Hundreds of people have walked past X in the City while on a night out and wondered what it's like to work inside.
Although it is miles away from the average 9-5 job, there's a reason why some women choose lap dancing. Some do it as a way to add to their main income, while others do it to fund their university studies.
Back in 2017, The ECHO visited the Wood Street club to speak to the women who work there about what it's really like. What we found were mothers, teachers and university students all just trying to make some extra cash.
*The women's names used below have been changed to protect their identity*
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When people picture strip clubs they probably imagine scantily-clad women getting bank notes stuffed in their knickers - but what’s it REALLY like being a stripper in a Liverpool lap dancing bar? In fact, it’s a far cry from the seedy profession outsiders often think it is - and the jobs the dancers do in the daytime might surprise you.
Any ideas people have of strip clubs as seedy and sleazy are instantly forgotten after five minutes spent talking to the women who actually work there. The lap dancers who make a living taking their clothes off for customers in Liverpool come from all walks of life - from hard-working single mums to students and even teachers.
It might not be your normal 9-5 at the office, but for the women working at X in the City stripping is just a normal job. We spoke to two women who’ve worked at X in the City for years about the reality of taking your clothes off for stags, students and football fans on weekend trips to the city.
Christina* has been lap dancing for ten years, since moving to the UK. She’s a qualified teacher with a husband and kids, but chose to start lap dancing after her children were born to help pay off her mortgage - and it was her husband who talked her into it.
Speaking to the ECHO, she said: “Actually we kind of fell out about it. I had a full-time job at that point - we got married and got a mortgage and everything and he said, because one of my friends used to do this, he said ‘why don’t you try it?’ and I was like ‘...you what?!’ I tried it and there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s no contact here and the club look after you.”
While many men might feel uncomfortable knowing their wife makes money by taking her clothes off for strangers, Christina said her husband was completely unphased by her night-time work.
She said: “The majority of us have relationships here. It’s only a job you do [and then] you go home. I think most people tell their partners what they do."
However, it’s a completely different set of rules when it comes to telling family and friends about lap dancing. Both of the women we spoke to said they’d never tell their family about their jobs because they’re scared they’d judge them.
Christina said: “I don’t tell my family and friends because I think they will judge me. They don’t know what I do. I know what I do exactly but they think lap danicng is dirty.
“It’s not the most prestigious job but I don’t tell them. I think they’ll be disappointed in a way because of what they gave me, and I’ve got a degree and a good job and I do this as well.”
Lucy* has also kept her job a secret from family and friends, having worked at the club for four years to fund her university degree. Out of the 50 girls working at X in the City, around 30% are students stripping to pay their way through their studies - choosing your own hours and pocketing £500 a night can prove incredibly appealing for struggling students.
Lucy said: “I don’t tell people what I do, just because some people think it’s worse than what it is. You watch telly and people think it’s like America where you throw money at people and it’s just not at all.
“It’s the same thing with boyfriends. I have told them and some are alright but some are jealous. I get that, because I would be, but a lot of the girls are married and it’s just a job.
“It depends on the person - I’ve had boyfriends in the past who weren't bothered but then I’ve had boyfriends who’ve said ‘no you aren’t doing it’.”
She added: “I wouldn’t be with them if they didn’t accept me for what I’ve done. That’s my way of making money.”
Strippers at X in the City are essentially self-employed - they choose their own hours and pay a fee to the club for every night they want to come in and work. On Fridays the going rate is £90, which goes up to £120 on Saturdays when the club is busier - however, not all dancers at the club are able to make their money back in a night.
The most Christina has made in a night is £500 - more than the average weekly wage for most workers in Liverpool. It’s certainly not easy money, and Lucy admitted the job can sometimes come with unwelcome advances and inappropriate behaviour from customers.
She said: “The hours are hard work and I don’t get home until 4am, I don’t get to sleep until 5 and and then I’m in lectures at 8am. It’s the drunk fellas that are the worst because I don’t drink.
"It’s when people are dead drunk and annoying - you can’t get a conversation out of them and it annoys me repeating myself. I love the awkward ones because then you can give them their first experience and you’re like, ‘come on it’ll be dead good’ and they don’t know what to expect - it’s boss."
The club sees a lot of stag parties coming in (as well as the odd appearance from well-known reality TV stars looking for a dance) - but Lucy doesn’t see any issue with men visiting strip clubs before their wedding day.
She said: “It’s a bit weird but then because nothing happens you think you’re just giving them a good time before they get married. It’s just a night out to let your hair down before you get married.”
But would she let her own fiancé get a lap dance before tying the knot?
She added: “I would be like ‘GO... and then we’ll get married and then it won’t happen again!’"
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