In our last post about the history of stripping, we took you through the twists and turns of the earliest forms of erotic entertainment (if you missed that piece, we definitely recommend checking it out!). Today, we’re picking up right where we left off: stripping history in Texas, beginning in the late 1930s.
If you consider yourself an adult entertainment enthusiast – and really, who isn’t – learning about where stripping got its start can make you appreciate it even more. Look at it this way: the next time you treat yourself to a topless lap dance at Baby Dolls Saloon, you’re joining leagues of men and women that have enjoyed variations of the same erotic experience decades before you. It’s kind of interesting to think about being a part of stripping club history, don’t you think?
Now, buckle up and get yourself ready for some quick time travel through the red-hot history of gentlemen’s clubs in Texas.
Strip Clubs Start to Sweep the Nation
The 1920s were a challenging time period for Americans, but it also was an era that welcomed new innovations in strip club entertainment. The burlesque acts of the early 1900s took their shows on the road, joining traveling fairs that jumped from town to town.
Special tents were reserved for striptease acts, quickly filling with men that were eager to witness the ladies’ tantalizing talents. When the dancers began to use the tent pole as part of their routines, pole dancing was born. By the 1950s, pole dancing became a featured form of entertainment in bars across the country – and from there, stripping started to spread even faster.
The Cowboy Kings of Adult Entertainment in Texas
While Americans everywhere were discovering the delights of a well-executed striptease, adult entertainment was making itself a sexy staple in the state of Texas as well. It seems fitting that the best-known names in Texas stripping belonged to larger-than-life characters: Jack Ruby and his competitors, brothers Abe and Barney Weinstein.
All three were aiming for complete industry domination, and their cut-throat competition ended up being the greatest gift that Texans could have asked for. The result was a series of first-class gentlemen’s clubs in Dallas, each one striving to be better than the last.
The Colony Club, run by Abe Weinstein, opened its doors in 1939. Abe’s brother, Barney, ran a burlesque school not far away, and graduates were welcomed to the mainstage of the Colony Club. One of the most famous dancers discovered by the Weinstein Brothers was Candy Barr, a former cigarette girl who established herself as an icon of Texas adult entertainment.
In 1960, Jack Ruby opened a club called the Carousel. Just steps from the Colony Club, the Carousel didn’t quite measure up to the high-class ambiance of the Weinsteins’ establishment, but it was a Dallas strip club favorite nevertheless.
A few decades later, Baby Dolls Saloon arrived on the scene – and as they say, the rest is history. Our Dallas and Fort Worth gentlemen’s clubs have been a fixture of the adult entertainment scene in Texas since we opened. And from the second you walk through our doors, you’ll know: Baby Dolls is a place that strip club aficionados are going to be talking about for years to come.
Baby Dolls Saloon: The Best in Texas Strip Clubs Past, Present, and Future
Now that you’ve explored a small slice of the history of stripping, don’t you think it’s time to make a little in-person discovery? At Baby Dolls Saloon, you can conduct plenty of real-life “research” on the topic of what it takes to be the best strip club in Texas.
Interested in reading up on the more recent history of strip clubs? We’re putting together part two of our deep dive into the fascinating story of stripping in Texas and around the world, so that you can become a true expert on the topic.
But to truly experience the tantalizing temptation of topless entertainment at its finest – not to mention incredible Southern-style food, a well-stocked bar, and more – make your way to Baby Dolls Saloon. From our smoking hot strippers to the perfectly laid back ambiance of our first-class club, you can count on an epic night (or day!) out that will go down in history.
Featured Image: Lorelyn Medina / Shutterstock
