Showgirl Adventure: Las Vegas pt.1

Posted by RubyJoule On November - 11 - 20103,562 views

Planes, trains and automobiles!  Well, really just planes and the airport shuttle.  I arrived at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas for Mondo Lounge III at around 10:00pm.  As we drove up, I could see the giant neon Playboy Bunny emblem on the side of the towering hotel.

The Palms

Yep, this place is the home to the world’s only Playboy Club, complete with Bunny cocktail waitresses!  Hugh Hefner himself was supposed to be there that night, hosting a party.  I was about to go investigate when I made a terrifying discovery.  I had forgotten to pack my makeup bag in the suitcase.  Horrors! Well my heart sank and I resisted the urge to burst into tears.  I wouldn’t have had any fresh mascara anyway!  This wasn’t just a little bag with lipstick and powder that I’d overlooked, no, no!  I was without ALL of my showgirl stage makeup: glitter, lashes, the trademark black eyeliner, and about a zillion other secret and crucial items.

I hopped in a cab to the nearest 24-hour drugstore and spent a small fortune restocking the necessities.  Fortunately they had a plethora of glitter, what with it being so close to Halloween.  On the drive back, my cab driver entertained me with his plans to open up an old west themed burlesque and variety supper club.  Hmmm.  I was just amazed that my cabbie knew what burlesque was!  Only in Las Vegas…

Back at The Palms,  a huge crowd had gathered by the elevator entrance to The Playboy Club, and they all looked eerily familiar.  Has anyone out there seen Jersey Shore? Yeah… And oddly enough, all of the ladies had shown up in the same outfit: a tiny black mini-dress and black stilettos, which they held in their hands as they walked around barefoot.  I had a twinge of “I feel dowdy”-ness as I slinked by in my green silk vintage traveling dress.  Back in my room, I soothed my nerves with a long soak in the oversized Jacuzzi tub.  Thank heaven for those!

And thank heaven for blackout curtains as well.  I woke up the next afternoon feeling a bit better, until I discovered there was no coffeemaker in the room.  What??  That’s just not civilized!  Even the cheapest Motel Hell at least has a coffeepot!  I struggled to come to terms with the fact that I would have to get dressed and presentable, trudge downstairs and across the length of the casino floor BEFORE having coffee. It just didn’t add up. I sat there in my pre-coffee stupor for some time.

Much later, after sunset and a good bit of French roast, I sat at the Lounge Bar and had a drink while waiting for Tiffany Carter.  For those not in the know, she holds the title of Miss Nude Universe 1975, and is a regular performer at Miss Exotic World and other festivals, as a Legend of Burlesque.

Tiffany Carter

The beautiful Tiffany Carter

The Mondo Lounge kick-off festivities that night included a costume party, and Tiffany Carter arrived dressed as Kim Novak, her blonde locks piled high in a lovely French twist.  We made our grand entrance into the Key West Room and were enveloped in all things vintage, tiki, atomic, swanky and swell! It was a breath of fresh air and a welcome change from the obnoxious top-40 scene outside.  There were booths around the perimeter offering vintage clothing, music, magazines, showgirl accoutrements, and small vintage housewares.  In the center was a large dancefloor surrounded by cocktail tables and a stage at one end.  I had yet to get into my costume!  I dashed upstairs and transformed into Elizabeth Taylor circa 1960; white slip, highball glass, very dark brows.

Ruby Joule

My interpretation...

Back downstairs, the getup was a hit- people knew who I was! “Only in this crowd,” I thought.

Elizabeth Taylor

Liz Taylor in "Butterfield 8"

I hit the dance floor with a swing dance virtuoso named Kyle, who wore a pink flamingo fez at a jaunty angle.  I had to kick off my heels to keep up with him!  As things began to wind down, a few of us decided we’d check out the Playboy Club.  I must say I was expecting more.  More glamour? More exclusivity or excitement? More of a sense of high-flying, swinging Playboy history? Maybe.  Turns out, all of that was downstairs at Mondo Lounge. The only thing in the Playboy Club was lots of neon and top-40 music.  Even the Playboy Bunnies wore sensible shoes.  I eventually made it back to my room for a champagne nightcap, for those are the very vest kind.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!

xoxo-  Ruby Joule

Ruby Joule is a burlesque performer, go-go dancer, pin-up model and bonne vivante based in Austin, TX. She is a founding member of The Jigglewatts Burlesque and strives to seek out new adventures in Showgirlhood!

For all inquiries please contact: info@thejigglewattsburlesque.com or visit Ruby’s Boudoir on the Web.

Ruby Joule

Miss Ruby Joule

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