Night Moves, the only strip club in Bloomington, opened the doors to its new location Thursday evening at 3160 S. Walnut St. The club is for the old and the young, the lonely and the horny.
The club has been around since 1993, co-owner Rodney Domer said. The city bought the club’s former building further south on Walnut Street in 2017 as part of its plan to build Switchyard Park. Domer, 53, said it was difficult finding a new location due to the city's zoning rules for adult-oriented businesses.
Still, he said reopening night was a success. The club advertised its reopening on social media, but he said most awareness is by word of mouth.
“If someone wants to go to a place like this, they’ll find it,” Domer said.
Customers can get a lap dance for $20 or go to the VIP room with a dancer for $150 per half-hour. Domer said the new location has more space, and the layout allows for more privacy, whether for lap dances or plain old conversation.
“Some guys come in here because they’re lonely,” he said. “Sometimes they just want to talk.”
On the club’s doors and awning, the Night Moves logo of a woman lounging on a yellow crescent moon, breasts bared, welcomed guests to a night of boobs, beer and dollar bills. Inside, the smell of fresh paint and the sound of nervous laughter floated through the air, and scantily clad women sashayed around the club.
A dancer who asked to be identified by her stage name, Jazz, has worked at Night Moves for five months. She said she would miss the old location because it’s where she learned to pole dance.
“It’s bittersweet,” she said.
Jazz, 29, said she loves her job because she can meet people and dance. The money doesn’t hurt either. She said she makes between $200 and $300 on a regular night and between $300 and $400 if it’s busy. Jazz said she and her fiance are in a tight financial situation right now.
“Your family’s got to eat,” she said.
Another dancer, who asked to be identified as Giggles, said every night she works, she leaves with at least $400. Part of her strategy is standing out.
As Giggles spun around the pole — sometimes holding onto it by the crook of one knee, sometimes upside down — her 7-inch platform heels glowed under the club’s blacklight.
She said she avoids going to Cirilla’s, an adult entertainment store on West Third Street, so her outfits can be different than other dancers in Bloomington. Giggles said she gets some of her stuff from discountstripper.com.
But being a stripper isn’t just about the big tips and tiny pieces of clothing, she said.
“You have to have thick skin,” Giggles said. “People will reject you, and that’s OK.”
