A dance to advance, a pole for control

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by Kirstin Hermansen
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The boobs are fake, the money is real and everyone has a secret, but most people do not know the true story of these girls who work it for a dollar, or two. 

            Ashley Wilson, who goes by "Brianna" at The Penthouse Gentleman’s Club on 1801 N. West Shore Blvd. in Tampa, is a 23-year-old woman who has held every position available.
           Wilson was in a car accident one year ago and shattered her ankle, restricting her from dancing and having to take the door girl position.  She averages $400 a week between her hourly pay and tips, and works Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.  When she was dancing, a decent week consisted of $1,000.

            When Wilson is done for the day, she goes home to her boyfriend of four years to relax for the next day’s work.  During the weekends, she goes to the movies and spends time with her friends and boyfriend—normal activities.

            Her main goal is to save enough money before January, so she can continue veterinary school.  She lost her scholarship when she was in her car accident and she could not go to class, so now has to pay out of pocket.  Wilson plans on going to Hillsborough Community College to pursue her love for animals.

            Three years ago, Wilson started working at The Penthouse as a cocktail waitress, thinking it was the most respectable.  After six months, she became a shot girl and eventually a dancer.

            “The first time I went on stage, I walked on and I walked right back off,” Wilson said.  “My manager said ‘You’re not going back on stage until you are confident you can stay up there for your three whole songs.’”

On Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, Ashley Wilson
works the morning at The Penthouse Club
on 1801 N. West Shore Blvd. 

The following is an audio clip of Ashley Wilson:

            Wilson eventually became comfortable with the idea of being a dancer.  It took her a while to learn how to work the stage, even though she was enrolled in dance lessons when she was younger.  Oh, and her stage name—she wanted to be called Brianna when she was younger. 

            Wilson has a good relationship with her mother, but kept her job title secret from her stepfather and two younger siblings.  At first, her mother did not know her daughter was not only a cocktail waitress at The Penthouse. 

            One afternoon, she was at Wal-Mart with her mother, when a man and his wife were yelling out “Brianna, Brianna!”  Her mother then replied, “Her name is not Brianna.  You have the wrong girl.”  The man then replied, “No, she danced with us last weekend.”  Wilson was busted. 

One unique aspect of The Penthouse that sets it apart from other clubs is that it did not have a pole when it first opened.  It was classy, and was portrayed as a gentleman’s club.  It was a place to mingle with the girls.  After the new management took over, some rules have changed.  But, the girls are still required to wear pasties and g-strings. 

 The Penthouse serves free lunch with the ladies from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekdays to draw in clients, as well as a full four-star dinner menu. 

            “There have been plenty of nights where a guy that is loaded would come in here and he would be like ‘I’ll pay you $500 to sit down and have dinner with me.  I don’t want dances, just sit down and talk to me,’” Wilson said.  “It’s mostly people who are from out of town.  We are right next to the airport, and they are upper-class gentlemen who come in here and they will pay just to wine and dine you.  That to me is what got me desensitized and got me into it (the dancing).  I can make $500 to have steak and lobster and drink and keep my clothes on.”

           Wilson says that as a dancer, you have to take the good with the bad.

            There are men who come into the club and have disturbing requests, like wanting to rub the dancer’s feet.

            But on the plus side, there are those superstars who come in and share the wealth.

            When the Super Bowl was held in Tampa in 2009, the Steelers football players visited The Penthouse.
            “I was dancing at the time, and I got to meet Jerome Bettis,” Wilson said.   “He handed me $1,000 in cash, he asked me to sit down next to him and present myself as a lady, keep my clothes on and just enjoy myself.  So, I made $1,000 to hang out with a celebrity who bought me a bottle of Grey Goose to take home and signed it for me.  And I didn’t have to work for it.  It doesn’t get better than that!”