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Waitresses in costumes fulfil fantasies in this karaoke bar
Okie... we have a new gathering spot liaos... 
Young waitresses at Club Strawberry are dressed as policewomen with handcuffs, devils, nurses and 'geishas' in kimono.
SHE struts up to you with a jug of beer in one hand and a handcuff in the other.
She sets the jug down in front of you, flashes a big naughty
smile and then cuffs you.
The sexy cop, whose tight uniform barely covers her thighs, then whisks out her baton and spanks you with it.
The stuff of fantasies?
No, just a waitress doing her job – albeit with a slightly kinky twist – at Club Strawberry, a costumed-themed karaoke bar on Circular Road.
Every week, the theme changes and waitresses doll up in various costumes.
There is the sexy nurse, the sexy Japanese school girl and the sexy devil, among other sexy outfits.
In honour of the Japanese Sakura season two weeks ago, the five waitresses at the club were dressed in the yukata, a single-layer kimono. But, unlike the traditional kimono, the waitresses’ outfit were hiked up to their upper thighs.
This week, “devils” with horns roamed the bar.
But if you are expecting the waitresses to be serving up anything other than drinks, you’d be mistaken.
Owner Elijah Yang, 29, stressed that the girls are waitresses and not hostesses.
His establishment is yet another indication that Cosplay or “costume play” cafes and bars, where waitresses dress up in various costumes to tantalise and even feed customers, is catching on in Singapore.
Some, like A87 Cafe & Bar in Tanjong Pagar, cater to fans of the Japanese culture, where waitresses greet you in Japanese and feed you.
Role-playing
Said Mr Yang: “It is all part and parcel of giving the customer better service and a little bit of fun with the role-playing and the costumes. It is offering customers a bit of fantasy, without the sleaze.
“The karaoke bar scene in Singapore is pretty saturated. Turning it into a cosplay bar just heightens the level of service.”
In all, Mr Yang said he and his partner bought 22 outfits from China before he opened the bar six months ago. They spent over $2,000 on the costumes.
The bar is slightly smaller than half a basketball court, and is dimly lit.
But there are no private rooms, and the outlet does not appear seedy.
Waitress Anna Peh, 24, said the least popular costume among customers is the office girl.
The most popular costume so far is the nurse. Unlike traditional nurse uniforms, this one is a sexy two-piece number. It also comes in black.
The costumes seem to be a hit with some customers.
A regular customer, who wanted to be known only as Eugene, 23, said: “I like the Devil costume the best. It is hot.”
Mr Yang said his customers are mostly regulars who range from office workers around the area to young adults in their 20s.
The bar gets an average of about 30 to 50 customers a night.
He added that business is “pretty good” and the bar makes a few thousand dollars a month.
But there have been customers who have tried to get fresh with the waitresses.
Said Miss Peh: “If anyone tries to act funny, we just have to push them away and remind them that we are waitresses at the end of the day. We are just wearing a costume and that is all.”
Mr Yang said he has called the police on a couple of occasions when some customers tried to get too physical with the waitresses.
Apart from playing dress-up, the waitresses also engage the regulars in drinking games.
Normal bar
Mr Yang added that he sometimes gets calls from strangers who ask if he is running a kinky and illegal BDSM (bondage, domination and sado-masochism) club, where the girls engage in sexual role-play.
“I have to tell them it is just a normal bar with a bit of costume role-play and nothing else,” he said.
Other cosplay cafe owners said the challenge for Club Strawberry is how to keep things fresh and exciting.
Mr Floyd Tan, 29, owner of Cosafe Maid Bar and Restaurant, said: “Customers are always looking for new environments so this is pretty cool.
“But the challenge for them is to keep coming up with new ideas to continue to attract and keep their clients.”
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