Inside UK's biggest strip club - VIP clientele, fetishes and secret to £20k a night

Daily Mirror

23-04-2025

WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT Amy Gwynn is dismantling strip club stereotypes, running the UK's only female-owned gentleman's club where strippers are valued, empowered and treated fairly
At just 22 years old, Amy Gwynn had never even set foot in a strip club - yet she went on to launch Rude in Liverpool, which, 13 years later, stands as the UK's largest strip club and the only female-owned gentleman's club in the country.
Now 36 and a mum-of-four, Amy runs a powerhouse venue that attracts Love Island stars, adult film performers, and reality TV personalities. She recently appeared on ITV 's Olivia Attwood: Filthy Rich, offering a rare glimpse into a traditionally male-dominated world—and she's breaking stereotypes along the way. 'It's not all about big boobs and blonde hair anymore,' Amy said. Instead, she's redefining what it means to be a modern-day stripper and businesswoman.
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Her club is a magnet for celebrities and the elite, and on a good night, it can pull in as much as £20,000. Speaking to the Mirror, Amy revealed: 'We get a lot of footballers, boxers, golfers, and high-profile businessmen—many use the discreet back entrance to access our VIP area. Some of our dancers are well-known names too, from Ex on the Beach, Love Island, or the adult film industry. Some are regulars, others travel. Fans often show up just to see them. Business can fluctuate—it all depends on who walks through that door.'
She said Rude is her 'baby' and her 'obsession'. "I'm constantly looking for the best girls and the best ways to promote it and make shows more interactive and exciting," she explained. With 40 dancers on her books, Amy has a vast variety of women offering different skills. Talking about what it takes to be a stripper today, she said: "It's very different now and is evolving so much. Many years ago, strippers were very typical and they all had the same look. Now, as times are changing, it's more about human interaction. You're able to see women online so the biggest thing is your energy, confidence and personality. Whether you're a bigger girl, smaller girl, have short hair or long hair, if you know that you look good then you feel good - and that makes people want to see you."
Amy has certain requirements for her dancers, which include booking shifts a week in advance, pre-booking holiday, arriving on time, not chewing gum and no mobile phones on the floor. "Generally, there's unspoken stripper rules, like having respect for other girls," she explained. "It's important they work as a team and look out for the girl that hasn't made much money that night." For her customers, there's a strict no touching, no phones and no filming rule, in order to protect her dancers' safety.
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Surprisingly, her recruitment process for new workers doesn't involve dancing on a pole. "Usually, girls apply through the website or message on Instagram. I invite them down to the club for a chat. I never ever ask a girl to do a dance, which surprises a lot of people," Amy said. "It's very much about the personality and confidence, not about how well you can dance. You can be trained to go on the pole, so that's not what's important. Have you got the charisma? Are people going to like you? Are you a salesperson or a team player?" Amy recently opened a pole studio on the premises to allow girls to train and practise.
But even if you've got the knack for it, how can you earn the most as a stripper? Amy revealed: "If you get a customer who is a good spender, you need to remember his name and details to make him feel great next time. Build regular clientele and relationships, be happy and friendly. Always have your best underwear on and look after yourself mentally." She added: "There's a lot to learn from a stripper. They are girl's girls and confident. It's a job where you are exposed to women's problems, so you naturally look out for them as opposed to wanting to tear them down."
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Amy said her team is varied and they're not all full-time strippers - some are training to be lawyers. "We've got single mums, students, artists and beauticians that live double lives. It's a great job for flexibility and you can earn whatever you want to earn," she explained. "You're your own boss. We have girls that live away and come and dance for eight months of the year." Some can earn £5,000 in one night and have been bought cars, holidays and clothes by customers, but there are nights they don't earn much at all. "The more regulars you get, the more you earn," Amy said.
The business mogul takes a set fee from her self-employed dancers, whereas lots of clubs take commission. "I personally prefer to take a set fee so whether they earn £2,000 a night or £400, they always pay the same amount. I like the structure and it benefits me to have higher earners in the club. They shouldn't be penalised for earning more," she explained. Likewise, all dancers have to charge a fixed price to clients. "It ensures everyone charges the same and dances for the same amount of time. Effectively, we're not getting any more from one girl than another to keep it fair playing field," she added.
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While the most common requests include women wanting to watch their partners have a dance, and vice versa, or men asking to be spanked and humiliated - which isn't allowed - some don't even require work. "A lot of men have obsessions with feet and they like to buy the girls' stripper shoes after they've worn them," Amy said.
It's important to Amy to make sure that her girls are in charge and don't cross any boundaries. "It's an industry with a reputation for being designed by men to exploit women. I want to educate women that you can take this industry and turn it on its head and have control of it," she said. "We see more girls coming in and feeling empowered. They full well know these men are coming to perv off their bodies, but they are happy and confident too. They get a thrill from men being attracted to them and admiring their bodies. It's about changing the perspective of it."
Amy's biggest investment was the dressing room, which her clients don't even get to see. It's a world away from the shoddy back rooms in typical clubs and it's all part of her business plan to make the dancers feel valued. "I remember people telling me that the customers wouldn't even see them, but it was a gesture to the girls to show them that they're the most important part," Amy explained. "I wanted to make sure they had their own beautiful toilets and make-up rooms. They work long shifts and they have music and sofas to chill out, pep talk or nap on their breaks."