There is a very popular street in the Pigalle section of Paris. I guess you could call it the Red Light District of Paris. Not that I noticed any prostitutes on the street, but there was plenty of Risque shops and Risque Clubs.
A friend and I from U.S. went into a fairly nice looking establishment after the man out front told us what we would expect for out 10 Euro entrance fee. For the admission fee, we would get one dance and one drink free. Not a bad deal for Paris, we thought.
We went in, it must've been early, nobody was really in there. It was very dark. The host showed us to our separate tables.
A dancer got on stage and danced. Two dancers then came up to both of us and asked if we wanted our dance. Sure, we said. She then asked something to me in French, I think it was if I liked my beer...that she pointed to. I said yes. She then received a bottle of champagne from the bar. I was then offered something "off the menu", which I refused. 5 minutes later, she ordered another bottle. Now, I was getting a little worried. Who is paying for this bottle? I told her, I wasn't paying for those, I hope. She said to speak to the bartender.
The bartender told me that I now owed him 270 Euros each for the 2 bottles of champagne and the 1 bottle that my friend's dancer brought to his table.
810 Euros they wanted from us! We told them that we never wanted to buy bottles for the ladies. "Too bad" he said, "you pay. The prices are listed on the menu".
3 bouncers then blocked the exit out. Uh-oh. Something didn't feel right. We were getting scammed!!! Sure enough, Mr. Nice Guy bartender, said he'd "make us a deal". 500 Euros. We laughed. No way! "I want to see the police", I said. "You bring the police you will pay greatly!".
We were then pushed around by the bouncers and were demanding for us to open our wallets, give them credit cards, etc. They yelled in our faces and pushed us behind the bar. We tried to offer 50 Euros each so we could leave. That infuriated them. We felt, if we charged for the door, that we would get hurt.
After 45-60 minutes of negotiation and stress levels to the max, we got out by paying 60 Euros each.
After we walked out of there, 10 other bars down the strip, tried to lure us unsuspecting tourists into their trap! We quickly grabbed the subway back to the hotel. So much for a "fun" night on the town.
I asked my hotel clerk if he has ever heard such a thing, and he unfortunately said, it happens.

SO PLEASE BEWARE...Once you're in, you may not get out without getting extremely ripped off!

I stayed in Pigalle with my art class in November of 2001. The accommodation - (Hotel Migny), was cheap and cheerful for a group of students! The rooms are basic but clean, and they provide a traditional breakfast of croissants and bread rolls, aswell as cereal, tea and coffee. It is a great base if you want to travel around the rest of Paris - easy access to the Metro. We were just a few streets from the legendary Moulin Rouge, and about 10 - 15 minutes walk from the Sacre Coeur. As you walk through Montmartre, its worth stopping in Place Du Tertre - a lovely cobbled square, surrounded by cafes and bakeries. It has been a great source of inspiration for artists such as Robert Delauney. As you walk through the square, you will be swamped by artists telling you how beautiful you are, and that they want to paint your portrait! Yes you are beautiful, but maybe you should agree on a price before brush meets palette!In general, Pigalle is a lively part of Paris, and has been depicted in the 1920's musical, "Irma La Douce", and more recently, Baz Luhrman's film "Moulin Rouge".Enjoy your trip! Katie