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Zoey

Bruce Ndlovu
Things are about to get hot in Bulawayo as the home of strippers – Private Lounge – is set to start operating in the city next Friday.

The popular strip joint, which over the past few years has become a prime late night attraction in Harare, is set to bring the best in adult entertainment when it opens its second branch in the country.

The opening of the joint at Cecil Hotel could not be better timed as the striptease craze has caught hold in Bulawayo where clubs like Forty40 and Metropolis have been bringing the cream of the country’s pole dancers, mostly from the capital, every week.

Since it opened its doors three years ago, Private Lounge has become the joint of choice for those seeking the best in adult entertainment, with Ricky Fire’s racy video for his smash hit Ndiratidze Zvaunoita, which was shot at the joint, serving only to increase the joint’s popularity.

Cecil Hotel, which has been undergoing renovations over the past few months will be divided into three sections with over 50 strippers providing the entertainment every night. As the joint is located at a hotel, it will also provide accommodation for revellers that wish to stay the night while live performances from exotic dancers and DJs will also compliment the efforts of the pole dancers.

In an interview, the club’s manager Thelma Zuva said Bulawayo was the most logical destination for another Private Lounge, as being the second largest city in the country, it had the potential to draw a large clientele.

“Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe so naturally, it’s attractive to any businessperson. We see a lot of potential for our hospitality business to grow but we are not ending here as we plan to go nationwide,” she said.

Zuva said the club would try to keep the same standards it has set in the capital, with the services and entertainment provided at the joint set to mirror what Private Lounge provides in Harare.

Taking the Blesserfinder slogan #MoralsMustFall, Zuva warned patrons that the joint would not be for the faint hearted, as they are determined to provide the no holds barred kind of entertainment their Harare branch is synonymous with.

“Private Lounge in Bulawayo will run on the same lines as its sister club in Harare. It’s a strip club. But besides the strip tease, it has everything else that a top notch club in the United States or South Africa has. We will provide quality service and adult entertainment.

“This is strictly an adult playground where we don’t want kids or moralistic people that are easily offended by this kind of entertainment,” she said.

While the morality of strip clubs might be questioned, Zuva said that even naysayers should look on the positive side as the joint will be a much needed source of income and employment for people who provide various services in the city.

She added that although the joint’s many dancers came from all over the country, some were also from Bulawayo.

“Except for specialised areas, we’re recruiting everyone else from Bulawayo. Therefore the people of Bulawayo and other businesses stand to benefit while Bulawayo artistes will also get exposure. We’ll definitely be hosting people from other countries at the club because people go as far as Rio de Janeiro, Las Vegas and Russia in search of quality adult entertainment so why not Bulawayo,” she said.

Some of the city’s top artistes, socialites and other prominent figures are set to attend the lounge’s official opening next week.