Look at the addresses of Dallas clubs and a pattern appears: 2250 Manana Drive, 2151 Manana Drive, 2340 W Northwest Hwy, 11569 Harry Hines Blvd, 10530 Spangler Road. They sit in a narrow industrial wedge northwest of downtown rather than spread across the city. That is zoning, not coincidence. Dallas city code makes it an offense to establish a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of another one, and where two already sit that close, the first one established and continually operating is the conforming use while the later one is nonconforming. The result is a small number of long-established locations that stay put, while new entrants have almost nowhere legal to go.
The rules that actually shape the night
Texas has one rule that most states do not, and it determines what a club looks like inside. Under Texas Business and Commerce Code §102.051–102.056, a business that provides live nude entertainment for an audience of two or more people and allows on-premises consumption of alcohol owes a state fee for every customer admitted — regardless of whether it holds a TABC licence at all. This is the so-called “pole tax”. It was $5 per entry when the law took effect; since 1 September 2023 it is $10 per customer entry. Re-entering the same club on the same business day counts as one entry. The first $25 million of the revenue goes to the state’s Sexual Assault Program Fund.
Two consequences follow for anyone walking in the door:
- Nudity and alcohol are a package deal, financially. The fee is triggered by the combination, which is why Texas clubs tend to fall into two camps: topless rooms that serve liquor under a TABC licence, and fully nude rooms where alcohol works differently.
- The law charges the club, not you — but clubs may pass it on. The Comptroller explicitly permits operators to recover the fee from customers, and notes that door and cover charges, including a pass-through of the fee, are subject to sales tax. So a cover that looks high in Texas often is, structurally.
City rules sit on top of that. Dallas passed an ordinance in January 2022 requiring sexually oriented businesses to close between 2am and 6am; after litigation the Fifth Circuit sided with the city in October 2023, and Dallas police began enforcement on 30 November 2023. Houston’s 1997 ordinance barred permitless sexually oriented businesses within 1,500 feet of homes, schools, churches, parks or day cares, and banned private VIP rooms and touching, with a three-foot rule between dancer and customer. Sixteen clubs sued; a 2013 settlement ended enforcement of the three-foot rule and allowed fully topless dancing at those clubs, in exchange for an annual contribution funding a Houston Police Department human-trafficking unit.
Dallas–Fort Worth
- The Clubhouse Dallas — 2250 Manana Drive, Dallas
- Club Onyx Dallas — 2151 Manana Drive, Dallas
- The Men’s Club of Dallas — 2340 W Northwest Hwy
- The Lodge — 10530 Spangler Road
- Dallas Cabaret North — 11569 Harry Hines Blvd
- Black Diamonds Dallas — 9009 Sovereign Row
- Spearmint Rhino Dallas — 10965 Composite Dr
- XTC Cabaret Dallas
- Rick’s Cabaret Fort Worth — 7101 Calmont Ave
- Rick’s Cabaret Dallas Fort Worth — 15000 Airport Fwy
Houston
Houston’s clubs cluster along the Westheimer and Southwest Freeway corridors, west of downtown.
- Vivid Live Houston — 2618 Winrock Blvd
- Onyx Houston — 3113 Bering Drive
- The Men’s Club of Houston — 3303 Sage Rd
- Scores Houston — 6340 Westheimer Rd
- The Colorado Sports Bar and Grill — 6710 Southwest Freeway
- XTC Cabaret North Houston — 11415 North Fwy
- XTC Cabaret South Houston — 802 Houston Blvd
Austin
Note that one of the two listings is in Round Rock, roughly 20 miles north of central Austin.
- XTC Cabaret Austin — 3501 Andtree Blvd
- Rick’s Cabaret Austin — 3105 S Interstate 35, Round Rock
San Antonio
- XTC Cabaret San Antonio — 2023 Sable Ln
Odessa, El Paso and Longview
Outside the big metros the listings are single venues on highway or airport-adjacent land, which is typically where locational restrictions leave room.
- Jaguars Odessa — 6824 Cargo Rd
- Rick’s Cabaret Odessa — 101 Solo Rd
- Jaguars El Paso — 11377 Gateway Blvd W
- Jaguars Longview — 4850 Estes Pkwy
What to check before you go
- Confirm closing time in Dallas. Licensed sexually oriented businesses in the city must be closed from 2am to 6am, actively enforced since 30 November 2023. A late arrival can mean a very short visit.
- Ask whether the club is topless with a bar, or nude. The state fee attaches to nude performance plus on-premises alcohol, so the two formats mean different drink arrangements. Ask at the door before you commit to a cover.
- Expect the cover to carry the $10 entry fee. Clubs are allowed to pass it through, and when they do, sales tax applies on top. Budget the door separately from drinks and tips.