r__d

Gee, I think I would be hoping for the opposite i.e. only the shoes left on.....especially after 4 songs.

Ottawa Citizen article suggesting that Claridge is firing up the approval process for redevelopment of the site at 340. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/claridge-dusts-off-three-tower-development-plan-for-land-beside-lyon-lrt-station If anyone hears about when the final day will be for Barbarella's, I hope this could be shared here. As previously mentioned, I certainly would attempt to be present sometime on the final day (afternoon or maybe evening) to mark the occasion and recall memories of many nights and afternoons at this venue.

Agree this will be a sad development when it finally transpires. Wonder if this calendar year will mark the end or if there will be some remaining life in '19. Hope the last day will be announced or in some way made known as I'd be interested in attending to mark the occasion and reminisce about years gone by at 340.

Also find the location a bit out-of-the-way, at least for afternoon visits when using the bus. In addition, have been a bit put off by fairly frequent references to the "open" feel of the CR area here as well as the stage height/layout in the main part of the club.

Haven't been to the 'Mate in the evening for a while but a bit surprised to read that there were as many as 16-18 dancers on a Friday evening. Sounds like it was a very active scene and must have seemed quite busy in the relatively small(ish) confines of the PM. Perhaps I should trade in afternoon visits for evening outings. Thanks for the report, rocky.

Difficult to know just what is going on re the local "titty bars" in recent months. As noted above by Philmore, there were times in the past (for me the late 90s to mid-2000s) when Friday and Saturday nights could be really very busy at Barb's and the 'Fax. On many of these occasions one would return from a CR visit to find one's table taken - more than once I found myself hovering near a crowded bar as there would be literally no available seats in the club, even stageside. The 'Mate would usually be somewhat less crowded and things would typically start to heat up a bit later there. I'm told that in the past the busy Fri./Sat. night scene at Pigale could be near pandemonium. Not sure if nights at Big Al's have calmed down a bit recently. After becoming more of an afternoon clubgoer I became accustomed to an overall less frenetic atmosphere but, having said that, can certainly recall some Friday afternoons at Barb's (especially around the winter holiday season) when the search for a table left one banished to the far corners of the club. Things seemed to start to go a bit sideways at 340 during the LRT construction, but there seemed to be some perception (and discussion in the 'Barb's' thread) to the effect that there was a slowdown prior to the Queen St. closure. Have folks just lost enthusiasm for the typical SC atmosphere? Yesterday (9/29) I noticed two new(er) sex shops on Bank St. - one in the Glebe and the other in the 'downtown core' - occupying what I'm guessing is commercial space that would not be especially inexpensive. As there is so much porn available on the web, I assume the bulk of their trade is in what used to be called 'marital aids' (lubes, toys etc.). Thought that this town was already well supplied with purveyors of joy jelly and butt plugs, but perhaps this is the direction that commerce is tending toward in the 'adult entertainment' realm. If Barb's ever (finally) closes (and I raise that topic with some trepidation) as a result of redevelopment of the site, perhaps this will result in a better supply/demand balance in the capital's "titty bar" economy.

Not very familiar with the nighttime scene at the 'Mate lately, but there does seem to be a vague sense that the daytime manager is keeping things a bit more controlled as far as CR activity is concerned. Otherwise, I'd suggest that afternoons are much the same as ever with many of the same dancers attending fairly consisently.

Been told that Adrianna has left as well. Guess it is the time of year for this sort of thing to happen....

Globe and Mail analysis of "why the Canadian strip club is a dying institution". https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cana...g-institution/

One of the best pieces of advice to give a "newcomer" is concisely spelled out in your handle, WtS. Be polite, respectful, patient (if interested in a particular lady in the club who seems to be busy a lot of the time) and informed. Get a sense of what one might expect at various clubs at various times - a lot of info could be gleaned by browsing this forum for those who are not too lazy or impatient to do so. Above all, if one has decided beforehand not to engage in CR visits, don't allow a dancer to think that one might. A brief, direct comment to the effect that one is not planning CR visits, or at least not on that particular occasion, strikes me as the only fair approach to take.

No BGR at 340, apparently.

A typical (I guess) Wednesday afternoon (8/15) at the PM (though I didn't notice the buffet - maybe I arrived after it was cleared). Not really busy, but there were several patrons present during the time I was there and fairly steady traffic to the CR. Noticed Ashley (as ever), Riley, Rachel, CiCi, Lana, Corrina, Mia (looking exceptionally cute and curvy) and Delicious. As well there were a number of other ladies less familiar to me (Skylar? Hailey?). There seemed to be quite a number of dancers getting into civvies and exiting the club briefly, though this is often the case at the 'Mate.

Good to read an upbeat report from thread-starter Cato and to hear that "Barb's seems to be thriving". My not-so-recent Saturday afternoon visits often found the club quieter than I remember from years past. Perhaps it is time for me to get back to more regular outings on Wed. to Fri. afternoons as when I attended quite regularly on these days over several years. Always enjoyed the congenial, generally 'no-pressure' atmosphere at Barb's and preferred the overall layout of the place in contrast to some less agreeable aspects of other venues. Maybe tomorrow (Friday) afternoon would be an opportune time to get reacquainted with the scene at 340. p.s. Ended up with multiple quote windows somehow.....

Similar issues today...get logged in....try to PM....get the 'not logged in message' when trying to send PM.

Not an especially unlucky or lucky Friday 13th afternoon at the 'Mate. Arrived around 1300hr and the place seemed really dead. Things picked up a bit as the early afternoon progressed and a few more dancers arrived. Saw Ashley, Lana, Skylar, Hailey, Riley, CiCi and (new to me) busty blonde Cassandra. A good amount of traffic to the CR. Suppose it was a fairly typical PM afternoon although Fridays have been busier in my experience.

Not sure if there have been some new dancers around in the evenings at the PM but the afternoon lineup seems to be really static. While it's always nice to see a regular like Delicious, many days there seem to be the same several girls in the club. Ashley and Candy appear to be almost always in and Delicious, Bianca, Sarah and Adora are fairly frequently to be seen. Has the day manager Jasmine been slowing things down? Maybe I'm not in often enough to see more of a variety of ladies, but it always seems to be the same roster in the afternoon when stopping by this year.

Used to enjoy an occasional long drive to Vegas but apparently that route is no longer open to traffic.

From London to Paris....a journey that might be most pleasantly accomplished by utilizing the....uh....channel tunnel.

"...when you pooch a civilian it's a major event.... ....it gets so exciting when the poodles 'react'....."

Never attended this venue in its previous incarnations, but I hope that this works out for the owners. The apparent (but perhaps somewhat overstated) slowdown at local SCs makes me wonder how this will pan out. Maybe a newly renovated club will be a draw and no doubt there will be curiosity about this and about the dancers the club will attract.

Stopped by the PM Friday afternoon (6/8) at about 1300 and found a fairly quiet atmosphere - not dead, but a bit subdued. Regulars Ashley, Candy, Bianca and Sarah were there (Sarah arriving a while after me). There was a tallish blonde I don't think I've seen at the 'Mate before. Spoke briefly to CiCi (CeCe?) who was circulating more than most of the others. To be fair, Bianca was also approaching patrons and spoke to me as well. Noticed Delicious go into the CR and emerge after a long while, but she is definitely worth waiting for. Jasmine appeared to make somewhat regular visits into the CR, but was perhaps not as intrusive as she has seemed to be in the past - not really sure though.

Such an unfortunate development. While it's been a very long time since I've been at Barb's in the evening/latenight, it's difficult to envision a scenario where there would be only three dancers and roughly a half-dozen patrons at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Have only encountered the club being so quiet on certain Saturday afternoons. I've been reluctant to think that Barb's has changed since my preferred dancer/ATF retired as I firmly believe that one dancer does not 'make' a club (except possibly from the point of view of those patrons for whom she is the ATF). I'm told that the construction-related issues that were much discussed in this thread in the past are no longer a really major problem so it's a bit of a mystery to figure out just what's going on at 340. Has the slowdown that occurred during LRT construction caused some to avoid Barb's and then these patrons never returned? If Saturday nights are consistently as quiet as this report describes, things are certainly quite a bit different than in the past. On the other hand, perhaps it was just an unusually slow weekend evening.

Was thinking the same thing, but wondering how it's been during the afternoon lately. Perhaps a daytime visit is called for as I've not been in much in the last while.

Out of curiosity, did anyone attend the 'Anniversary' (48th?) night at the 'Mate? Apparently there was to be a live band (first time ever(!), as the promo breathlessly indicated). Made me curious regarding how this worked out and wondered where they would put a four-piece (I'm told) band in that place. Surely not on the dancer's stage? Did they perhaps move the pool table and set up in that area? Would seem to be not enough room, not to mention impeding access to the bar on the one hand and the entrance to the dressing rooms/washrooms on the other. I'm guessing they must have cleared the tables/chairs from the slightly elevated seating area and set up the band there. The whole idea struck me as rather odd, but maybe it worked out.