I have a little secret to tell: Every man goes to a strip club with the secret desire that maybe, just one time, that young lady on stage will say: "This time it's free for you."
It never happens, of course, but it doesn't kill that little glimmer of hope.

So I was already prepared to be disappointed by Divas. I knew it was going to be a temple of New Russian excess situated right downtown on Strastnoi Bulvar. The night before, an Irish friend of mine also confided in me not to get too excited.He said that he ordered a private dance and was thrilled when the young lady locked the door.

"This is it. This is the moment. She's going to do it with me," he thought. Then she proceeded to dance and, in his words, "didn't do anything she wouldn't have done in public."

However, once through the doors, I did not find a hostile staff with aggressive strippers and a sign saying "Please empty your wallet here." Instead, I found a glitzy little club - not too sleazy - with a friendly, albeit somewhat obsequious, staff.

Inside, things are a bit pricey. Divas may not have all the excessive trappings of the usual New Russian club, but it is home to New Russian prices. This is a club for oligarchs and millionaires, not a democratic venue.

The staff tries to act casual about it, but they really prefer that you enter wearing a suit and packing a wad of cash to throw around. They also don't have chips, like some other cheaper clubs, in case you run out of money.On the flip side, the ladies that work here are a cut above what you would find in most cheaper places. All I saw were tall, beautiful model types with plenty of assets that a businessman with an overstuffed wallet might feel compelled to invest in.

To keep you from guessing, they even suggest that the cost of a usual tip should be about 100 rubles. I always wondered how much to offer. At Divas, the girls come up next to you, bump and grind and do all sorts of nasty things, then you shove the money in their panties, and they smile and walk away. Transaction completed. Everybody's happy.You enter the club through a long hall, and room No. 1 is the "fully nude room." Near the back of the room there is a bar decked out with poles, and, according to the crazy menu, you can even pay for permission to dance with the girls on the bar - or treat the bartender to a drink if you're feeling friendly.

Toward the back, past another bar for chilling out with your new friends and through the beaded curtains, lies the "topless room." The room even includes a swing the girls sit on. In the back, there are private rooms decorated in various styles for hanging out with one, or several, young ladies for a price. Depending on your mood, you can select the Turkish-style bed, where you can smoke a hookah, or choose a more modern little number, complete with a synthesizer.

Admittedly, I was there on a slow night, so there wasn't too much action. In fact, the staff seemed to be having a little party for themselves, and one man even began to dance. If last Sunday night was any indication, the average clients are very large Russian men with very dark suits. Still, they were jovial enough and even tried to treat me to a drink, but I was working and too busy checking out the quality of the talent to be bothered.

All in all, it was a nice experience. Not as sleazy and glitzy as I had anticipated, and, if I had a nicer suit, I'd go back.