How COVID-19 Changed Strip Clubs in Dubai Forever

Before 2020, Dubai’s underground adult entertainment scene operated in a quiet gray zone-never officially legal, but rarely raided. Strip clubs didn’t advertise. They didn’t have signs. They existed in private members-only spaces, often hidden behind unmarked doors in hotel basements or luxury apartment complexes. The clientele? Mostly expats, high-net-worth travelers, and a few locals who knew where to look. Then came COVID-19, and everything changed.

The Shutdown That Never Fully Reversed

In March 2020, Dubai shut down all non-essential businesses. Bars, lounges, nightclubs-all closed. Strip clubs, already operating without licenses, didn’t even get a formal notice. They just vanished. No government announcement. No compensation. Just silence. By April, every known venue was empty. Owners didn’t bother paying rent. Staff stopped showing up. Many had been hired on cash-only, off-the-books contracts. When the doors closed, they disappeared too.

What made this different from other cities? In places like Las Vegas or London, strip clubs were classified as entertainment venues and could reopen under restrictions. In Dubai, they were never classified at all. There was no legal framework to reopen. No permits to apply for. No health guidelines to follow. Just a void.

Who Lost the Most?

It wasn’t just the owners. It was the dancers-mostly Eastern European, South African, and Southeast Asian women on work visas tied to their employers. Many had paid $5,000 to $10,000 in recruitment fees just to get into the country. When the clubs shut down, their visas became invalid. They couldn’t work legally anywhere else. Some were stranded for months. A few were deported. Others disappeared into informal work: house cleaning, private parties, escort services-anything to survive.

One dancer, who asked to remain anonymous, told me she spent five months living in a one-bedroom apartment with six other women, sharing a single phone to message potential clients. "We weren’t dancers anymore," she said. "We were just people trying not to get caught."

The New Rules: Private Parties and Apps

By late 2021, a new model emerged. Strip clubs didn’t come back. But private performances did. They moved into apartments, villas, and rented hotel suites. Clients booked through encrypted apps-Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal. No websites. No public listings. Just word-of-mouth referrals and password-protected groups.

Prices jumped. A 30-minute private show in 2019 cost $200. In 2023, it was $800. Why? Risk. The police started cracking down harder. In 2022, Dubai’s Public Prosecution issued a public warning: "Any form of public indecency, including private performances for money, violates Article 358 of the UAE Penal Code." Arrests followed. One man was sentenced to six months in jail in 2023 for hosting a private show in his Jumeirah villa. The dancer involved was fined and deported.

But demand didn’t drop. It just got smarter. Now, clients pay upfront through cryptocurrency or untraceable gift cards. Performers use fake names. Venues rotate weekly. Some even use Airbnb rentals under false pretenses-"private yoga session," "celebration party," "photo shoot."

Who’s Still in the Game?

Most of the old operators are gone. The ones still running things now are either former bouncers who learned to manage logistics or ex-hotel staff who knew how to bypass security systems. One former manager from a now-defunct club in Al Barsha told me he now runs a network of five private venues. "I don’t own a single club," he said. "I just connect people. I take 30%. It’s safer than before. No crowds. No noise. No police raids."

He’s not alone. A 2024 report by a Dubai-based private security firm found that 72% of adult entertainment activity in the city now happens in private residences, up from 18% in 2019. The number of arrests for public indecency dropped by 60%-not because people stopped doing it, but because they stopped doing it in public.

The Human Cost

Behind the numbers are real people. Many dancers who left Dubai after the shutdown never returned. Some went home. Others moved to Thailand, the Philippines, or Georgia-places where the work is legal and safer. Those who stayed? They’re older now. Many are in their late 30s and 40s. They can’t compete with younger performers. They’re stuck in a system that doesn’t recognize them.

One woman, a former dancer from Moldova, now works as a receptionist at a dental clinic. She speaks fluent Arabic and English. She’s saved enough to send her daughter to university in Istanbul. "I don’t miss the clubs," she told me. "I miss the money. But I don’t miss the fear. That’s worse than poverty."

What Does This Mean for Dubai’s Future?

Dubai wants to be seen as a global tourism hub. It markets luxury, family-friendly experiences, and cultural heritage. The existence of underground adult entertainment contradicts that image. But it also thrives because of it. The same wealth that brings tourists to Burj Khalifa also fuels demand for hidden pleasures.

There’s no sign the government plans to legalize strip clubs. Nor is there any movement to decriminalize private performances. The law remains unchanged: any sexualized performance for money is illegal. But enforcement is selective. Police focus on public displays, not private ones. That’s why the industry adapted-it didn’t die. It went deeper.

The pandemic didn’t kill Dubai’s strip club scene. It forced it to evolve into something harder to find, harder to regulate, and more dangerous for those involved. The venues are gone. But the demand? It’s still here. And it’s smarter than ever.

Why This Matters Beyond Dubai

Dubai isn’t alone. Cities with strict moral codes but high wealth-like Singapore, Riyadh, or even Monaco-have seen similar shifts. When formal spaces disappear, informal ones fill the gap. The result? More risk, less transparency, and greater vulnerability for workers.

The lesson? Banning something doesn’t make it go away. It just makes it harder to control. And the people who suffer most are rarely the ones in power.