A SOUTHAMPTON strip club is calling time on topless dancing in a bid to beat the recession.

Aqua Lounge in Above Bar, formerly known as Poletrixx, is to lose its lap dancers and focus more on events and live entertainment.

It comes after the Daily Echo revealed how a new club called Glamour is planned for Leisure World, sandwiched between two family restaurants in the current Brand bar.

But owner Victoria Andrews said the move has been planned for a while with the recession and proposed new laws which could result in people in the community having a say where lap dancing venues are allowed to operate.

“We have been here for around ten years now and I think that has almost been a miracle,” she said.

“With new legislation being proposed it seemed like the right time for a change. I only want to do this if I can control it and not be told what we can and can’t do.”

Victoria also said that takings had dropped in the independent city centre venue through the recession.

“We have still been getting the same number of people in but they just haven’t been spending as much money and it has been noticeable. And it was the closure of The Grapes, such an iconic pub for Southampton, that was a bit of a wake-up call.”

The bar was closed yesterday (Monday, April 13) for a refit with a relaunch planned for this Friday, April 17.

“We are still keeping it a friendly place to come, but instead will have live music, comedy and other events that we are looking at,” she added.

“We are also going to keep entry free and also offer some very competitive drinks prices so I think the new layout and bar will be a success.”