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Banker's £37,000 night of lapdancing
Evening Standard 21 Nov 2011Lapdancing club Spearmint Rhino had its biggest spending customer last week.
A banker, who arrived alone at the club's Tottenham Court Road venue, went on to blow an astonishing £37,000 on dancers, Cristal champagne and food before disappearing into the night.
Described as a "youngish, slim Englishman" wearing jeans and a blazer, the financier spent seven hours in the club and told girls he was "celebrating a massive windfall".
Spearmint Rhino gave over its VIP room - where customers go for "private dances" - to the man who took with him four dancers for the whole night. He even paid for the four to dine with him, before buying drinks for all the club's staff.
Before he left, he tipped the two "chip girls" who sell customers the tokens they use to buy dances, several thousand pounds each, in cash.
The final bill included £28,000 split equally between the four dancers and a drinks tally including two magnums of Cristal at £800 each and one £300 bottle of Gran Patrone Platinum tequila.
Spearmint Rhino vice president John Specht said: "Everyone was amazed by his generosity and he arrived and left a very happy man."
He said despite "tough times" for the country, his six UK clubs were trading so well that he was planning to take on another 60 dancers, including 20 more in London.
Reader views (16)
Let's not forget that to spend £37,000 means he's paid another £37,000 in tax!
Those of you below who are so keen to judge him - especially if you've ever collected a benefit of any kind - I suggest you say a polite "thank you" and ease up on the jealousy.
- James, London, 25/11/2011 14:26
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I wish I was him! Its not up to me to judge how he spends his money. If he earns monopoly money good on him. If he chooses to spend £37k on a night out that’s up to him. Its all proportional to what he earns. Its not that different to someone on a low wage going out and buying a 50inch 3D television, the only difference is he can afford it!!
- Bingy, Liverpool, 25/11/2011 13:51
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Well i dropped 50k on the old blackjack last night in the city and my booze bill was close to his as well.
You cant take it with you / so enjoy it.
Now time for some weekend fun on the race track.
- david west, west london, 25/11/2011 12:28
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Nothing more than blood money.
- John Buckeridge, London, 25/11/2011 11:10
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Quick to judge on how others spend their money aren't we? Don't like it when they plunge it into "buy to let", off shore banks, or cruises, and we don't like it when they spend spend spend at British venue, having fun, and being generous. Who gives a jot if the tips are declared - really people? You want to taint this generosity and enthusiasm for how he wants to celebrate with your snide comments, barely concealing underlying jealousy? you can't judge him for things you don't know, all you know is that he was generous and had a lot of fun celebrating 
People spend more on weddings, birthdays, cars, and jewellery!
- Jessica, Cheltenham, UK, 25/11/2011 00:21
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LAD
- Tricky1, London, 24/11/2011 23:37
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avalidopinion: Why should they be? Firstly many lap dancers are students who are paying their way through university*, and students don't pay tax. Secondly a tip is a gift, not a payment.
At least this money in the main has been recirculated back into the economy rather than being put as a deposit on yet another Buy To Let.
* the location of this particular club is very very close to UCL.
- JeeBee, London, UK, 23/11/2011 10:36
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So this 'chap' if he exists, which I've no reason to doubt that he does, has all this money and absolutely no-one with whome to spend it with. How sad is that! I mean he didn't even go for a meal/drink/ etc with mates, he had to buy it all, all the smiles, all the flirting, everything. Well done to the girls for taking it off him, they're pro's after all and obviously did there job well. I'm sure they are gorgeous and now a little but richer.
- mike, London, 22/11/2011 21:14
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I bet he swanned around the club like he was king of the hill, but his escapades smack of desperation and sound quite tragic if it wasn't for the offensive amount he spent (subsidised by taxpayers). Very few key workers take that figure home over the course of a year and he decided to waste it on a night of solo titillation, probably laughing at the way the public is propping up his industry and funding his bonus and excessive nights out.
- Hallucigenia, London, England, 22/11/2011 19:17
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I suspect you will find this is a fake story put out by Spearmint Rhino ahead of the Christmas spending season - they'll be wanting their share of the action. Of course those blinded by hatred and envy of wealthy will still spit venom given any chance. Anyone stop to pity a rich man with no friends - as this 'fake' guy appears to be?
- Paddywhacked, london, 22/11/2011 14:06
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You can bet your plastic boobs the " Tips" will not be declared for tax purposes.
- avalidopinion, London.UK, 22/11/2011 11:31
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If this young man is indeed a banker and he was out celebrating a work related windfall, let hope it was well deserved. These days, we as tax payers seem to be the banking system bank of last resort. So, if his windfall was not well deserved, the bill for his private room session with four dancers could well belatedly end up in our laps.
- Franklin, Thornton Heath, 22/11/2011 10:47
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Good for him, I hope he then went a wee'd on the protesters tents at St Pauls. Hurrah for bankers.
- Collyp, London, 22/11/2011 09:40
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Presumably he was not a "merchant banker" after that night out.
- two20, eastbourne, 21/11/2011 17:25
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A fool and our money are soon parted...
- Baron von Richtofen, Biggin Hill, 21/11/2011 15:44
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Great news, who gives a fig if it's "his " money.
- John Hardon, Watford, Herts, 21/11/2011 15:04
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