Pole Bliss

Oy. Yet another bachelorette party reduced to me dancing provocatively around a pole. Only this time, no booze was involved, rather I was taking a class at Pole Bliss as part of the festivities.
For 90 minutes, my two stepsisters, a couple of friends, my sister and I learned a simple pole and chair routine. Despite the fact that a) being in the company of family and b) lap dancing for an empty chair is more than awkward, the session was fairly enjoyable.
The room itself is spacious and boasts poles ranging in material (titanium, brass, etc) as well as a stage for the attention whores and/​or brides-​to-​be in your group. According to the (horrid Flash) website, this is girls-​only and no spectators allowed. Sigh of relief, although what creeper shows up expecting to watch?
Anyways, back to the poles. Now apparently, the type of metal can complement how much you sweat. Some are more «sticky» than others. Interesting. Except, I don’t see how even the most profuse sweater can break a sweat here. The routine we learned was incredibly simple. I was hoping for something slightly more advanced or exciting. Apparently, to do anything other than walk around (while lightly grasping) the pole, you have to sign up for a series of classes. Lame.
Another source of irritation is that the poles are not staggered. This seems like such an elementary mistake in room planning. There are two rows of poles lined up in neat columns. So really, only those in the first row can check themselves out in the mirror. Stupid.
The instructor/​owner was pretty cool, if not overly chatty. I came here to learn a basic pole dancing routine, but left fully capable of seducing her husband considering she pointed out all of his favorite moves. She was very willing to play music to our liking and just very upbeat and encouraging.
All in all, I wavered in giving three stars. The space is almost gorgeous and the instructor clearly loves teaching. However, not everyone can see themselves in the mirror and the session was incredibly basic and slow at times.