Palomino Club

Checkered pasts and shady owners have long 'made' the reputation for Las Vegas hotels and clubs – visitors seeming to have a morbid fascination with the dark side of Sin City. Launched in 1969 by the wealthy Perry family, the Palomino Club on Las Vegas Boulevard has had it's equal share of less than savory owners. It's saving grace came in the form of Adam Gentile, son of the dynamic defense lawyer Dominic Gentile, whom ironically represented former owner Louis Hidalgo in the much publicized employee murder conspiracy case. A former personal injury lawyer, Adam Gentile has been accredited with the club's significant turnaround – even bringing a little class to the formerly flagging reputation.

With the multitude of strip clubs in Las Vegas, even the old established haunts find it a struggle to compete with the fashionable modernism of surround sound systems and 3-D video screens. The Palomino has a couple of distinctions that ensure it remains among the competition – namely the fact it is allowed to be an all-nude strip club, with a liquor license. Similar venues market themselves as semi-nude clubs, since this is the only legal manner by which they can also obtain a liquor license.

The other jewel in Palomino's crown is the aptly named “Lipstick Lounge” - essentially a lavish private V.I.P area for personal lap-dances and superior table service. Decked out in the sensuous burgundy and golden lighting tantamount to the strip venues of old, the Lipstick Lounge oozes the vintage appeal of a traditional Vegas gentleman's club, with an equally glitzy showbiz history. The leggy Kari Grant is alleged to have made her debut upon the broad stage of the Palomino, as did the voluptuous Brandy Alexander and Somer Rae. Curiously, the dark-haired doe-eyed Brandy developed her stage-name after the cognac cocktail of the 20's – renowned for being overtly sweet, with a delicious gin after-kick. Fits nicely with the vintage theme!

Stretching across two spacious floors, the Palomino caters for patrons who either like their entertainment live, loud and punctuated by wolf whistles - or chilled, private and attentive. The main club area is devoted to entertainment for all, featuring up to twenty girls per evening upon podiums, tables and of course the main stage. One major thing to remember is that the Palomino is a nude club, therefore everything will be on display. Even the cocktail waitresses leave little to the imagination – many doubling up as limber lap-dancers during the stage dancing intervals.

Despite the suggestive and erotic nature of the club dancers, there are strict rules regarding behavior around it's dancers. It's not unusual to find security lurking undercover on the second floor, purely for the safety of the girls. That being said, the burly bouncers do maintain a dignified distance, blending into the shadows in order for patrons to feel at ease during their private show. Expect one-on-one attention and elegant service, at this the “grandfather” of Vegas strip clubs – the Pussycat Dolls will seem tame by comparison!