People often ask, “Do Vegas Strip Clubs allow touching?”  The answer is, “Yes. And how much touching is legally up to you and the dancer.”  If that satisfies your curiosity , click the pill below to call us and visit Vegas Best Strip Clubs now.  If you want to know everything there is to know about touching and the law in Vegas strip clubs, keep reading.

Can you touch the stripper?  Can she touch you?  Where can you touch her?  Can you motorboat? What about dry humping?  Grinding?  Believe it or not, the Nevada Supreme Court has settled all these questions.

TOUCHING AND THE LAW IN VEGAS STRIP CLUBS

I’m not a big fan of history and I get bored reading legal jargon and lawyer speak.  But, I am a big fan of strippers, strip clubs, lap dances and breasts touching my skin.  So, I went to the trouble to research the statutes, case-law, court decisions and history of touching in Las Vegas strip clubs.  Here it is all spelled out for you in nice simple plain language.  Oh yeah, I include enough details and humor to hopefully make this a read you enjoy.

The Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code

Yes, there really is such a law on the books: LVMC 6.35.100(I).  Oddly, this code is modeled after a really old Washington state court case from the days when tipping dancers was illegal and the law said a dancer and customer had to stay at least 2 feet away from each other.  It says, “No Dancer shall fondle or caress any patron, and no patron shall fondle or caress any dancer.”  The code seems pretty straightforward.  But no one had ever attempted to enforce it until 2004.

Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code Enforced And Then Ruled Unconstitutional

In 2004, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police “raided” Crazy Horse Too Gentlemen’s Club and arrested 13 dancers for violating the Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code.  No one had ever tried to enforce this code before and surprise surprise, fondling and caressing was going on in Las Vegas strip clubs.  The 13 dancers and their attorneys argued that the Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code was vague since it didn’t define fondling or caressing.  The case was thrown out of court. Municipal Court Judge Betsy Kolkoski ruled that the Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code was unconstitutionally vague.

The city attorney’s office appealed the case to Circuit Court on the grounds that it should be illegal for a stripper to touch a patron with the intention to “arouse” that patron. Circuit Court Judge Sally Loehrer upheld the municipal court decision.  She even pointed out that since the code didn’t specify that the fondling had to be done with “hands” a dancer might be charged under the code even if she used a feather boa to arouse a customer.  Even accidentally when walking past if her boa touched him. Judge Loehrer observed that the city’s argument about arousal was pure non-sense.  She commented…

“Why else would anyone go into those establishments?  They’re not going for the lighting or the drinks.  If people go in there, I would assume they are going in to be erotically aroused.”—Circuit Court Judge Sally Loehrer

NO ONE EVER COMPLAINED ABOUT TOUCHING INSIDE THE STRIP CLUBS

I find it funny that two female judges understand more about the purpose of strip clubs than a male assistant city attorney.  No customer complained about a stripper fondling or caressing or arousing them.  No stripper complained about a customer fondling or caressing them.  No strip club owner or manager complained about this.  But the assistant city attorney was appalled that there was erotic arousing touching going on in strip clubs in Las Vegas of all places.  And he found an ancient law to try and put a stop to it.  But he lost in court twice and was made a laughing-stock by the judge…So what did he do?  He appealed.

NEVADA SUPREME COURT WEIGHS IN ON TOUCHING IN STRIP CLUBS

So yes, the Nevada Supreme Court was called on to answer the question, Can an erotic dancer while practicing the art of erotic dancing allow a customer to touch her breasts?  Can she touch him with her breasts?  And the court did settle the issue of touching in Las Vegas strip clubs.

In November 2006, the Nevada Supreme Court over ruled Judge Sally Loehrer’s decision and said the Las Vegas Erotic Dance Code was not unconstitutionally vague.  This sounded awful.  The papers reported this decision meant no touching in Vegas strip clubs.  Then someone actually bothered to read what the Justices wrote.

WHAT THE NEVADA SUPREME COURT SAYS ABOUT TOUCHING IN STRIP CLUBS

“…erotic dance is expressive conduct that communicates, which could be deserving of some level of First Amendment protection.  If that is so, fondling and caressing may be protected expressive conduct when part of an erotic dance.

Further, even if fondling and caressing as part of an erotic dance are afforded First Amendment protection as expressive conduct that communicates, the protection is not absolute.  Such conduct remains subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions.

Therefore, to the extent that LVMC 6.35.100(I) reaches conduct arguably protected by the First Amendment, it is not overbroad so long as it is a valid time, place, and manner restriction of the arguably protected conduct that communicates, i.e., fondling and caressing as part of an erotic dance…”

WHAT THE SUPREME COURT RULING MEANS FOR YOU AND ME AND STRIPPERS

The only way for you or a dancer to be convicted under the Las Vegas Erotic Dance code is for the prosecutor to prove that a strip club is not the proper, time, place or manner for a lap dance with touching fondling and caressing.

TOUCHING, FONDLING AND CARESSING IS PERFECTLY LEGAL IN LAS VEGAS STRIP CLUBS

Basically, the Supreme Court said a stripper doing an erotic dance inside a strip club is a performing artist performing in a manner that communicates.  And thus, her communication is protected free speech.  So, the stripper and the stripper alone can decide how much expressively she chooses to communicate–how much touching she allows.  And since she is a performing artist who is paid by her customers for her performance it is not illegal when she allows touching fondling or caressing even in exchange for money.

You can touch.  You can fondle.  You can be touched.  You can be fondled.  I’ve even had a stripper rub her nipples on my mouth and say, “suck my tits.”  But…

LET’S BE 100% CLEAR…THE AMOUNT OF TOUCHING ALLOWED IS UP TO THE DANCER

She is the performing artist.  The communication protected by the First Amendment is hers, not yours.  Ask her how much touching she allows.  Communicate clearly.  In strip clubs and everywhere else in life miscommunication is the root of most problems.  I was recently in a strip club with two ladies who wanted to make out with a dancer.  The asked me if it was allowed.  I told them to ask the dancer.  They did and they both went to the VIP room with her for a 15 minutes for $140.  They both made out with her, they both had their shirts off and I’m told all three sets of breasts were fondled, caressed, licked, kissed, and sucked.  Apparently the dancer was into this as 15 minutes became 30 minutes for no additional charge–the ladies did tip.

LET’S BE 100% CLEAR…NO SEX IN THE STRIP CLUB

There is a clear difference between sex and an arousing erotic performance.  There is a clear difference between fondling and caressing and sex.  The law in Las Vegas allows you to get to second base.  But you aren’t stealing third or home.  Yes, I’m sure sex does happen in Vegas Strip Clubs.  I am also sure it is extremely rare and it is illegal. Don’t do it.  Don’t ask for it.  If you want sex go to a brothel or go pick up a woman in a night club.  This is Vegas, you can do that and here’s proof.

Men don’t go to strip clubs for sex.  Dancers don’t work in strip clubs to prostitute.  That isn’t what it is all about and we’ve discussed this in detail in other posts and pages.

GOOD NEWS OUT OF ALL THIS

I think it is important that the Nevada Supreme Court recognized lap dancing as an art form and also as a form of communication.  Many people may not appreciate it as an art form or view it as low brow or low class art form.  But it is an art form anyway. It is protected.

And I agree with the court.  Each dancer has a different performance and approach.  Some allow more touching. Some less.  Some act like shy giggly innocent girls.  Others pretend to be dirty seductive sluts.  Some are the girl next door types with a naughty side. Each “lap dance artist” expresses herself in a unique way.

OTHER HISTORICAL NOTES ON VEGAS LAP DANCING LAWS

2009 Proposed Lap Dance Regulations

In 2009, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department asked the county commissioners to pass a law which would have put limits on what dancers can do or allow during lap dances.  Police from the Vice Squad tried to convince county commissioners that dancers were arousing customers so they could solicit acts of prostitution.  There was no proof because dancers don’t try to solicit acts of prostitution.  They arouse customers so customers spend more time buying lap dances and VIP time and give dancers more tips.  This proposed law never went anywhere and thus the Nevada Supreme Court decision still stands.  Apparently the vice squad has plenty of real prostitutes and other illegal activity in Las Vegas to keep themselves busy so they don’t have time to create new laws regulating lap dancing.  That’s a good thing.

2009 Deja Vu Dancer Arrests

In September 2009 police arrested 13 dancers at Deja Vu–why is it always 13 dancers–for soliciting.  A little background:  In 2009 Deja Vu was a fully nude club; they since started serving alcohol and are now topless only. The dancers were arrested for asking vice officers for extra money to touch in the VIP rooms.  Even though touching was fully allowed by Nevada laws and the Supreme Court, the cops argued that dancers asking for extra tips to touch was an act of prostitution.  So these dancers were arrested for doing what the dancers at every topless club were doing every night. The charges were dropped so the dancers never got their day in court.  They also never got an apology for being wrongly arrest and charged for performing perfectly legal acts. They never got an apology for having their pictures and real names posted in the newspaper.  They have finally been removed from most web sites.  Sad that this happened.

THE BOTTOM LINE ON TOUCHING IN VEGAS STRIP CLUBS

TOUCHING IS ALLOWED…

…AND IT SHOULD BE

This is Vegas.  Things should be looser here.  People come here to drink and gamble and have sex with strangers and go to strip clubs. It is what happens here.  And what happens here stays here.  So, let’s get on with the fun and leave lap dancers and strip clubs alone. There is real crime that causes real problems to pursue.

Lap dancing doesn’t spread disease or cause any unwanted pregnancies.  Strippers make lots of money and feed their children and families.  Many of them provide for their parents.  They aren’t human slaves like the prostitutes walking Las Vegas Boulevard at night.  They are decent educated, fun people earning a really good living providing they type of entertainment that made Vegas famous.

It’s been a few years now since any big Vegas strip club bust has made the local news. Maybe lawmakers and police have chosen to accept what the Nevada Supreme Court settled in 2006.   Lap dancing is an art, like it or not.  And dancers have a right to communicate as expressively as they want.

HERE IT IS IN PLAIN ENGLISH:

TOUCHING IS ALLOWED IN VEGAS STRIP CLUBS  

READY TO GO GET A HANDS ON HIGH CONTACT LAP DANCE?