There’s a trick that strippers and strip clubs use to con you out of a little money.
Don’t worry, this isn’t about spiking your drink or anything like that, but it can cost you some cash that you could otherwise spend on tipping girls at the stage or getting a VIP dance.
Basically, it works by having strippers get you to order fake drinks. It happens a lot, and I’ve encountered this several times at a few Vegas strip clubs.
Below, I’ll explain how it works.
Strippers Have To Pay to Dance at the Club
To explain the drink trick, I have to start by explaining how strip clubs work, since some customers don’t know.
Every strip club charges the girls a “stage fee”. A stage fee is what the girls pay the club to work that night. They have to pay that no matter how much they actually make from customers.
The strip club doesn’t pay the girls any type of money, salary, or anything like that.
Stage fees can range from $40 at small clubs to hundreds of dollars at big clubs or during big events.
The stripper can either pay this at the start of the shift or at the end. If they can’t pay at the end of the shift, they have to pay it before they can work again. It becomes like a debt.
Strippers Using Drinks to Pay Their Stage Fee
So here is where the trick comes in. Many clubs have a secret drink on the menu that’s not an actual drink. It could be called something like a “Pink Unicorn” or something else. It’s usually the most expensive drink at the bar. I’ve seen these fake drinks costing $40 and up to $75 at some places.
How it works is that the girl asks you to buy her a drink. When she goes to the bar with you or orders from the waitress, she orders the fake drink name. She may even really sell it by saying it’s her favorite drink. She does this so when you hear the price or get the tab, you don’t freak out as much.
But the trick is that the drink is just fruit juice. Most of the price of the drink goes toward the girl’s stage fee.
So basically, the stripper is getting you to pay her stage fee without actually dancing for you.
It’s not a huge scam, but it’s something to avoid if you don’t like the idea of getting scammed or hustled.
Buying Drinks for Strippers is Still Worth it
I still suggest buying drinks for strippers when the situation is right, just don’t buy these fake drinks.
In this article, I go into how to find the “party girl” at the strip club. These girls want to actually drink, and they’ll order normal drinks, not the scam drinks.
But you have to be careful.
How to Avoid This Little Scam
The best way to avoid this scam is to ask the girl what she’s drinking before you order. You don’t have to ask this question as if you are interrogating her. Keep it fun and just ask what she likes to drink and what she has a taste for.
If she says something normal, like a shot of a certain tequila, you’re fine. If she says she’s not sure yet or mentions some bizarre drink name, you’re probably about to buy her a $60 glass of fruit juice and Red Bull.
Also, you can just order for both of you instead of letting her tell the bartender what she wants. That’s why you ask her before you order.
Of course, you may not care about $60, so worrying about this isn’t worth your time. However, if a girl is doing this, she’s likely not going to be much fun, and her private dances will be boring. Or worse, she’ll try to scam or upsell you once you go back to the VIP.
Either way, this scam isn’t too expensive compared to other scams, but it’s a good signal that the stripper isn’t worth your time.
I hope you found this article helpful. Make sure to check out our other free articles about Vegas adult nightlife. I also offer comprehensive reviews of every Vegas Strip Club along with my Complete 2025 Vegas Escort Report, which covers every aspect of escorts in Las Vegas, from casino girls to sex clubs, and more. It covers everything you need to know. There’s no other source of information like this anywhere on the internet.
