Last night I went to the Palomino in North Las Vegas to interview the new owners for my Sunday Calendar column. This strip club is the only place in the area that allows both alcohol and fully nude dancers. It's the result of grandfathering; the Palomino's special license guarantees them this monopoly until 2019.

But in order to go there, tourists will have to discover North Las Vegas, which has yet to happen. It should be easy for the club to get them there considering that the Palomino has such a unique license and the competition is mostly stuck in the equally unpleasant area around Industrial Avenue (behind the Strip).

Yet, over the years, the Palomino has become essentially a local's club due to a combination of no marketing and Strip tourists not knowing that North Las Vegas exists.

The Palomino is sinking money into improvements and also more feature dancers to raise its profile. Last month I wrote for the Buffet about how the new owners celebrated the remodeled club with a reopening weekend including a feature performance from Sunset Thomas. Thomas is now the Palomino's spokesmodel (yeah, I am not real clear either on what that job title means) and records a weekly Internet talk radio show there for a station called, of course, KSEX. This Saturday the feature dancer at the Palomino will be former adult actress Davia Ardell.

Anyway, I had heard that among the changes at the Palomino was the introduction of the first fully nude male revue in Las Vegas. I was right about the nudity but wrong about a couple things. The male revue was going on under the old ownership and is only now being better promoted. The other thing I was clueless about is that it turns out the Palomino is offering far more than an all-nude male revue. If I understand correctly, ladies for the first time in Las Vegas history can buy a lap dance for $20 from a fully nude male dancer.

The male strippers were not working last night, but I did get to interview one of the male dancers, AJ Trunk, who was at the club. He told me that the primary difference between him and his female stripper counterparts: the amount of tips. Women, apparently, are cheap, cheap tippers when it comes to lap dances. Anyway, since the male section was not open last night, I will have to go back Saturday to see Mr. Trunk and his compatriots ply their trade. I can't even imagine. Buffet photographer Sarah Gerke has volunteered to take one for the team and buy herself a lap dance while we are there for research purposes. Thanks, Sarah!

FYI: Trunk clearly says he would never give a lap dance to another man. But I am not sure if, in general, male customers at the Palomino can buy lap dances from guys. I will get that information too when I go back Saturday to check it all out. Should all make for an interesting column.

(Photo: Sarah Gerke / For The Times)