A sex worker has said the industry is less brutal than charity work and has allowed her to think about buying her first home.
Amelie, 25, from Bristol, has been working as a stripper for two years, starting in the industry after the minimum wage jobs she did following university didn't work out.
She said she was initially apprehensive about working as a stripper, but she gave it a go after struggling to make ends meet, Bristol Live reports.
She said: "I started having a bit of a hard time and my friends suggested that I gave it a go.
"I was 23 when I started stripping, that was at Urban Tiger [a strip club in Bristol city centre].
"I was terrified for that first shift.
"I remember doing my make up with my friend and that we had a couple of glasses of wine to chill me out.
"We went to work together and then you are just thrown into the deep end - you just have to figure it out."
Classes as self-employed, Amelie said dancers pay a house fee to work, which varies depending on the night and how busy it will be.
They start at £20 on a Monday and go up to £120 on a Saturday.
"I did not make my house fee on that first shift, but I felt I had no other options so I kept at it," Amelie said.
After finishing her circus performing degree, Amelie did a few charity fundraising jobs which gave her the sales skills she needed for stripping - but they didn't work out.
Due to her university course, she already had friends working in the sex industry, as it can be difficult to make a living out of circus performing.
Describing stripping as a sales job, Amelie said that what a stripper flogs is dances and one-to-one time.
At first she was spending too much time talking to potential clients, she said, which is a mistake most strippers make when they start, especially if they are a bit shy and do not dare ask for money.
"I never thought I was ugly, but stripping has given me a lot of confidence," she said.
"When you get dozens of men every night telling you how you are the most beautiful woman you think maybe I am a bit pretty.
"I was expecting customers to be really horrible, but 95 per cent of them are absolutely fine - doing charity fundraising was way harsher than stripping."
The stripper said that licensing rules means the only physical contact allowed with her clients is shaking hands, with things like hugging, a kiss on the cheek or sitting on their lap not allowed.
She said the strict rules do make her feel safe but that at the same time they can feel a bit over the top.
"A lot of people have preconceived ideas of what stripping is," Amelie continued. "Our jobs are very restricted because of licensing.
"It is like a normal bar where you go up and talk to people and there is the option to pay for fully nude dances - but with no physical contact at all.
"We have a VIP section where they can pay to have one-to-one time and where we talk and have a drink, for example."
Becoming a stripper has allowed her to become financially independent and stable, said Amelie, and she now thinks one day she may be able to get a mortgage and buy a house.
Amelie said she is now able to look into the future while before she was too preoccupied having to pay all her bills each month.
