Montréal trip report (and first post)

[londonfunlad]

Hi everyone! 
This is my first post after lurking for a while and enjoying reading you all.

I have just returned from a trip to Montreal and wanted to recount my experiences.

I was expecting to spend most of my time at Stock since first going there in March and being wowed by the magnetic Gatuso, but I arrived early so went over to Campus first - not knowing what to expect. 
 

I am glad I did. After a slowish start things got going quickly after 10pm with so many dancers! I ended up staying the whole night (and then passing large portions of Friday and Saturday nights there too).

My bank balance won’t thank me but I must have had private dances with a good dozen of their dancers by the end of the weekend. A special mention to Brandon, Mike, Dave and Charles for being extra special (to my taste anyway), but there really is someone for every taste. 
 

I was a solo visitor and once it was seen that I was partaking in private dances I did attract a fair bit of (overwhelmingly welcome) attention from the dancers, but there is one thing I found a bit difficult at times, and that was making it clear I wasn’t interested. 
 

Sometimes I made no effort to attract a guy’s attention and they would engage me in conversation. I then found it difficult to communicate that I wasn’t really interested. When the inevitable question came about whether I wanted a dance, I would say something about “maybe later” hoping they would get the hint (I’m English, we are polite!) but it was often interpreted literally! One dancer was quite put out when “later” never arrived and made a great show of ignoring me completely the next day! 
 

Anyway, on my last night I did venture over to Stock and whilst it is undoubtedly quieter, I really didn’t mind since I was only there for Jasper and Jasper alone. Sharing one or their more private booths with him was heaven and well worth the trip alone. 
 

A word about booths - whilst there isn’t really a curtain at Campus the booths are still quite well tucked away and I didn’t really feel on display at all. 
 

All in all, I would agree that Campus is on a roll. But I also agree with an earlier contributor who said that Campus is also good for getting “numbers for later”. It is a system which benefits both parties and is a lot more fun than a certain website! 
 

Anyway, thanks for the great site and I hope to return to Montreal once my bank balance has healed! 😉 

[nate_sf]

2 hours ago, londonfunlad said:

Hi everyone! 
This is my first post after lurking for a while and enjoying reading you all.

I have just returned from a trip to Montreal and wanted to recount my experiences.

I was expecting to spend most of my time at Stock since first going there in March and being wowed by the magnetic Gatuso, but I arrived early so went over to Campus first - not knowing what to expect. 
 

I am glad I did. After a slowish start things got going quickly after 10pm with so many dancers! I ended up staying the whole night (and then passing large portions of Friday and Saturday nights there too).

My bank balance won’t thank me but I must have had private dances with a good dozen of their dancers by the end of the weekend. A special mention to Brandon, Mike, Dave and Charles for being extra special (to my taste anyway), but there really is someone for every taste. 
 

I was a solo visitor and once it was seen that I was partaking in private dances I did attract a fair bit of (overwhelmingly welcome) attention from the dancers, but there is one thing I found a bit difficult at times, and that was making it clear I wasn’t interested. 
 

Sometimes I made no effort to attract a guy’s attention and they would engage me in conversation. I then found it difficult to communicate that I wasn’t really interested. When the inevitable question came about whether I wanted a dance, I would say something about “maybe later” hoping they would get the hint (I’m English, we are polite!) but it was often interpreted literally! One dancer was quite put out when “later” never arrived and made a great show of ignoring me completely the next day! 
 

Anyway, on my last night I did venture over to Stock and whilst it is undoubtedly quieter, I really didn’t mind since I was only there for Jasper and Jasper alone. Sharing one or their more private booths with him was heaven and well worth the trip alone. 
 

A word about booths - whilst there isn’t really a curtain at Campus the booths are still quite well tucked away and I didn’t really feel on display at all. 
 

All in all, I would agree that Campus is on a roll. But I also agree with an earlier contributor who said that Campus is also good for getting “numbers for later”. It is a system which benefits both parties and is a lot more fun than a certain website! 
 

Anyway, thanks for the great site and I hope to return to Montreal once my bank balance has healed! 😉 

Thanks for sharing your experience, and welcome to the forum! 

[+ nycman]

3 hours ago, londonfunlad said:

enjoying reading you all.

[+ newatthis]

13 hours ago, londonfunlad said:

I was a solo visitor and once it was seen that I was partaking in private dances I did attract a fair bit of (overwhelmingly welcome) attention from the dancers, but there is one thing I found a bit difficult at times, and that was making it clear I wasn’t interested. 
 

Sometimes I made no effort to attract a guy’s attention and they would engage me in conversation. I then found it difficult to communicate that I wasn’t really interested. When the inevitable question came about whether I wanted a dance, I would say something about “maybe later” hoping they would get the hint

Thanks for sharing!  I always enjoy hearing about people's Montreal club experiences.

As for fending off unwelcome attention, here's what I do.  I say "I know you're here to make money, and (at the moment) I'm not likely to be doing any private dances because [insert reason here, typically 'I just arrived and want to enjoy the show for a while' or 'I just did some private dances and I'm not sure I'll be doing any more tonight'].  So while it's nice to talk with you,  I don't want you to waste your time with me under false pretenses."  I don't engage in conversation for more than a minute without saying this and I only say "at the moment" if I think I eventually will want to interact with the dancer. 

This has the advantage of being true and of acknowledging what their concerns might be.  

There are many variations.   For example, if I really am enjoying the conversation and would like the dancer to come back, I might say that and suggest it's OK to walk around and check for other interested customers and come back to me later.  

Edited August 19 by newatthis

[Luv2play]

It sounds like the op may have inadvertently created a feeding frenzy at Campus by hiring a dozen or so dancers in his first weekend visit. The word probably got around amongst the dancers that a new big spender was present. 
 

In order to fend off unwanted approaches, and I have had to do this many times, a customer at the strip clubs needs to have some prepared lines to suit the circumstances. 
 

Newatthis has suggested a few. As he says it’s best to try to be honest with the dancers. If you have no interest in a particular dancer, just thank him for noticing you and say you have your eyes on someone else. Or you are waiting for another dancer to become available. That makes it clear he is not the one. He will understand as they are all in competition with each other. 
 

If you think he might be of interest but are not sure, say you are not wanting a private dance at the moment but he is welcome to chat with you if he has the time. Tell him at the moment you are enjoying the show. 
 

Above all try to be laid back and not seem to anxious about getting dances. It takes some experience to acquire this attitude and successfully project it. 

[elwood]

Thanks for reporting back!  Always appreciated. 
It can be hard letting a dancer know you are not interested without offending them.   I try to be polite but firm, simply saying no thank you, have a good rest of your night.  

It is great to see Campus doing so well. Stock needs to figure it out because the demand is there. Montreal is a treasure!!

[+ newatthis]

On 8/19/2024 at 5:01 PM, Luv2play said:

just thank him for noticing you and say you have your eyes on someone else.

That's a response I sometimes used until the night a dancer replied "I'm not looking for a date, just a private dance."

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 8/19/2024 at 3:01 PM, Luv2play said:

If you have no interest in a particular dancer, just thank him for noticing you and say you have your eyes on someone else. Or you are waiting for another dancer to become available.

I'm stealing this!  This is often the truth for me anyway.  Maybe I'll ask the dancer if he can arrange a 3-way dance with me and the other dancer!

I've had success in asking the bartender (I like to sit at the bar, when available) to let Dancer X know that I'm interested in a dance.  That has helped get me the dancer I really want, who is often too popular and busy to make it over to me, but who visits the bartender to cash in his $1,$2,$5s for larger bills throughout the night.

[Luv2play]

21 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I'm stealing this!  This is often the truth for me anyway.  Maybe I'll ask the dancer if he can arrange a 3-way dance with me and the other dancer!

I've had success in asking the bartender (I like to sit at the bar, when available) to let Dancer X know that I'm interested in a dance.  That has helped get me the dancer I really want, who is often too popular and busy to make it over to me, but who visits the bartender to cash in his $1,$2,$5s for larger bills throughout the night.

That reminds me of a bartender over 20 years ago who sometimes worked the second horse shoe shaped bar at the right of the stage at that time. One night he wasn’t busy and there weren’t any dancers I fancied so I asked him if he would give me a dance. 
 

He said sure and he gave me a very memorable dance . I had never seen him naked but he had an admirable piece of equipment and it was fully functional including an impressive ejaculation to top it off. 

[SirBillybob]

A very pricey advertiser I had hedged on for a while without booking has crossed back over to club dancer income supplementation and it was an unexpected fun (well, discounted, depending on how you look at it) ‘bucket list’ experience. I would probably spring for an off-site hook-up after all, as the sampler was a good forecast. 

—-

“Maybe later” being essentially interpreted by a dancer as ‘no’ now means ‘yes’ a while afterwards is rare and could be seen as poor comportment if you didn’t explicitly signal a follow-up exchange. I would view it in the context of the psychological difficulty of being repeatedly rebuffed, however gently, and his later lobbing back with a mini-micro aggression, as if you had owed him a less ambiguous but obviously more emphatic decline in the first place. It may have worked occasionally and he has nothing to lose. 

That said, I usually just say, before the private dance interest question even pops up, “Thanks for saying hello” and move away a few steps into the crowd (I stand and circulate as it feels less trapped). I think it might be easier as you have extricated yourself rather than the guy needing to separate from your space following being given your regrets. In my case, I lack ambivalence about whether a private dance is in the cards unless he has already successfully provided in the past, which brings us to …

A related topic is a (the) dancer with whom you have previously had good experiences naturally approaching you but you wish to case the joint for other prospects. That calls for a modified exchange of pleasantries, tact, and intent. I have found that they take it in stride and wait for a cue later without circling back for a status review. 

Edited August 24 by SirBillybob

[SirBillybob]

22 hours ago, Luv2play said:

He said sure and he gave me a very memorable dance . I had never seen him naked but he had an admirable piece of equipment and it was fully functional including an impressive ejaculation to top it off. 

A mixologist after our own hearts.

Edited August 24 by SirBillybob

[Luv2play]

2 hours ago, SirBillybob said:

A very pricey advertiser I had hedged on for a while without booking has crossed back over to club dancer income supplementation and it was an unexpected fun (well, discounted, depending on how you look at it) ‘bucket list’ experience. I would probably spring for an off-site hook-up after all, as the sampler was a good forecast. 

—-

“Maybe later” being essentially interpreted by a dancer as ‘no’ now means ‘yes’ a while afterwards is rare and could be seen as poor comportment if you didn’t explicitly signal a follow-up exchange. I would view it in the context of the psychological difficulty of being repeatedly rebuffed, however gently, and his later lobbing back with a mini-micro aggression, as if you had owed him a less ambiguous but obviously more emphatic decline in the first place. It may have worked occasionally and he has nothing to lose. 

That said, I usually just say, before the private dance interest question even pops up, “Thanks for saying hello” and move away a few steps into the crowd (I stand and circulate as it feels less trapped). I think it might be easier as you have extricated yourself rather than the guy needing to separate from your space following being given your regrets. In my case, I lack ambivalence about whether a private dance is in the cards unless he has already successfully provided in the past, which brings us to …

A related topic is a (the) dancer with whom you have previously had good experiences naturally approaching you but you wish to case the joint for other prospects. That calls for a modified exchange of pleasantries, tact, and intent. I have found that they take it in stride and wait for a cue later without circling back for a status review. 

I would think acknowledging a dancer’s greeting and then instantly moving away to be a little rude. It seems very dismissive to me.

I would rather follow it up with a short explanation as to why I wished to play the field at that moment. 

[SirBillybob]

36 minutes ago, Luv2play said:

I would think acknowledging a dancer’s greeting and then instantly moving away to be a little rude. It seems very dismissive to me.

I would rather follow it up with a short explanation as to why I wished to play the field at that moment. 

Geez! Thanks for the Emily post, Governess.

Yes it would be rude and dismissive but that is not the playbook I described. It would be superfluous, and silly in fact as being unnecessarily pre-emptive, to indicate intent to ‘play the field’ prior to the question of private dance coming up. I would have to disown you if witnessing such.😉

Did I indicate abruptly truncating social chit-chat following a few seconds post-greeting? No. These chats may evolve for several minutes duration prior to politely extricating myself. It’s all in the balance of social discourse while not impeding his chances for other prospective employers.

I don’t stratify according to private potential versus outright snubbable. My agenda is to be selectively financially deprivational while leaving egos intact. If anything, at times the dancer may seem a little surprised at my attentive borderline flirty ‘betiquette’ where I wasn’t the best bet after all, followed by my gentle migration away into the maddening crowd.

I appreciate the laugh, though. I assume you’ve worked the room at a cocktail party but not said ‘well, I’m going to see who else here is worth my attention’, if not intersected with corridors of manned conference booths or speed-dating venues. LOL

Edited August 24 by SirBillybob

[+ BOZO T CLOWN]

On a totally different note...

Bozo was in Montreal last weekend. The number of mentally ill homeless wandering around Ste. Catherine between Rue Berri and Papineau has spiraled out of control. As a long-time Montreal visitor, the experience of strolling up and down Ste. Catherine is no longer the pleasant ramble it once was. Sadly, Rue Sainte Catherine looked more like an open-air, third world drug market inhabited by users, dealers, homeless, migrant beggars, and the mentally deranged than the pleasant outdoor pedestrian mall that it once was. This is the worst it has ever been, and the lack of police presence in the area made the experience even scarier.
Fortunately, Bozo was accompanied by a friend who was a first-time Montreal visitor and we took the opportunity to do some "touristy" things such as hike up Mount-Royal, lunch at Schwartz' Deli, a visit to the Biosphere, Cirque du Soleil, an Alouettes football game,. and a walk around the Plateau district which included sampling the bagels at both St. Viateur and Fairmount Bagels.

BTC

Edited August 26 by BOZO T CLOWN

[SirBillybob]

On that note, you literally went and told it on the mountain. 

[Karl-G]

As you know, there are lots more things to do and see in Montreal.  Botanic Gardens.  Marché Jean Talon (oyster bar, mango store with 29 varieties, meat markets with dozens of kinds of paté, etc.).  Museum of Fine Arts.  Place Jacques Cartier (street entertainers and outdoor cafes) and Rue St. Paul (art galleries and restaurants) at midday and for lunch.  Underground City.  UQAM (U of Quebec in Montreal with half of campus underground and all connected, and then connected to the "national"/provincial library).

[jerryskater]

On 8/25/2024 at 11:26 AM, Karl-G said:

Quote

As you know, there are lots more things to do and see in Montreal.

 

I agree and would also add the Pointe-à-Callière museum in Old Montreal.  We've been there many times over the years and they always have something interesting.  There is also a nice view of Old Montreal on the tower.

Edited August 27 by jerryskater
Correct spelling

[jerryskater]

On 8/25/2024 at 9:26 AM, BOZO T CLOWN said:

The number of mentally ill homeless wandering around Ste. Catherine between Rue Berri and Papineau has spiraled out of control.

It is so sad what has happened to Ste. Catherine Street.  Montreal like other cities has a very serious homeless problem not only on Ste. Catherine. For example, on the weekend of August 16/17/18 the area around the Metro stop for the Museum of Fine Arts was filled with homeless.  They didn't seem to be bothering anyone but it does make it uncomfortable particularly if you are looking for a place to sit for a few minutes.  Even saw a man lying on a busy corner of Place Jacques Cartier.  He looked like he could have been dead.  Police came and as far as I could tell took him away.

[brettnyc]

On 8/27/2024 at 1:02 AM, jerryskater said:

It is so sad what has happened to Ste. Catherine Street.  Montreal like other cities has a very serious homeless problem not only on Ste. Catherine. For example, on the weekend of August 16/17/18 the area around the Metro stop for the Museum of Fine Arts was filled with homeless.  They didn't seem to be bothering anyone but it does make it uncomfortable particularly if you are looking for a place to sit for a few minutes.  Even saw a man lying on a busy corner of Place Jacques Cartier.  He looked like he could have been dead.  Police came and as far as I could tell took him away.

I was shocked by the downward spiral Montreal has taken with regard to the homeless drug addicts & mentally ill throughout the city.  As others  have mentioned the population has-exploded and it didn't appear the government was addressing the issue head-on.   Meanwhile, the Canadian government has welcomed immigrants at record pace while ignoring the glaring needs of its own citizens.  

[Colton]

On 8/25/2024 at 9:26 AM, BOZO T CLOWN said:

This is the worst it has ever been, and the lack of police presence in the area made the experience even scarier.

Somehow it still feels safer than the US, even without visible police.  
 

On a related note, Malik Delgaty is dancing this weekend at Campus.  Does anyone know if his private dances are the same price as the other talent?  Just curious as I won’t be there this weekend.  

[brettnyc]

7 hours ago, Colton said:

Somehow it still feels safer than the US, even without visible police.  
 

On a related note, Malik Delgaty is dancing this weekend at Campus.  Does anyone know if his private dances are the same price as the other talent?  Just curious as I won’t be there this weekend.  

When I was there, Malik was at Campus every night holding court, but he never got on stage to dance --- He sat at the bar with a client and periodically disappeared to the back room.

[Colton]

2 hours ago, brettnyc said:

When I was there, Malik was at Campus every night holding court, but he never got on stage to dance --- He sat at the bar with a client and periodically disappeared to the back room.

Oh that’s disappointing. 
 

Speaking of the bar, last time I was at Campus I saw that women are now sitting at the bar.  Last year I only saw women seated at tables only, presumably for hen parties.  There have been plenty of threads about women at Campus and I don’t mind them but almost would prefer if the sexes were kept apart in the audience. 

Edited August 30 by Colton

[Colton]

On 8/29/2024 at 2:32 PM, Colton said:

On a related note, Malik Delgaty is dancing this weekend at Campus.  Does anyone know if his private dances are the same price as the other talent?

To answer my own question, he posted on IG that his dances are $30. 

[Antsyamo]

Does anyone have thoughts on whether VIP table reservation is worthwhile at Campus? I don’t know if that’s a sure fire way to be grouped with a bunch of bachelorette parties or if it’s beneficial to have a guaranteed table on a Friday or Saturday night. I am curious if it’s worth making a reservation at Stock too, though that seems less appealing overall I think. 

[Minneapolis]

Just got back from a weekend trip to Montreal and the two clubs Stock and Campus.  
 

Friday night my first stop was st Stock. There is a nice open air cocktail bar in front now.  It was a nice atmosphere with a bridal party having some drinks waiting give show to start. The pool table is in there now.  The door to the main club didn’t open until 9pm, so I headed to Campus. Already at 8:30, this place was filling up. The guys were walking around, but not overly aggressively asking for dances. I watched a few dancers and went back to Stock.  When you go in, you notice how much smaller it is compared to the last version.  One of the employees said that they wanted to make it feel fuller.  Although I prefer the old layout, as a strip club, it looked nice.  There was the main bar and then a more intimate room with seats and a bar meant to be used for semi private lap dances, maybe?  A bartender said it’s only open on the weekends, but I never saw anyone in there either Friday or Saturday.  
 

The dancers were very disappointing. While there were a couple of standouts, half the guys looked like the were recruited from a PTA meeting rather than a gym.  I stayed a bit longer and then back to Campus. 
 

What a difference! The place was packed at 10pm.  The dancers were awesome!  Good variety and super sexy!  I stayed for a bit, but it was so crowded, I was feeling claustrophobic and ended up leaving.  Walked around the village a bit and then went back to the Hyatt to crash.

the Hyatt (former Governor hotel) was experiencing a strike.  The managers did a great job keeping up with the housekeeping, etc.  I like the new look to the building and the rooms were all renovated. I loved this location since it’s easy to get to a metro, get a few items from the grocery store nearby and of course, it’s close to the clubs.

Saturday night, same routine.  Started at Stock and made my way to Campus.  I usually do a couple of dances throughout the night, but this time I paced myself until around midnight and then let loose. I did a private with Rico.  He’s on the website. Just beautiful and perfect body. The private was ok.  He kind of just stood there while I enjoyed his muscles. Did two sings(had him count). He said that will be $60 and I said you counted two songs. He said “o yeah”.  Have him $50 and w ed my back to the bar. Now the real treat from the bar was a Barack named William.  Hot 20 year old who has a devilish smile.  I asked him if he could do a private and he said he would get fired. He didn’t want to be a dancer since they have to work so hard to get dances. I told him he would have no troubles.  Maybe next time…

Back to Csmpus to finish off the night.  I had done Canadian cash that I needed to use!  Again, the bar was pack!  Hard to watch the show. I picked the first hot guy that passed me by and said let’s do a dance. He was like “wow, that was easy”.  We went back to lap dance area. As others have pointed out, I didn’t feel like I was in a fish bowl with the clear entrance. It still fronted private to me.  It was so crowded in the back we actually had to wait for a booth to open up.  Malik the pork Star and former dancer was back there most of the night. He really is as hot as his pictures and very nice.  A spot finally opened up and I went in with my dancer (sorry, can’t remember his name). While he was pulling off his jeans, I noticed another dancer coming out of a cube. I  asked my guy if he knows him.  It was his roommate! I said get him in here! Wow those dances were hot!! It was worth it to save my $ and go all in!  Both were willing to do privates outside of the club, but they were straight and cost too much for what the were willing to do. 
 

when we were done I hung out for a bit.  I asked another dancer why Campus is such a popular bar vs Stock.  I thought it might be they have to be stripping online, but I guess they get paid to do that. He said that after the pandemic, everyone just started to head to Campus and this is where the dancers flock to now.  So, I’m not quite sure, but there definitely is a difference!

I left the bar with cash still in my wallet for another visit. The city is still one of my favorites even though it’s a bit rougher than before. 

couple of observations for both bars:

1) reserved seating —limit it or get rid of it.  I’m sure they make money off of it, but I’ve never seen so many reserved spots before.  When the bar isn’t even half full and there’s nowhere to sit is just bad business.  The best seating was taken by the bachelorette parties which leads to my next observation…

2) limit the number of women.  I’ve change my opinion from before. I used to like them for the energy they brought, but now they take up the best seats, and the bar is over packed with them. Have ladies night on Sunday night or allow them to stay until 11pm or something.