SEATTLE — Washington and Oregon are alike in many ways but when it comes to the strip club industry they are far apart.
In Oregon, strippers are thriving. But in Washington, they are barely hanging on.
Now women in Washington are pushing for safeguards and a livable wage, just like Oregon.
“I like, do these eye exercises, to try to get my eyes connected back to my brain," said Gypsy Rose.
Rose's work as a stripper meant sacrificing her safety.
“She hit me so hard, I flew backwards and hit the back of my head," Rose said. "I flew out of the chair.”
It’s why many dancers are now pushing for Senate Bill 6105 which would require club owners to ramp up safety efforts for their dancers. Many Washington clubs struggle to afford security guards because of a lack of revenue.
“Of all the customers that come in, over half of them that are brand new get upset there is no alcohol, and they'll leave," Rose said.
Washington’s booze ban in strip clubs affects dancers’ profits too.
“I love having an audience I love playing off the audience," Nova said.
Nova was also born and raised in western Washington.
“There are times while I'll go to work out here and even though I'm not going negative, I'm still not taking home anything," Nova said.
Nova has to pack up her life to make a living. To support herself, she drives from Seattle to Portland each week to work - 300 miles round trip.
“Everybody talks about how great it is for dancers out there," Nova said.
Nova makes other sacrifices: She has a young son who stays with his dad when she’s away.
“Something that bothers me a lot is that now I'm further away -- should something happen?" Nora said. "It's gonna take me a little while to get back home.”
Nova is supporting SB 6501 so Washington will get closer to Oregon's way of doing business.
When you lift the veil, you’ll find that crossing state lines dancers feel a weight off their shoulders.
"You get a lot of support from your security staff," Nova said.
Ramona is a stripper from Oregon. She said she heard about Rose’s assault at a Washington club.
"We did kind of hear about that," Ramona said. "And it is rough hearing that other girls are having that experience when we do feel so protected here.”
The dancers in Oregon are protecting and flourishing.
“I do it probably like three days a week, and I'm able to pay my bills," Ramona said.
They say it rains in Seattle but have you ever been to Portland?
“The term is called racking out, well, I've heard that from the dancers," Ramona said. "And that's when they make over 1,000 bucks. We get a ton of customers from Washington.”
The businesses are raking in the bills as well. Much of the revenue goes toward security systems, cameras and staff.
“I would say 80-85% of our revenue is from alcohol, beer, food.”
One thing these Washington women won't sacrifice is the state they call home.
"This is my home," Nova said. "My family is here. My roots are here. I will not be moving to Oregon. Like I have no intentions.”
But when it comes to the laws in Washington their intentions are clear as day.
“Definitely, they need to change," Rose said.
SB 6501 passed in the state House Tuesday night, putting it one step closer to becoming law. The legislation will head back to the Senate for a final stamp of approval before landing on Governor Jay Inslee's desk.