A Guide to the Quirky Strip Clubs of Portland

You love Portland and you love strip clubs, so learn about the very strip joints the city has to offer.

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Complex Original

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Portland was once one of the nation's best kept secrets. That was before Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen let the hipster out of the messenger bag and lampooned everything that makes the city great. Yet, as America's fastest-growing city becomes increasingly mainstream, one of its most cherished and appreciated attractions, the quirky and oft-discussed strip club culture, has never quite made headlines. In case you didn't know, there's a running rumor that Portland has the most strip clubs per capita. Whether it's true or not is beside the point. All you need to know is that there are a hell of a lot of strip clubs in Portland. If you're expecting these clubs to be full of bodacious babes like Miami's King of Diamonds, think again. This place is touted as the "Whitest City in America," so think less Buffie The Body and more Tatted Tina and the television show Cheers. Still, it's definitely a scene to explore, whether you're a local or just passing through. Here are eight of the most fascinating clubs you should check out in Portland, each conveniently rated by its atmosphere, dancers, and food.

Written by Modele "Modi" Oyewole (@DCtoBC)

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Casa Diablo

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Neighborhood: NW Portland
Hours: 11am - 2:30 am
Address: 2839 NW St. Helens Road
Website: casadiablo.org

Casa Diablo is the nation's first and only vegan strip club. Hit the ATM ($50 minimum withdrawal) and exchange your cash for $2 bills—there are no singles floating around. Order a plate of vegan chili cheese fries and half-pint on draft from one of the topless bartenders, and grab a table. Any seat at Casa provides a great view of the main stage, occupied by two dancers at all times. You'll quickly adjust to your new surroundings as the house DJ effortlessly strings together Prince b-sides, a Stone Temple Pilots medley, and Top 40 edits and remixes streaming from Soundcloud ("I just heard these [tracks] today and wanted to try 'em out in here," said one DJ). Expect to be approached by bubbly, vivacious dancers all night. Unlike most Portland strip clubs, Casa's stable of ladies are always hustling, strutting their stuff and flaunting their goods for dudes (and sometimes women) down to drop $40 for a lap dance in the back room. Word on the street: Hang around Casa late enough and that "Keep Portland Weird" slogan may just come true.

Golden Dragon

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Neighborhood: Downtown (SW)
Hours: 6pm - Sunrise 
Address: 324 SW 3rd Ave
Website: goldendragonpdx.com

Everything about this slightly rundown Asian-themed after-hours strip joint screams "sketchy". At the entrance, you're greeted by a bouncer who checks your ID and calls upstairs through his two-way radio to let the establishment know that you've arrived. After climbing a steep, creepy staircase, you're hit with a $5 cover that includes a free water or soda, but no alcohol. Why? Because Golden Dragon caters to patrons 18 and older, and therefore cannot sell alcoholic beverages. "Dancers in Portland start their careers here," I overheard someone say at the juice bar (yeah, the juice bar).

The main stage is surrounded by upwards of a dozen dilapidated couches that you'd think twice about sitting on, and a couple of pool tables. Passion Pit blares from the speakers, and if you don't keep track of time, the gorgeous, naked DJ and hostess tag team will have you rocking out until closing time, which is 5 a.m. on a weeknight and 6 a.m. on the weekends).

$5 gets you all you need to hook up to one of the electronic hookahs in the corner. Look toward the back of the club and you'll find a not-so-private area separated by a combination of slightly opaque and solid color traditional Japanese screen room dividers. The overwhelming red interior decor looks like something you'd find in Chinatown. Ironically, it's not located in Chinatown, and despite the establishment's name and theme, I did not see a single Asian dancer at Golden Dragon.

Club Rouge

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Neighborhood: Downtown (SW)
Hours: 6pm - 2:30am
Address: 403 SW Stark St
Websiteclubrougepdx.net

Club Rouge is somewhat of a Rose City anomaly, as the establishment has more in common with flashy, high-end gentleman's clubs on the East Coast than with the dive bar-esque clubs typically found in Portland. Rouge charges a cover, enforces a dress code, and boasts a racially diverse group of dancers. The chic interior design of the club features two main circular stages and a caged stage (!) in the back corner. Rouge is also apparently a frequent destination for Trail Blazers players. Apparently, Mo Williams celebrated his 31st birthday at Rouge with some friends this year, and the stacks of bills him and his boys tossed in the air had every dancer in the club abandoning their posts to hover around his table hoping to cash out. You definitely won't find that at most clubs in PDX! While it's not clear if Portland is ready for such a club, Rouge provides the alternative for those who want an experience where people have to funds to make it rain.

Devils Point

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Neighborhood: SE Portland
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 a.m.
Address: 5305 SE Foster Road
Websitedevilspoint.net

During the week, Devils Point is pretty standard as far as strip clubs go. On Sunday, however, they offer Stripparoke, and frankly, that's enough to make it on this list. It's exactly what it sounds like: karaoke with strippers. Get there early enough to put your name down on the list, and you can choose from their huge selection of pretty much every song ever recorded. David Bowie, Nelly, The Supremes—you name it, they probably have it. While you sing, you're sharing the stage with a lovely lady who is not only taking her clothes off, but also singing along with you. Just make sure you keep that mic cord out of her way, or things can get ugly.

Lucky Devil Lounge

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Neighborhood: SE Portland
Hours: 11am - 2:30am
Address: 633 SE Powell Blvd
Websiteluckydevillounge.com

If Hugh Heffner opened a strip club in Portland, it’d look like Lucky Devil. Brought to you by the same folks behind some of Portland's most successful clubs (including Devils Point), this upscale lounge impresses with its outstanding fire red decor. Walk in and you’ll find the blood velvet walls filled with framed paintings and posters of beautiful women from the '50s and '60s dressed in their sexiest, most scantily clad devil outfits. Head to the stage and you’ll see more contemporary beauties, many covered with tats and a few piercings. If you never thought you’d see dancers twerking to The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather”, you were wrong. It goes down here. If you feel like gambling, they’ve got a cash poker game just a feet away from the stage. They also have food. The pulled pork on mac and cheese is recommended by the chef. After food, ladies, and gambling, you can escape to the venue’s swanky patio and take a quick breather on one of the red and black leather couches. There’s even a table with a built-in chessboard in case you feel like putting somebody in checkmate real quick.

Acropolis

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Neighborhood: SE Portland
Hours: 7am - 2am Monday to Saturday; 11am - 2am Sunday
Address: 8325 SE McLoughlin Blvd
Websiteacropolispdx.com

When you walk into Acropolis, or Acrop as it's known around PDX, you're immediately handed a free bag of freshly popped popcorn. Head toward the main stage and you'll see a gnarly porcelain statue of Poseidon flexing betwixt two gorgeous, topless mermaids, all three gazing intently into a glass globe that lights up. They've also got 65 different beers on tap (and two wines and Jagermeister on tap if you're feeling fancy). This cozy, carpeted establishment has an old-school fireplace that keeps patrons warm in the winter, and also doubles as a deliciously affordable steakhouse—the owner also owns a cattle ranch. In addition to the steaks (look out for that $5.50 special!), the menu is huge, starting with breakfast items all the way down to savory leg of lamb, tasty baklava, and cheesecake to top it all off. There's even a salad bar in the joint. The four pit-like stages are bathed in black light and packed at prime time. Need to make a quick call? Acrop's got you covered with the shadiest pay phone you'll ever see located in the back of the club.

Sassy's

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Neighborhood: SE Portland
Hours: 10:30am - 2:30 am
Address: 927 SE Morrison St.
Website: sassysbar.com

Many Portlanders consider Sassy’s the best strip club in the city because all types of people feel welcome here. There’s never a cover, the music bumps, and it’s open every day of the year. It’s essentially a dive bar (30 beers on tap, even more available in bottles, and $2.50 before 7pm) with four stages located throughout the venue. Hungry? Grab the Stripper Delight (lemon grilled chicken with seasoned veggies). Sassy’s talented dancers are true professionals, with pole tricks I'd rather not spoil here. Let’s just say you’ll often find yourself tipping much more than the required $1 per song. That is, if you can manage to grab a seat by the stage. If you want to pop your strip club cherry in Portland, Sassy’s is your spot.

Mary's

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Neighborhood: Downtown (SW)
Hours: 11am-2:30 am Monday to Saturday; 11:30am-2:30 am Sunday
Address: 129 SW Broadway
Website: marysclub.com 

This is Portland's longest-standing strip club, and one of the oldest in the country, but don't let the dated, dingy interior fool you: Mary's is hip. Each dancer picks her own music on a regularly updated vintage jukebox located on stage. There's soft rock, dubstep, and everything in between. You won't notice awkward silence during the transition period between acts because the chatty all-female staff will be making sure you've got a drink in your hand. On any given night, you're bound to see a legitimate performance, like a tattooed dancer flawlessly executing her entire three song set on roller skates. That's the kind of stuff going on at Mary's. Hungry? There's Santería, the Mexican restaurant attached to the club. In fact, the only bathroom that Santería customers can use is in Mary's. Awesome, right? Oh, and here's a little Mary's trivia for you: Courtney Love danced here in the '80s as "Michelle."

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