Scores Comes  To  Sin City
Story by Chris Meyer
 

Anyone who saw The Lion King is familiar with the cycle of life: as one
being is born, another must move on. That was the case with Jaguar's,
the longtime Vegas strip club that recently shut down - and was reborn
as Scores Las Vegas. Yes, that's Scores, as in the New York Upper East
Side club - which has since expanded to Florida and Chicago, as well as
a second Manhattan location - made famous by Howard Stern. Lonnie
Hanover has worked his magic again, this time in the desert, and Sin City
now has a great, classy club filled with beautiful women wearing next to
nothing - and willing to get up close and personal with you for in
exchange for just a few crisp pictures of Andrew Jackson.

Weekends bring in as many as 1500 customers, quite a few of them
female, as well as approximately 300 dancers. Not surprisingly - at least for
anyone who has visited another Scores - the girls are knockouts, and
they come in all shapes, sizes and flavors. "I would say we have the most
beautiful dancers in Las Vegas," says Shai Cohen, the club's Director
of Sales & Marketing, surveying the club and its girls from a vantage
point above the stage. Scores flew in dancers from New York, Chicago and
Florida for the opening festivities, and some still return on the
weekends to gyrate and grind here.

More dancers are always welcome, and Cohen doesn't believe in limiting
job tryouts to any particular day or hour. "We audition all the time,"
he explains. "You can walk in any time we're open," he says, "and, if
you're good, you can start right away."

Typical of the beauties on stage is Vanessa, a gorgeous 29-year-old
Canadian brunette with almond-shaped eyes. Petite - "I'm 5'2" on a good
day," she says with a sweet laugh - she hails from Montreal and has a
perfect smile to go along with her flawless body. She's spent three months
dancing at this club, having previously danced at all the other major
clubs in town. "This is the best, both here in the U.S. and in Canada,"
she declares. "We make the greatest money, and it's non-stop, every
night." A painter, writer, actress, singer and model by day, she spends
most nights in the club. "I love what I do here, and I love Las Vegas."
 

The two-story club, which was extensively renovated after Scores took
over, aims for elegance and grandeur, with mountains of marble and a
dramatic sweeping staircase ascending to the upper level. But for the
topless beauties, many of them writhing atop customers in chairs on the
main floor, it could be a club or restaurant in any of the Strip's finest
hotels.

Most of the action takes place up front on the ground floor, around the
main stage, but there's another space on this level, the Piano room,
with a grand piano topped by a small circular stage, used for private
parties, large groups and really busy nights.

While Jaguar's had several poles, you'll find none on the main stage at
Scores. Leggy beauties dance and strut - and always two at a time - but
the acrobatics are reserved for the Cirque-like aerial shows that go on
at regular intervals throughout the evening when ropes and silks for
the performers drop from the ceiling. High-tech lights illuminate the
dancers, and the stage itself has white lights built in, while the screen
behind the stage sparkles with its own lighting effects. Music ranges
from hard rock to hip-hop, and most girls select their own stripping
soundtrack, which blasts over an above average sound system.
 

Upstairs offers several options for guest. The Grand Havana Room, named
for the famously illegal stogies, requires the purchase of any premium
bottle from the bar for admission. It has a very laid back, residential
feel. There's also the Sky Bar, with flat panel monitors hanging
overhead. (Visit on a Monday night during the season and you'll find Monday
Night Football here and on the club's big screen.) And for dances beyond
a quickie on the main floor, guests can retreat with the dancer of
their choice to the VIP Room, where three songs will set you back a
Benjamin, a half hour goes for $300 and the full hour for an additional $200.
More than a few people here clearly can afford the tariff. That's
partly because the club works with the high end casinos to bring their
guests here.

While most of the men here have come to see the dancers, it's not
necessary to spend your whole time in front of the stage, or in one of the
semi-private rooms. Set back a bit back from the action is Diardi's
Steakhouse, which offers gourmet dining, fine wines - and, of course, a
view of the dancers. The chef was brought in from New York, and house
specialties include crab cakes, Caesar salad and fine pieces of meat. You
will find bottles of Dom, Cristal and Krug, as well as superb wines
including Quintessa, Rubicon, Silver Oak, even a 1996 PÚtrus for the really
deep-pocketed. "We take pride in our wine," says Cohen. There's a
sommelier in the club, and the club holds weekly wine tastings for the
staff. But it's not all highbrow, as drink specials are offered each evening
by strolling waitresses carrying trays of shots in test tubes.
 

With the beautiful topless girls, the booze and the pulsing music,
Scores ultimately feels less like a club and more an outrageous party at
your best friend's mansion. A party, of course, where you need a
well-stuffed wallet to attend.

Scores is located at 3555 S. Procyon. The club is open daily from 5
p.m. to 8 a.m. There's a free buffet from 5 to 8 p.m., and a free drink
for locals (who never pay a cover charge) daily from 5 to 6 p.m. The
cover charge is $20 before 8 p.m., and $30 afterwards. Dances start at $20.
Call the club or Barton Swingle, Director of Transportation, to arrange
for a ride from your hotel.

Call (702) 367-4000 or visit www.scoreslasvegas.com for further
information.
 

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