After the strippers comes the after-hours

A crowd gathers in the circular, high-ceiling vestibule. People begin craning their necks, cautiously shuffling forward in an attempt to enter the venue. What's the hold-up? Sure, it's opening night, and sure, there's free booze, and sure, there's naked women sashaying on-stage, but that shouldn't stop Las Vegans in their tracks; we've seen that shit before. Then, as you move farther away from the chill blasting through the front door, you see it: A nine-foot-tall martini glass, inside which is a pastie-sporting stripper splashing around in H20.

Seamless, like any nightlife cavern worth its salt, is chockfull of pupil-expanding elements designed to draw the eye, induce the chin-scratch and elicit a furious nod of approval. But for a strip club, this attention to decor is a little new. After all, the place is crawling with naked chicks -- and that's all guys or gals of a certain persuasion usually require.

Usually. What sets Seamless apart is the fact that, beginning at 4 a.m. every night, it morphs into an after-hours joint. The roped-off area -- inside which is a smattering of tables fronting the main stage -- is cleared to make room for a dance floor. The retractable glass catwalk connecting the stage to the double-sided main bar is shoved into the ceiling. The strippers are corralled into the back V.I.P. area (hidden behind a two-way mirror), so that the ladies appearing with their men don't, you know, get freaked out. And DJ Gumbee enters his raised bunker and starts spinning a house mix as go-go dancers appear. Thankfully, the martini glass remains.

All of this spiffy stuff and more (including a unisex bathroom) cost a cool $20 million. Which won't necessarily guarantee Seamless stays alive as an after-hours hotspot. Drai's, despite raising its cover charge, is still top dog, while Empire Ballroom's Saturday late-nighters are a popular spot for the much-coveted local. But the digs plus the off-Strip locale could bode well for the venue, as it hustles to "seamlessly" blend the erotic with your more standard nightlife operation.

K.C.