Archive for October 15th, 2008

Props to Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel for bringing this to my attention.

Fishnets and flu shots? Seniors don’t bat an eye at strip club

Norma Smith was a little apprehensive about stepping inside Rachel’s for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

Smith, after all, is 77. And while she has often passed by this adult club, she never had the slightest desire to go inside.

But on this day, in addition to dancing women, Rachel’s was offering free flu shots to seniors.

So Smith cautiously stepped inside this dimly lit Casselberry club, allowing her eyes to adjust from the midday’s beaming sun. When they did, Smith paused.

Standing before her was a woman in fishnet stockings whose smile was winning and whose bustier was losing — the battle with her cleavage, that is.

Smith returned the smile but later confided she was thinking: “Oh, dear. Is she the one giving me the shot?”

She was not. In fact, if naughty nurses were anywhere in the joint, they were pretty much ignored.

Today, the women in the spotlight were medical professionals. And the only thing they flashed were needles.

Still, the offering was enough to entice dozens of elderly residents: Retired couples. Daughters with their octogenarian mothers. Even a shuttle-load from a nearby Catholic church.

Forget the stock pages. Anyone wondering how deep our economic woes are running needed look no further than the Rachel’s dance area, where a lonely negligee-clad performer shimmied for a nearly nonexistent audience — while dozens of seniors lined up in side rooms for free flu shots. And a pot-roast lunch.

The club ran out of vaccinations after giving 300 last week — twice as many as years past — and decided to do so again Tuesday.

“People need the help,” said club owner Jim Veigle. “That’s why we do it.”

Smith, who lives alone on a fixed income, confirmed as much. “If I’d had to come up with fifteen dollars,” she said, “I would’ve missed my shot this year.”

Likewise, Bonnie Grillakis jumped at the chance to bring her 87-year-old mother.

“Has my mother ever been here before?” Grillakis replied with a laugh. “Oh, no. I mean, I know people who have. But not my mother. No. No. Really. No.”

Still, Grillakis’ mom, Edith Kantor, a great-grandmother and former opera singer, became a fast fan of the club that’s better known for scantily clad women, MBI raids and political headaches. Besides the shot being painless — “Honey, if you can stand arthritis, a flu shot’s easy.” — Kantor said the stages reminded her of her performing days in the ’40s.

“What time can we come back for the show?” she asked her wide-eyed daughter.

The Volovskis weren’t quite as excited about the possibility of catching a late-night show. But this retired couple didn’t have any qualms about coming to Rachel’s, either.

Sixty-seven-year-old Robert Volovski, a retired armored-truck driver, took a practical approach: A free shot at Rachel’s was less hassle than dealing with his insurance company or doctor’s office.

And his wife, Rita, a recently retired nursery-care worker, said that anyone who dislikes dirty dancing is free to stay out, whether they were offering flu shots or not.

“It’s really pretty simple,” said Rita, 63. “If you don’t like it, don’t come in.”

Plus, the dancing hasn’t really been all that dirty since Seminole County residents voted to ban nudity at the clubs in 1998.

Still, some of the elderly folks who came to Rachel’s for flu shots admitted they were a little curious about the club’s other offerings. Recalled Veigle: “One woman brought in her 93-year-old mother and told me her mom had always wanted to see a pole dance.”