What to Do When You Visit Tampa's Mons Venus Strip Club

Joe Redner's World Famous Mons Venus strip club in Tampa, Florida is every bachelor's dream. The Mons Venus employs over 300 exotic dancers, many of whom have appeared in Playboy magazine. The Mons Venus is located at 2040 North Dale Mabry Highway, right in the heart of the City of Tampa, in an area that is brimming with adult entertainment businesses.

The strippers at the Mons Venus are billed as the World's Most Beautiful Women. As you might expect, Joe Redner's Mons Venus isn't just any strip club. Strippers perform acrobatic feats on the stage and strip down until they are fully nude, dancing for dollar tips, but mostly to attract the attention of patrons who want a one-on-one lap dance. Lap dances at the Mons Venus are $20 per song and consist of a full-contact dance by the patron's choice of fully nude dancers. Patrons are encouraged to touch the dancers as they perform, literally on the laps of the customer.

As might be expected, the Mons Venus is not without controversy. Joe Redner, owner of the Mons Venus and other adult night clubs in the area, is outspoken in the community and has run for political office. Several years ago, county commissioners who were looking to put Redner and the Mons Venus out of business enacted what was billed as the "six-foot rule." The ordinance mandated that all patrons maintain a six-foot buffer zone between themselves and completely nude dancers. County commission meetings were forced to move from Tampa's City Hall to a larger venue to accommodate the number of supporters and detractors of the ordinance as it was being debated. Joe Redner, along with many of the strippers from several of his clubs showed, arguing that the ordinance would take away from their livelihood. Many of Redner's employees are single mothers with all levels of education who make a better living as a stripper than any other profession they have available to them.

Under Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, raids were conducted at the Mons Venus and other all-nude strip clubs periodically for several months. Both patrons and strippers were arrested for violations. Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001 was held at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, just up the road from the Mons Venus, and much attention was given to the new six-foot rule. Patrons were warned about the ordinance, though it didn't keep them away. Though the rule is still technically in effect even today, raids have not been conducted in years, possibly due to the great expense to the police department to stage such an event.

Visitors to Tampa's Mons Venus will pay a $20 cover charge. Couples are welcome, with females invited in for free. Alcohol is not served in Tampa's all-nude strip clubs, including the Mons Venus, but it is available in the city's topless bars. Lap dances are available for singles or couples, but patrons should keep in mind that the six-foot rule is still technically in effect so a sudden decision by officials to enforce it again could lead to arrest. Private booths are not available at the Mons Venus, so lap dances are performed on the bench seating that encircles the dance floor. The Mons Venus is a favorite for locals, tourists, and traveling businessmen and is a popular venue for bachelor and birthday parties.