Kirpich (Brick) is a laid-back strip club with a confusing name. It's still difficult to understand what exactly the owner was intending by naming his club after a building material. He claimed he was trying to create an image his club could be identified with. He wants to mold the name "brick" into the image of a sort of Russian Playboy, "a cool guy with a cool car who hangs out with beautiful women." He also added that it fit the building's style.

The club's logo features an anthropomorphic chunk of red baked earth, with a crudely drawn bulge in his underpants. Not exactly the kind of cool guy I like to think of myself as, but to each his own.

Kirpich is a democratic place. The prices are low for a strip club, and the owner says you should be able to have a good time for between $30 and $50. Of course, the girls are always happy to see bigger spenders.

"You can even just sit down and enjoy a beer," said the owner, "but we hope that you come for more than that."

The bar is equitably priced, with prices for beers around 70-90 rubles for half a liter. You can also order soups, salads and fried pieces of meat and vegetables - a favorite on bar menus and not bad - for between 150-500 rubles.

For a strip club, it has a remarkably laid-back, neighborhood bar-like atmosphere, not the seedy, sordid style you are trained to expect. The walls are bare, showing the exposed "brick," and the dancefloor is a simple stage and pole. There is also a private dance room, which is better lit and has comfortable couches.

In the spirit of openness and free love, touching the girls is allowed and groping seemed to be encouraged, but only for big tippers. The girls are extremely interactive and the performances are creative, in addition to being dirty. Still, you can't say you came because you thought it would be a cultural experience. There is one reason men go to strip clubs: naked women.

And how do the young ladies look? They were esthetically pleasing, to put it mildly, lest I slander this paper's good name and frighten away female readers with sexist comments about booties and bums. None of the women had any visible cellulite, bruises or horrible scars, implying that the management is not only selective, but caring as well.

Communication is supposed to be easy, but most of the dancers are too busy working for idle chitchat. At least one of the managers speaks English and the dancers speak everything from Russian to Portuguese. However, that doesn't guarantee they will laugh at your jokes. Most men in strip clubs have a difficult time remembering that the girls are professionals and out for money, not phone numbers and confessions of undying love.

All in all, Kirpich is an open and safe joint, for a strip club. There are no "private rooms" and no erotic massages on the menu. All your voyeuristic needs must be satisfied in public only and the management is eager to make sure the clients behave themselves. The manager said he watches out for his dancers and waitresses, in addition to keeping the clientele happy.