about that, again! Been busy with our videos (we've had one out every week since the beginning of October, and are continuing that pace for the rest of the year). Plus now that the cyber-sex business has shut down, I've been bartending at another club and doing various other "things" to make money :) This is just a note to everyone so that I am sure you are all clear about some things, and also because I want to share my perspective on the Lounge as it has continued to evolve over the past couple months. First things first - I am not going to lie to you or apologize or pretend - there have been an average of 4 "nude boys" per week since October. Some weeks it is 5, some weeks it is 3, but most often it has been 4. A couple of pretentious faggots (I can use that word, because technically I am one) came in, and were just mincing and babbling to each other and I could tell they were being negative about the place. There were 12 other customers having a great time, and these guys were just plain out of their element. I was tempted to give them their money back and tell them to get the fuck out, but I couldn't be 100% sure what they were saying, so I just let it be. The first time about a month ago that we had only 3 guys, and a full house, I had my usual nervousness and felt like it was going to be a disaster. But that night, EVERY customer commented on how much they liked the place, and stayed all night, and from that night on, I realized we will never apologize again for how many boys are at the club. OF COURSE we want there to be more, and OF COURSE we are always working on that. It's hard to get quantity when we don't have something else consistent for the boys, like we did with the cyber-sex. The kind of guys who come to the Lounge are part-timers, guys from the burbs, guys in school, not the "pro" dancers. That is why they tend to be a lot nicer, and less aggressive. They have learned that if they pounce on you and try to guilt VIP dances out of you, they will earn less than if they are just mellow and nice. They always make money - and I've been told by many of you that you appreciate how laid back the guys are. No one wants to go to a strip club and be made to feel they HAVE to have a VIP dance. So after that night, I have felt no apologies since - the Lounge is what it is, it evolves, and it is surviving. We are approaching our 1 year anniversary, which we intend to celebrate in a low-key manner. Anyone who has a brain can do the math and see that Mandy and I aren't making tons of money (or any) by keeping the Lounge open. But it will not close, because we enjoy it, and because it feeds our other businesses. Our ongoing ups and downs with dancers will never stop - I suspect that in January, because of another exciting business deal we are working on, you will see a lot more guys. And this weekend, we should have some new ones, because we placed a couple new ads this week. But keep coming to the Lounge if you want, and don't if you don't. If you are a regular and have been in before, and you want to check to see who has shown up, I don't mind you calling my cellphone after 930 to ask - the number is 416-706-4237. I don't expect you to pay cover, and then find out you don't like any of the guys. But for the record, the number of customers has been utterly consistent since our major promotions during Pride week, and we thank you all for continuing to find refuge in the environment we've created in the unlikely locale of Mississauga. One last thing: some of you have been asking where you can buy our DVD's - of course you can always order them online through www.mayhemnorth.com but as an alternate, I have rented a booth at the upcoming Mr Leatherman Toronto fair. This will be for one day only - November 27th, from 10am to 5pm, at the Ramada Hotel at 300 Jarvis Street, downtown. I will have all of our titles, and some you haven't heard of too, and they will be priced to sell. When you order them online, with the exchange rate, and shipping, you sometimes end up paying more than $50 per title. I will be selling them for $20 per title, and 3 for $50, in Canadian currency. So be sure to come down, and after the show, I will bring a few copies of all titles to the club each week, and you can buy them from me at the DJ booth as well. These are "home-made", but the video quality is just as good as if you bought from our distributor.