A male stripper earns up to £1,000-a-night working as a ‘real life Magic Mike’, by peeling off for pensioners and even dressing as Harry Potter. Butlers with Bums boss Dan Harley quit banking to dropping his pants off for a living – and the businessman has never looked back.
He’s revealed stripping is so empowering the dancers “feel like superstars” at work – and that they can potentially earn as much in one night as they do in a fortnight with their day jobs. And ahead of the release of the latest Magic Mike movie, Dan said the series has been a shot in the arm for the industry since the original flick was released in 2012.
“Business has really picked up, and in about nine out of 10 bookings, customers ask if there’s a Channing Tatum lookalike available,” said Brighton-based Dan. “But we get all sorts of other crazy requests. It used to be firemen, but these days, one of the most common requests is that the stripper dresses up as Harry Potter.
“One group once even asked me to perform as the Easter Bunny. “I’ve even had a booking at a care home for a woman’s 90th birthday. That was surreal, but after the initial shock she loved every minute and really got into the swing of it – I think it made her birthday.”
It comes as new research published ahead of the film, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, shows demand for male strippers has never been greater – even though customers want to see less flesh. Data supplied by Britain’s leading stag and hen party provider, Last Night of Freedom, shows Magic Mike-style dance show bookings have risen by 61 per cent since 2019.
“The film has undoubtedly changed people’s perceptions about the industry,” said Matt Mavir, Managing Director of Last Night of Freedom. “There’s a greater appreciation of the skill and strength it takes to me a male erotic dancer, and you just look at the size of some the venues these shows are now staged it – it has entered the mainstream.
“But a lot of our customers who book them aren’t interested in seeing the Full Monty. They are more interested in a man that has killer dance moves – and obviously, a six pack.”
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And according to Dan, dancers can earn a small fortune by stripping. “During the busy summer months when Brighton is full of hen parties, a dancer can earn incredible money - up to £1,000-a-night on a Friday or Saturday,” he added.
“They will have up to 10 bookings on one night, which sounds a lot, but they are only there for about 15 minutes – so the hourly rate is staggering. However, lots of work goes into those few hours of performing.
"Obviously, they need to work out a lot to stay in shape, and there’s a lot of prep to make sure they look the part.” And strippers also must fork out for their own kit and costumes, with outfits ranging from a £10 thong to a £100 fireman outfit."
Dan, left a lucrative career banking with Lloyds to run the firm which boasts that it will “add some extra spice to your next weekend”. And like Channing Tatum’s character in Magic Mike, many of his dancers have normal day-jobs – with stripping used as a way of topping up their income.
“They all have a variety of backgrounds, from personal trainers to gas engineers,” added Dan, who has grown the company into an award-winning national brand. “When I was in banking, I’d tell people what I did at the weekends, and it definitely raised a few eyebrows.
“However, people were largely just really curious about what would go on - plus it was definitely more interesting than the day job.”
Magic Mike’s Last Dance is released in cinemas nationwide from Friday, February 10.
