By Olusegun Olanrewaju
It’s a fact: You either choose to indulge, or shy away from a dig. It’s becoming a trend, mushrooming and growing bolder by the way, with a ubiquitous showing in the corners of the nation’s commercial capital.

Oh, it’s a menace. No, it’s heaven on earth. That, however, is left to your persuasion and judgement, as per your wind vane of morality.

All the same. welcome to Lagos, and to the hub of a new bourgeoning business of wild parties and strip teasing. ‘Enjoy your life!’

This may be your inaugural ‘lecture’ on an aspect of what is called, in some parlance, ‘sex tourism’. That scary thing!

This piece of adventure began with a little bill posted on an electric pole on a busy street somewhere on the beach lines of an aquatic area of Lagos.

It was a welcoming bill to participate in a soiree billed for an unidentified location.
You are being invited to a secret party that was to take place on an auspicious date of August 26.

Even subsequent calls to the organisers was not forthcoming on the actual location of the ‘big do’ scheduled for a working day at 5.00 p.m.

Days later, you stumble on what likely appears to be the real spot. A popular hotel situated in a prime area of the Owutu axis of Ikorodu, Lagos.

It had been advertised as a ‘lunch party’, but the real cause was not disclosed. Seating arrangements for the party scheduled for the ‘party’ ranged from N300,000 to half a million for a one evening ‘feast’, depending on the ‘bronzeness‘, silverness’or ‘goldness’ of the sitting arrangement.

But the silent discovery of the suspected venue screamed a shocking invite: “@No bra. No pant…Hotel pool party. Styly entertainment at…(street).”
This really jolts you down to your wits…

Lagos: Muted note of the wild side

Wild parties
But, really speaking, Lagosians say it is not a new trend in the metropole. Indeed, on many streets, you witness nude and semi-nude posters and banners hoisted for such ‘dangerous parties in the neighbourhood. Of even housewives bathing in the nude in street corners, especially at dawn.

In the 60s, they say, wild beach parties were quite common at Lagos’ erotic beaches.
These are laced with funfair, fashion shows and even religious and mating flings, especially by teenagers, surfers, beach bums, and even horse-riders and bikers, some to the regret.

On a typical beach party day, you can bingo with sand, swimsuits, singing and dancing. Anything like secret surfing’?

In the 70s, the same trend persisted on the Lagos social skyline, ably aided by the disco and ‘Owambe’ lifestyle ‘madness’ of the era, on the streets, ‘lungus’ (hideouts) and everywhere, especially in the Isale Eko (Lagos Island), Surulere and mainland areas of Eko, Akete, Oh!

But the dwindling economic fortunes of the 80s scaled the prominence and frequency of such parties down.

It was hardly known then that the organisation of such shindigs were laced with the secret underpinnings of grooving in the sacred confines of ‘fraternity houses’ where all sorts of biological excesses are showcased.
You could also have lunch and dinner parties arranged for extra-libidinous tangos, buffs say.

The decline and aftermath
At a time, there was a ban on strip clubs, but that era seems to have elapsed.
Now, such clubs are either ‘maintaining’, or just showing face. The rate of grow is increasing, it has been noticed, ‘on an alarming rate’.

A shared experience
A crawler who tried to survey the city, came back with an interesting find.
He narrates his experience on the development:
“Some months back, I started a tour to visit some of the biggest and most fun strip clubs in the megacity of Lagos, and this journey has definitely been amazing with some of my findings and that have left me stunned.

“My biggest finding was when at a particular strip club around about an hour and half-past midnight was when a hefty looking man went on stage where the girls had been strip dancing all night. The man also did a bit of strip dancing; a masculine type.

“The man went on stage along with a couple of the strip dancers, then they gradually started getting sexual a bit, of kissing, fondling and boom.

“One of the ladies went down on the hefty dude playing with his underneath. The lady started giving him oral s..x. “Of course, people were watching the show..

“And more to my amazement, I noticed two other ladies at the other end of the room playing it out with another hunk.

“Unknown to me, both groups had started the whole scene same time. I was so focused on the first group and the whole sexual excitement that I didn’t know it was a game and the audiences while enjoying the view, placing on who gets ‘tired’ first.

“This experience left me awed. It was definitely a memorable night.”

The hot spots
There are many strip clubs in Lagos, but their hub of operation lie somewhere in Ikeja around Allen Avenue, from Ocean Blue, the oldest strip club in Lagos. Yaba, on the mainland too, used to have such erotic spots until a surge of religious renaissance in the 80s.

Some of the popular strip clubs in Lagos include, but are not restricted to:
Cave, Aficionados Lair: Probably the biggest and the expensive, according to an online rating. “It a classic sitting room atmosphere, with a very relaxing ambience. To gain access into the main cave, an inner ‘dome-shaped’ hall, where the strip events take place, a client has to cough out the sum of N5,000, as gate fee.

“At The Cave, a lap dance of about 10 minutes, or depending on the girl’s interest in the client, costs between N3,000 and N5,000. A go in the VIP section costs between N20,000 to N30,000; covering the rent of the section and the lady’s fee.

“Activities in this club, like all other clubs in that league, including a turn by turn erotic dance steps by the completely nude girls, packaged in a manner that the largely male audience can’t resist, also attracts additional fees.

1. Unique Gentlemens’: This is listed as the ‘second oldest strip club in Lagos’
Though also located in Ikeja, it is said to be inexpensive as the ‘Cave’. “But (it is) still good here (rock), and doesn’t come cheap”.

“The standard there has always been high. Gate fee from Tuesday to Thursday is N1,000 for men and free for ladies, while Friday and Saturday night is N2,000 for gate fee.

“However, those who are regular customers no longer pay gate fees. “The guests, seated, are treated to lap dances from the strippers walking around. Each dance goes for N1,000. Anyone interested in having sex with any of the girls would have to pay N7,000 to the management. N4, 000 for the club and N, 3000 for the girl”.

Ocean Blue:
You can also check in here for a treat, ‘that way’.
Ocean Blue “is usually referred to as the oldest strip club in the Lagos and maybe in the whole of the country.
“Staking a huge claim as one of Lagos’ pioneer strip clubs, Ocean Blue gives no indication that strip activities go on within when seen from the outside.

“Ordinary weekdays at Ocean Blue attracts a gate fee of N2,000, a fee which does not in any way cover for a lap dance.”

Like many clubs in Ikeja, to get a lap dance here attracts a charge of N1,000 per dance, “except where a client decides to be generous to the dancer for a job well done”.
About N6,00 is said to be the minimum charge to access the VIP room.
“What goes on in there is just too graphic to be explained”..

Teazers Cabaret: Teazers Cabaret is branded another big spot for strippers.
Its goal, according to the promoters, is to attract and provide pleasure mostly for the crème-de-la-crème in the society.

Formerly known as Cassbah, Teazers cabaret sits pretty close to Ocean Blue.
“On a visit, our investigator said he was greeted by female ushers clad in t-shirts and hot pants, as well as daunting and well-dressed bouncers who collect a gate fee of N1,000”.

Wall Street Pub: The smallest strip among the club’ this pub is also located in in Ikeja, which is the seat of government in Lagos.

The club, which can barely house 50 clients at a time, is trumpeted as one that has ‘made a big statement in the strip business’.

It is located at 70B, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. And it is said that what it lacks in size, Wall Street pub makes up for in ‘services’.
“I can guarantee you it is the only strip clubs that operates during work hours, although customers get all the services without the strip show. That, they say, is best reserved for the night”.

Compulsive fun-seekers could also check out the strip joint on Allen Lane, off Fela Wewo at Ikeka Ike ja ‘s not the only place in Lagos, mind you). there, you wiill seek rockers, mostly of Chinese and Asian descent, engaging ‘salesgirls’ready to take off their body drappings for a fee.
In those days when a bottle of beer went for N150, there, you must be prepared to shell out N1,000 per unit.

Patrons are served near nude. “You see them coming in here, wearing suits like dignified persons, only to see them behaving like monsters inside,”

But rumour also claimed, it was gathered, that even at that, dancers, when given enough tips, go as crazy as giving oral sex with guests.

“A guest who is a regular there who interacted with me said the girls here have been noted on a few occasions to exhibit dauntless abilities towards clients as they throw themselves at men with ease, allowing free fondling, which in most strip bars, run contrary to rules.

“To enter the Wall Street gate, a fee of N2000 is charged on normal weekdays, while on weekends and public holidays, gate fee skyrockets to as much as N3000.
“A lap dance price starts at N1,000 for lap dances which lasts not more than five to ten minutes.

“The VIP section of the Wall Street Bar’s cost N4,000 to N5000, where some patrons say the girls are more generous, some willing to go the whole nine yards.

“It is rumoured that the girls have rooms in the club, clients can have sex with any girl of their choice.
“One regular patron told me also that this service costs as much as N12,000 which will serve as pay for rent and services rendered by the girl.”
So long, Lagos.