Platinum Plus (Allentown, PA)

Quality of Dances (13.5/20) – As with every Platinum Plus, lap dances are very solid here.  Upper body two-way contact is not only tolerated but encouraged, and most of the girls are active with their hands over the pants.  No one has offered me extras, but given what happens at some of this place’s other locations, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that at least some girls offer some services in the champagne area. 

Quality of Dancers (7/10) – Maybe my expectations were too low given the location, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the consistently solid talent level at this club.  There are some trashy looking bleached blonds and one girl who I’m 99% sure was born with male parts, but most of these ladies are in the 7 to 8 range with cute faces and fit bodies.

Number of Dancers (7.5/10) – I’ve only visited on weekend evenings so I can’t speak to the afternoon numbers, but I’ve always seen well over a dozen ladies working.  That means that you’ll get all the attention you want, and much of the attention that you’d prefer to do without.

Variety of Dancers (2/5) – Most of the dancers are white, but I’ve seen a few black ladies and Asians mixed in, and the variety of bodies should be enough to satisfy a wide variety of preferences.

Attitudes (2/10) – As with the other Platinum Plus clubs, there are no set dance prices here, so you’re going to have to negotiate with each girl before agreeing to head to the lap dance room, and that can be kind of a buzzkill when the girls get pushy.  It’s a fine line between being cheap and being a pushover, and I’d usually rather just pay a set fee than having to walk that line while trying to have a relaxing evening.   

The worst thing, though, is that girls ask for cash before dances.  I understand why they ask for the dance fee in advance, and while I don’t like it, I can’t get too upset about it.  What I can get upset about is when, as has happened several times here, girls ask customers to prepay the tip.  One even asked for an extra tip after I handed her a $50 even though we’d agreed that I’d pay her $40 for the dances.  Unless the “tip” is really just payment for services that go above and beyond the typical lap dance, that should be based on how the dance goes.  And when they’re asking for extra cash in advance, it’s a fairly safe bet that the dance won’t go well.

Value (5.5/10) – You get free entry with a local sports ticket, but that deal seems like it would make a lot more sense in a city with major sports teams.  Assuming that you aren’t coming from a Lehigh sporting event or a minor league baseball game, the cover charge should be around $5.  Happy hour beers are a bargain at $2 each, and normal beer prices are still very reasonable at $3.75.  The value goes down slightly because they only give change in 2 dollar bills, so you feel obligated to spend all of them since you’ll get some strange looks if you try to use them elsewhere, but the stage action is usually impressive enough that you wouldn’t want to be tipping just a single anyway.  The real killer for the value, though, is the lap dances, since girls set their own prices and some of them set their prices high. Most will start off claiming that dances are $40 each, but you can talk the majority of them into 2 for $40 or something similar.  Unfortunately, the hottest girl that I’ve seen stuck to her initial outrageous offer, so you might have to spend too much if you have your heart set on one particular girl.  They do run 2-4-1 specials, but since the girls are picking their own prices, that probably won’t end up being a much better deal than the normal dances.  They also do short table dances for whatever you want to tip, and, occasionally, they do $2 dances in the main room.  They’re basically 30 second long table dances, but it’s a nice way to sample a girl for cheap before bothering to negotiate a price for a real dance. 

Club Setup (7/10) – This is a very nice, classy club.  The room is huge with high ceilings and a ton of small tables throughout, and there are two nice well-stocked stand-up bars along the walls.  The main stage has several tall poles, and there are two cage style satellite stages at opposite ends of the club.  It’s a little too dark, but that’s my only real complaint. 

Dance Setup (5/10) – The dance area is a separate room in the back of the club.  There are four rows of booths with high walls, so the only way that anyone will have a clear view of your activities is if they’re sitting directly across from you.  Fortunately, unless they’re very busy, that shouldn’t be a problem. 

Atmosphere (7/10) – The Platinum Plus has a relaxed but fun atmosphere and would be a great place to go for a bachelor party, a relaxing evening with the boys or even a night out with a first-time female customer.  It doesn’t really strike me as an after-work beer type of place, but it wouldn’t be terrible for that either. 

Location (3.5/5) – The club is between the airport and the ballpark just a few minutes from downtown Allentown.  You’ll unfortunately need to drive to get there and it might be a little awkward if you’re from the area since it’s located in a strip mall with several legitimate businesses, but there is at least plenty of parking. 

Overall –I like their Columbia, SC and Lexington, KY locations a little better than this one, but the Allentown Platinum Plus is still a very nice club.  I haven’t been blown away by any particular aspect of the place, but the atmosphere is good, the girls are hot, the dances are worthwhile, and it’s just generally a good time.

RAW SCORE = 60

Platinum Plus (Columbia, SC)

Quality of Dances (17/20) – These are great lap dances.  Breast touching is encouraged and the girls are very active over the pants with their hands.  Most of the girls don't grind a whole lot, but the move where they plant their mouth on the crotch of your pants and vibrate more than makes up for that.  I don't think that you'll be whipping it out due to the lack of privacy, but wearing loose fitting cargo shorts might not be a terrible decision, particularly when the club is less busy.

Quality of Dancers (6.5/10) – There are lots of 7's and 8's and a few who were higher than that, but there were also a few too many ladies who were either too old or a little on the sloppy side.  One dancer volunteered that she's 38, and she wasn't even close to being the oldest one there.  She actually was pretty hot, but the woman who looked like she could have been the 38 year old's mother... not so much.  Still, as long as you aren't uncomfortable shooting down the ladies that you don't like, you should be able to find plenty of ladies worth getting a dance from.

Number of Dancers (7/10) – Platinum Plus is usually packed with ladies whether or not they're busy.  Of course, the ratio is a lot better when things are slow, but it's always acceptable.  They only have one woman on stage a lot of the time, but with two song sets and not too much repetition, I don't have any problem with that.  

Variety/Diversity of Dancers (2/5) – This is mostly a white club, but I saw a few black dancers and had some very enjoyable dances from a Filippina, plus there's more than enough variation in body types to keep most customers interested.    

Attitude of Dancers (1/10) – Most of these ladies are initially very friendly and are happy to sit and chat while draped across your lap and maybe doing some occasional stick shifting.  One particularly friendly girl was nice enough to ask if I had to answer to anyone that night because there was glitter in her lip gloss and she didn't want to get me into trouble by getting it on my crotch.  Unfortunately, the price structure for the dances undoes all of that good will.  Because the clubs allows each girl to set her own prices, you have to ask every single girl what her prices are before you get a dance, and, if you don't, most of them will say it's $30 per song.  That may not seem like too big of an issue, but it completely kills the mood to have to discuss prices at that point.  My biggest complaint, though, is that a lot of the girls can be ridiculouslhy pushy about the champagne room if they get even the slightest hint that you may be interested.  I made the mistake of accepting one girl's offer to take me on a tour of the champagne room, then she was on me like a leech until I was forced to tell her to get lost.

Value (6/10) – It's hard to find a better deal if you show up before 8pm or on a Monday, with a $3 cover and $2.50 beers (even cheaper on Monday). The cover goes up to $6 and the beers go up to $4.50 in the evening, but even that isn't bad at all, and the stage value is always fairly solid.  The club gives change in $2 bills, so you might end up tipping a little more than you otherwise would, but you usually get a nice, personal show if you sit stage side or stand at the stairs to the stage and wait.  Some of the girls even volunteer to tip the other dancers for you (with your money, of course), then slide the bills into their panties so that the girl on stage can come over and give a light lesbian show to pick it up.  The dances are where the real variation is, though.  Most of the girls offer dances for $25 or 2 for $40, but some of the girls hold firm to their offers of $30 dances.  A lot (maybe all) of those girls will come down to 2 for $50 if you ask in advance, but you're at their mercy if you don't ask, and that's never a good position to be in.  You can also go for dances in the "red room" for $200 for a half hour, but there's no real privacy back there and you won't get anything that you can't get during the regular dances, so it's not really worth it. The champagne rooms are just ridiculous though, with the price for the room starting at $275 (up to five grand if you want good champagne) and the price for the girls running anywhere from three to five hundred dollars.  No matter what you get to do back there, that's a rip off.

Dance Setup (2.5/10) –  The dance area is out of view of the main club and dances are given on reasonably comfortable bench/couch hybrids.  There are arm-height dividers for you to rest your keys and drink, but it isn't enough to keep anyone from seeing what you're up to.  Since they have two of these bench areas, it's fairly solid if no more than one other person is getting a dance, but that almost never happens, and, when it's crowded, you'll be right beside somebody and right across from somebody else.  The good news about the mirrored walls is that they make it easy to get a good view of what you're grabbing onto.  The bad news about them is that they make it easy for anyone else to watch what you're grabbing onto too.  They probably have better things to look at though, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.  

The champagne room setup is ok, but it's not the apartment that you should be getting for your $275 room fee.  It's just a room off of a back corner of the club with few large couces all lined up parallel to each other.  The couches are at least big enough that no one can really see what you're up to, particularly if you get the couch in the back.

Club Setup (9.5/10) – I love the setup at this place.  There's a stand up bar in the back of the club, a smaller bar in the front and a large projection TV near the stage so that you can try to keep one eye on the game. The club is deliciously dark, allowing girls to get somewhat physical at your table if you sit in one of the corners.  The disco ball strobe effects provide the perfect amount of lighting throughout the club, and the bar area is nice and bright so that you can see what you're spending your money on in advance.  Most of the club is filled with small tables for 2-4 people, and the chairs can roll around to accomodate groups of varying sizes.  The main stage isn't huge, but it's fairly nice with two poles, and there are two small cage-style stages in the back.  All of the Plantum Plus clubs have these things and they're great.  The "cage" portion of the stage is made by poles that surround it, and the girls use them to perform some unique moves.  Even though the club is really just one room, the way that the back area is a few steps up from the half of the club with the stage creates some separation and ensures that everyone has a good view of the stage show.  This really is a beautifully designed club.

Club Atmosphere (9/10) – Whether you're coming here for a cheap beer after work or for a wild night out, you'll almost certainly have a good time at Platinum Plus Columbia.  The crowd skews a little older than I'm used to, but the music is good (I heard everything from the Beatles to Rick Ross to dubstep playing during my first half hour there) and the vibe is upscale casual.  I'm knocking them down from a perfect 10 because the music can be loud to the point that it makes it difficult to chat, but that's my only complaint.

Club Accessibility (3.5/5) – The club is a few miles outside of downtown Columbia and I doubt that there's much in the way of public transportation, but the Embassy Suites is within walking distance and was perfect for me to take advantage of the cheap drinks and still make it safely to bed.

Overall –  The girls are attractive, the dances are great and it's just an all-around good time.  If they'd just do away with the variable dance prices, it would probably be one of my three favorite clubs in the world.  Even with that annoyance, though, it's still a great club and is worth a visit if you're ever anywhere near Columbia.

RAW SCORE = 64

Last Update: June, 2013

Platinum Plus Lexington (Lexington, KY)

Quality of Dances (8.5/20) – There's a huge variation from one girl to the next, with some girls offering full two-way contact and other girls only providing a soft rub without allowing much touching.  Most of the ladies do at least provide a slow but solid grind and allow hands on the hips, so the dances end up being reasonably enjoyable as long as your expectations aren't too high.  Just know that if you're expecting the type of contact that you'd get at their Columbia, SC location, your expectations are too high. he only advantage here is that you have the option of upgrading to a nude dance if you're willing to spend an extra $10.

Quality of Dancers (7.5/10) – There weren't any 9s or 10s during my visits, but they had 7s and 8s as far as the eye could see.  It's just an exceptionally consistent work force that's filled with women who are worth taking for a dance.

Number of Dancers (8/10) – They have more than enough dancers, and just about every table of guys was being entertained by one or more ladies at a time, even when the club is packed.  During the two-for-one parade, things are even more impressive, with dozens of women filing through the room looking for guys to entertain.

Variety/Diversity of Dancers (3.5/5) – Most of the ladies at the Platinum Plus are white, but they have some of the best body variation that I've ever seen.  It's not unusual to find a club with thick girls, thin girls and everything in between, but it's almost impossible to find a place with that kind of variation where all of the ladies are mainstream hot.  Since everyone in this place rates at least a 7, even the women who aren't your type shouldn't be a turnoff.  

Attitude of Dancers (2.5/10) – The good news is that some of the ladies were happy to sit and chat after I got a few dances even though I made it clear that I wouldn't be purchasing any more from them, and a lot of these ladies were actually a lot of fun to talk to.  The bad news is that several of the girls ask you to prepay for dances and some ask if you want a dance without even introducing themselves.  The real reason for this low score, though, is that the Platinum Plus refuses to set dance prices, so you have to ask every single girl what her rates are and then negotiate before getting a dance.  If I'm having a good conversation with a attractive girl and she asks if I want a dance, the last thing that I want to do is look like I'm counting pennies, but it's inevitable that you'll get ripped off if you don't confirm the rates.  In case the club's management is reading this, just make it an even $25 per song with no multiple song discounts.  The girls would make more money and the customers could go with the flow, and everyone would be better off.  I'd gladly pay a few dollars extra for that, and I guarantee that I'm not the only one.    

Value (6/10) – The $6 cover isn't bad and $3.75 beers are solid, but you'll get your change in $2 bills and a few of the girls who got me drinks just pocketed $2.25 as a tip.  That's probably what I would have tipped anyway, but since they didn't even ask, it felt more like an overpriced $6 beer than a $3.75 bargain.  Dance prices are variable, but buying one dance at a time generally isn't a great deal, with most of the girls charging $30 for topless or $40 for nude. The club does at least run periodic two-for-ones, and a lot of girls will give two topless dances for $40 throughout the night so it's not bad if you're patient or buy in bulk.

Dance Setup (2.5/10) – Dances are given in two long narrow rooms with bench/couch hybrids lining the opposing walls.  People in the main part of the club can't really see you, but there's no privacy from other people who are getting dances and, when the club is busy, other people are always getting dances.  During two-for-ones in particular, the dance area gets packed.  The seats themselves aren't overly comfortable, but they're not so bad as to detract from the dance.

Club Setup (9/10) – This is a beautiful club both inside and out. There's a large rectangular stage at one side of the room and a small, circular, cage style stage at the other side of the room.  In case you're unfamiliar with those things, the stage is surrounded by poles that enclose the girl and allow for some very creative dance moves that you won't see at many other clubs.  Like Platinum Plus's other locations, the lighting is perfect, with just enough strobes to light up the girls, but not so much as to be annoying or make things too bright.  The floor can get a little cramped with all of the small tables filling the room, but it does provide plenty of seating, even on weekend evenings.  If you'd rather hang out at the bar, there's a large one in the back of the club, but you can also get beers at the rack as you walk in if you're impatient.

Club Atmosphere (9/10) – This place has a great party vibe but still manages to be inviting for small groups and solo visitors as well.  My only complaint is that the weekend DJ seems to think that you're there to hear him talk, even going so far as to kill the music in the middle of a song to blabber about who-know-what.  It's not just a few seconds of it either; one girl was fully dressed by the time he turned the music back up because the girl and I both assumed that the song was over.  Thankfully, she apologized and hopped back on without any prompting, but the DJ successfully killed the flow.  Strip club DJs need to learn that if they're saying anything more than "right now all lap dances are buy one, get one free" and "that's going to do it for Jade.  Next up to the stage, Destiny," he's talking too much.  

Club Accessibility (4/5) – This club is easy to get to from anywhere in Lexington and they have plenty of parking, with one of the largest strip club parking lots that I've ever seen.

Overall – The Platinum Plus is the best strip club in Lexington.  There are a few places on the north side of town that offer more aggressive lap dances and the Spearmint Rhino is a decent option if you're just passing by on I-75, but this place is the whole package.  If you've been to their Columbia, SC location, it's a very similar experience except these girls are hotter but give much worse dances.  Still, even for a lap dance fiend like me, Platinum Plus Lexington is a guaranteed good time, and I'll be stopping by in the unlikely event that I ever find myself back in the area.

RAW SCORE = 59.5