Anyone been to a Playboy Club?

pb4uski

pb4uski

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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I have been watching American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story on Amazon and have enjoyed it. The show melds actors and video clips from Hef and other key players in the development of Playboy magazine and the Playboy empire.

Episode 4 was about the development of the first Playboy Club in Chicago and Playboy bunnies.

It got me reminising to visiting a Playboy Club in Atlantic City with DW (DGF at the time) in 1980 or so. At the time it was as the club's popularity was waning, but still a nice place, decent food and drink and pretty waitresses. Other than that, I don't really remember a lot about it.

For the guys (and gals) out there.... have you been to a Playboy Club? What were your experiences?
 
Spent a night at a playboy club in New Jersey. Believe it or not it was business.
 
Went to the Playboy Club in Dallas once in the late 70's just to say I'd been to one. Not my cup of tea, but the bunnies were a novelty (then). I can't imagine that theme working these days. I'm not even comfortable in a Hooters, I got dragged to a few by customers or our execs a couple times while I was working. Another duty I don't miss at all, even when someone else pays.
 
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Midpack said:
Went to the Playboy Club in Dallas once in the late 70's just to say I'd been to one. Not my cup of tea, but the bunnies were a novelty (then). I can't imagine that theme working these days. I'm not even comfortable in a Hooters, I got dragged to a few by customers or our execs a couple times while I was working. Another duty I don't miss at all, even when someone else pays.
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Or Twin Peaks...... or Tilted Kilt.......

I think the part of the Playboy Club that won't work now is the high barrier to entry/exclusivity. The "bunnies" part of the attraction are alive and well in several formats, I fear.......
 
Midpack said:
Went to the Playboy Club in Dallas once in the late 70's just to say I'd been to one. Not my cup of tea, but the bunnies were a novelty (then). I can't imagine that theme working these days. I'm not even comfortable in a Hooters, I got dragged to a few by customers or our execs a couple times while I was working. Another duty I don't miss at all, even when someone else pays.
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I too was at one once for a bachelors party way back around 80-81. Not really my cup of tea either. Was in Hooters once also. Meh.

Your statement about business dinners caught my eye. Before I retired I worked in sales (high tech). Lot's of business travel, dinners with clients and good dinners. The issue is that even that gets old, long days, hard to eat healthy, harder to keep up reasonable amount of exercise and so on. While I sometimes miss being involved with state of the art projects (and the great paycheck that went with it), I don't miss the travel and sodium/cholesterol disaster at all.
 
I visited the Chicago club in 1980; very professional, and I had a good time with my friends. Rarely ever do I, or have I gone to a bar. I have gone to a Hooters several times, and my friends and I enjoyed ourselves then, too. Every business has a gimmick or marketing ploy, I accept it for that fact and I'm sure the wait staff realizes it too. YMMV
 
Never been.

Here's a website for former bunnies -- perhaps you might recognize one from your visit? Ex Playboy Bunnies - Playboy Bunny Girls - Playboy Club

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Quick story...A couple of months ago, I was sitting with a friend enjoying a coffee outside a Starbucks in Bonita Springs, FL. The drive thru window had a circular driveway that ran right past our table. I glanced up and saw a behemoth of a car approaching with an Illinois plate that read "HEF". I pointed this out to my companion. As the car drew near, a very extroverted, personable guy (looked to be in his late 20s/early 30s) saw us looking at his car. He smiled broadly and greeted us. We asked if he was connected to Hugh and he said "Yeah, he's my (.....great uncle, perhaps?). (He rattled it off so quickly...and detailed how he was connected, that I got lost in the family tree. ) Anyhoo, a friendly guy.:)

omni
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There was one in Cincinnati in the late 1970s when I was working my first job and I went there a couple of times- they occasionally gave out promotional passes for a single visit and a fried would get them.

I remember they had a very good salad bar. I wouldn't have wanted to be a bunny (and, frankly, would never make the cut) but liked the fact that customers were expected to treat them with respect. Some of my male coworkers wanted to go there even though they didn't have memberships figuring at least they'd get to ogle the bunny who turned them away.

The business model probably wouldn't work now- times have changed.
 
I joined the Phoenix club in 1982 (along with a few of my cohorts). It was in some high-rise downtown and was pretty swanky. The restaurant was decent and it would have been a nice place to bring your GF or DW if they didn't mind the waitresses' costumes. They gave you a free copy of the magazine if you asked.

There was a large portrait of Hefner in the lobby, and the Bunnies would pose with you for a Polaroid. I still have that photo and NO I'm not going to scan it :LOL:

I wish I could find my Club Key...it was a plastic ID card. Probably not collectable but it would be fun to have again.


_B
 
DW's stepfather and her mother took us both to the one in New Orleans probably around 1971. All I really remember was DW was in the ladies room and a bunny was in there and they struck up a conversation in which the bunny said a lot of them developed what they called "bunny belly." I guess the trussing of the abdomen in the tight costumes distorted the anatomy; have no idea how permanent it may have been. Anyway, thought it was interesting.
 
Dawg52 said:
Anyone been to a Playboy Club?


Just in my fantasies.
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Begs the question. How well does the series portray how things were at the Playboy Clubs?

Haven't been to one myself but have that series on my watch list.
 
Been to Hooters, it's near a hotel near a college where we were staying at. It's been a while and I don't remember my husband's reaction to it.
 
I was a member of the Chicago club in the late 1970's. I can't remember the details, but my buddy talked me into joining and we took out girlfriends there. Probably only went a few times, but a magazine subscription came with the membership.
 
travelover said:
I can tell you, if you want. :D
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No, you don't need to, my husband usually can spot a pretty girl miles away, but I don't think these girls are his type. Because I didn't hear that he wanted to come back. But it has been a while. My memory is vague on this.
 
The local Hooters attends all the area Senior fairs. They have a booth.
 
Been to the one in Lake Geneva Wisconsin MANY times when I was younger. I don't believe it is there any longer.

Mike
 
Denver 1972,what I remember most is they came around with a very large steamship
round of beef, and carved it at the table.
Very good meal, after spending a year in Korea, and being discharged from the army the day before
this was a real treat.

Old Mike
 
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When I was about age 15 I would babysit for the lifeguard at our pool, she also happen to be a Playboy bunny. Her and her dates would come home go upstairs come down after awhile and than I was driven home. The dates always drove stingrays or Porsches, and always paid me well.
 
Yes. When I was about 14 years old. Greatest day of life up to that point! :)
 
pb4uski said:
For the guys (and gals) out there.... have you been to a Playboy Club?
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No, but I went to a strip club in rural South Carolina with some (male) colleagues when I was first starting out as an engineer around 1988. The club featured an exotic dancer with a live boa constrictor. Neither the dancer nor the snake seemed to be having much fun, but the (male) audience enjoyed themselves. Not my cup of tea. :nonono:
 
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