The Tampa institution earns three Creative Loafing honors, adding fresh momentum to a comeback recognized last year by Exotic Dancer Magazine.
Tampa knows a comeback when it sees one. And if the results of the 2026 Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Awards are any indication, Mons Venus is giving the city plenty to celebrate.
The legendary gentlemen’s club earned three honors: Best Strip Club in Hillsborough County, Best Female Stripper for house entertainer Dahlia and Best Strip Club DJ for Danny Lopez.
The recognition follows a significant turnaround chronicled in ED Magazine. Last year, Mons Venus won ED’s Club Transformation of the Year award, recognizing the club’s progress under operators Don and Jim Kleinhans and General Manager Bambi Wilde, a former feature entertainer.
The latest honors suggest that momentum is continuing.
For a club with decades of history, a recognizable name is an asset. But maintaining a strong position in Tampa Bay’s competitive adult nightlife market requires more than nostalgia. It takes a compelling customer experience, standout entertainers and the atmosphere that brings everything together.
Creative Loafing’s Best Strip Club award recognizes the overall operation, while Dahlia’s win celebrates the talent at the heart of the business. Lopez’s DJ honor acknowledges another essential contributor to the club experience: the music and timing that help set the room’s energy. Together, the three awards recognize the people and performance behind Mons Venus’ renewed momentum.
For Bambi, the recognition is as much about the team and its place in the community as it is about the trophies.
“I’m so grateful to be operating within an area that accepts us as part of the community and local culture,” says Bambi.
She added that the Mons Venus team enjoyed celebrating alongside its sister club 2001 Odyssey, which also received honors, and other members of the Tampa Bay community at the awards event.
For Mons Venus, the latest wins offer welcome validation of a transformation that has been years in the making. The club’s legacy remains intact, but its recent recognition points toward something more important: a renewed ability to make that legacy relevant.
“I’m really proud of Dahlia, proud of DJ Danny and proud of our whole team,” Bambi says.
For more information, follow Mons Venus on Instagram at @monsvenus_tampabay.
