I had also mentioned that I personally did not find many of the other women to be attractive, and some customers sure complained to me about that. However, many customers became "infatuated" (let's hope not really) with at least one dancer there. I remember I was taking a break and sitting with one man, and he was so dazzled by the beauty of all of the dancers. It was like he was in Heaven. The differences in reactions is very important to keep in mind if you want to work at a strip club, especially as a dancer.
The customers had various preferences when it came to looks. Like with anything when it comes to trying to attract customers, it is best to fulfill a niche than to try (and fail) to appeal to everyone. Even then, when I observed dancers at the end of their shifts, the most attractive ones and the ones with novelty features (*sigh* I hate keep having to say this, but this topic does deserve a post of its own) did not make the most money.
Of those I saw, these were who did:
1) The Best Dancers
Not only were they sought out for lap dances (to be honest, I couldn't really tell a difference between the best dancers and the ones who weren't as good - then again, it's not like I stared), they actually made quite the buck onstage, which can't be said for everyone.
2) The Best Characters
I did see a lot of overlap with the best characters and best dancers. By character I mean those who had a distinct niche. Their costumes, tattoos and piercings, make-up, dancing style, and music they danced to all came together well. For example, a metalhead. Of what I noticed, no worker actually talked about "character". It probably was a branch off of who they already were. Also, characters didn't have to have distinct labels - you could look at a dancer and know what she was all about.
3) The "Therapists"
They understood why older men came in regularly. Not necessarily to feel something stir in their pants, but to relieve them of the loneliness they were feeling at home. Waitresses could capitalize on this really easily as well. As I am not chatty and prefer to listen, this came naturally to me. I would say that being attractive helped me here. (What more would a man want than to have someone listen to his problems, and have that someone be a pretty, young woman?)
4) The Hustlers
These ones worked hard to get an audience. They probably made more money earlier in the day than any other dancer. With all the fees and tips independent contractors pay out at the end of their shifts, hustlers made that pretty easily, which is especially useful at the beginning of the career when you don't really have the swing of things yet. This is another tactic waitresses could utilize. Not in the same way, but the whole, "Would you like to order anything else, sir?" or "plant" drink or meal ideas into their minds.
I found that the best dancers and characters naturally attracted more customers. The therapists and hustlers had to work harder to make big bucks. For the dancers that didn't fit these categories, they usually didn't go far enough, or were more social butterflies than anything else. You might think a social butterfly would do very well at a strip club, and sure, they can. It's just that they actually have to talk with customers. There were always menageries of dancers gossiping with each other in the dressing rooms or at the bar. Sometimes I'm not sure how they made money, as most of the time I saw them interacting with customers was when they had to be onstage. Nevertheless, somehow even the laziest of dancers made more money in one day than I'd see full-time workers in other industries make in a single week.
A dancer depending solely on her looks will ensure she does not make much, especially compared with the others, but being attractive or having novelty features can give a boost. Where I found it helps the most to be naturally attractive is when dancers first sign on. Many of them have to pay the tips/fees out-of-pocket because they did not make enough to cover those during their shift. What I think would help more in this case is going into it knowing what to expect. That's actually why many dancers first started off as waitresses. That way they can observe for hours on end.
