The Guy We reluctantly returned to Great Alaskan Bush Co. after hearing about the renovations during the pandemic. Our first experience there last year was rather disappointing, but my wife needed to “get her girl on” so we decided to try again.
What a difference!
The topless side (with booze) was our first stop – apparently this is where the party is always at here. Last visit, the place was a run down mess – with people more interested in playing pool than looking at the dancers. The clientele was a bit seedier – and dead animal heads on the walls didn’t help.
The whole area has been redone into a three-stage presentation with big screens, smoke machines, floor-lit stages and tall poles. The room has been sort of split into a bar area (with a small pole for dancers) and a good amount of seating – and the dancer’s lounge that has rather limited seating and a few reserved VIP booth areas.
The bar area is much quieter – which can be nice if you’re looking for a few moment reprieve or want to chat with a dancer and be able to actually hear. This seating doesn’t have a good view of the stage. You’ll have to compete for seating in the dancer’s lounge for that view.
In the dancer’s lounge, the stage is flanked with a lot of seats; but all the seats are divided with lit, unmovable “mini-tables” that would prevent a couple from being able to sit stage-side and still sit close to each other. If you’re a single guy/gal, this is nice so you’re not crushed against other patrons. Eventually we managed to get a table; although we lost it when we went for a private dance.
Dancers rotate through the three stages; entering on the left stage and exiting on the right side – and they are “spotlight” dancing in the middle. My wife initially was opposed to this set up as she likes to give her full attention to the dancer, but she also realized she gets more opportunity to ogle the dancers she liked. We kept our tipping reserved for the main stage as the dancers worked their way there.
This was a Friday night, we got there about 8:30pm ($10 cover each) – and while there wasn’t a full-on party going, there was still a good amount of talent dancing. The three stages didn’t fill up with dancers until about an hour later; but unlike last time – there was always a dancer performing, regardless.
By 10:30pm, the place was pretty alive. The patrons were having a good time and behaving (plenty of couples, too) – and although there were a lot of ring-side spectators that weren’t tipping initially when we got there? The dancers were finally starting to make some money by this time and seemed to be having a lot more fun. A few of them were outrageous and out of control (and extremely fun, I might add … turns our our table was a great stopping point for the girls …) and some didn’t look like they wanted to be there. Par for the course – but we would have appreciated a little more floor interaction.
From a talent pool point of view, the lineup of dancers was pretty diverse. Whatever “your type” is, there was probably one or two there that would fit that description. New talent trickled in throughout the night, but eventually it was apparent that the cast of players here is about 20 girls total.
The staff was cordial enough; but seemed to lack a bit of personality. There is no ‘wait staff’ here; you’ll need to pursue your own drinks. This can be a problem if you’re alone as you’re likely to lose your seating when you go for more booze. Someone does come around to tidy up from time to time; so your empty glasses will eventually disappear. Two drink minimum; so you might just get your two drinks up front so you aren’t obligated to lose your seat later.
We got a couple of private dances; one topless and one nude – each dance was $30 (bouncers take $10 of it; tip accordingly). Unlike another club here in town, I was allowed to watch my wife’s dances without paying extra. We appreciated that. Mileage here is scarce; whether the girls are okay with it or not, it would seem. A boob girl, my wife wasn’t able to get nearly as much action as she would like – which is a shame. Our nude dance (btw, the nude side was dead – even at peak hours) was interrupted when a bouncer called the dancer out for allowing boob-mileage. It is unfortunate the dancers don’t have more liberty with this decision.
The music wasn’t as diverse as we would have hoped (as other reviewers have stated) but as the night went on, it seemed to open up a little bit.
The dancers – when they aren’t on stage – spend a lot of time on the floor where the patrons. Some of them looked like they were on a break, while a few were out mingling and looking for private dances. We’re used to dancers being a bit more forward and engaging. We were surprised we were only approached once without a direct request for a table visit.
TL;DR: Recommend a revisit if you’re been disappointed in the past. We had a good time and will most certainly return.
