Can You Get an STD from a Lap Dance?

Can You Get an STD from a Lap Dance?

Though business at live adult entertainment venues –– i.e. strip clubs –– has slumped over the past few years, the industry as a whole generated $1.4 billion in 2018. That’s a lot of cocktails, bachelor parties, and, yes, lap dances. Unfortunately, some people may be worried about their health after a trip to the strip club. If you don’t have an in-depth knowledge of STDs and STD transmission, you could be forgiven for not knowing if you’re at risk. So, to the question at hand: can you get an STD from a lap dance? Answer: it’s very unlikely. Below, we’ll explain some basic facts about STDs, and how they’re spread from person to person: 

STDs from Physical Contact

For the most part, STDs spread through sexual activity such as oral, anal, and vaginal sex. However, it is possible to contract certain STDs –– like herpes –– through skin-to-skin contact. (This means that you can get herpes even if you use a condom during sexual intercourse.)

As for the likelihood of picking up an STD like herpes during a dance, the odds are still pretty remote, though possible. For someone to get herpes from a lap dance, several criteria have to be met. First, skin-to-skin contact has to occur. If you have your clothes on, the chances of getting an STD like herpes from a dance virtually disappears. Second, the dance has to involve intimate contact. STDs are not airborne; contact is required for transmission. Note also that the presence of herpes bumps or open sores will increase the possibility of transmission during skin-to-skin contact. (However, it’s possible to spread/contract the herpes virus even if no symptoms are present.)

STDs from Sexual Contact

According to a detailed study from 2009, many employees at exotic dance clubs engage in some form of sex work or prostitution. Though prostitution is illegal virtually everywhere in the U.S., it still occurs in strip clubs. As opposed to a lap dance, it’s very possible to contract an STD from a sexual encounter with a stranger. Here are a few things to keep in mind on this subject:

• It only takes one sexual encounter to contract/spread an STD.
• STD transmission can occur as a result of oral, anal, or vaginal sex.
• STD transmission can occur even without ejaculation. 
• Using a condom during sex significantly lowers, but does not completely eliminate, the possibility of STD transmission. 
• STDs are often asymptomatic. It could be weeks, months, or years before symptoms of an STD become noticeable. 
• Many people who have an STD don’t know it.