A Las Vegas Strip Club Is Advertising 'Coronavirus-Free Lap Dances'

On Monday, an increasing number of restaurants, hotels, and resorts in Las Vegas announced that they would be closing temporarily due to coronavirus-related concerns. All of the MGM Resorts properties, including the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay, are closing on March 17, and will not accept new reservations until May 1. Wynn Las Vegas and the Wynn-owned Encore hotel are also closing on March 17, and Wynn says that it will "evaluate the situation" in two weeks. On top of that, Nevada governor Steve Sisolak has already ordered all schools throughout the state to remain closed from March 16 through April 6.

But the Little Darlings strip club, which bills itself as the only totally nude club in Las Vegas, is still open to customers. "As of this moment we are 100% open for business, unless we're forced to shut down," Ryan Carlson, Director of Operations for Déjà Vu Services which operates Little Darlings, told VICE in an email.

In addition to going forward with its "Birthday Bash with the Staff" party on Monday night, TMZ reports that the electric billboard outside Little Darlings is currently advertising "CORONAVIRUS-FREE LAP DANCES." (The adult performer pictured on the sign is holding a roll of toilet paper which is admittedly a nice touch.) Carlson said that the club's entertainers "HAVE been tested [for coronavirus] to the extent possible," but did not elaborate on the specifics.

Last week, Little Darlings announced that it would be handing out 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to its customers. "[A]n opportunity to help with the Coronavirus scare is extremely important to us. Las Vegas is a tourist mecca, and we have to do everything possible to stay virus-free," LeAnna DaPoint, one of the club's managers, told KNSV-TV.

"It might seem silly, but we take the health of our guests very seriously. Being the most popular adult club in Las Vegas, we have to ensure the show will go on!"

Déjà Vu Showgirls Tampa, Little Darlings' Florida sister club, previously said that it would be giving face masks to its own customers during the month of March.

As of this writing, there are 35 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas. The county also confirmed the state's first coronavirus-related death on Monday, which was reported as a man in his 60s who had "underlying health conditions." The city of Las Vegas and Clark County have both declared states of emergency, as has the entire state of Nevada.

But at Little Darlings, Carlson says that business has remained "very busy and steady," and that the club is sanitizing its facilities daily and is enforcing social distancing "to the extent possible."

"Life goes on, and strippers will continue to [be] part of the fabric of American life," he said.

With no disrespect to Carlson or his clubs, staying in and having a wank is still a solid option right now, too.