Dawn Rizos' journey to the gentlemen's club industry was a long and winding road. Once she found herself there, however, she made a decision: The Lodge would be a classy, elegant establishment, with honesty and integrity at the forefront of the club's operating policies, a convincing rebuttal to anyone with Bada Bing misconceptions of the adult nightclub industry.

"We wanted to have a place where customers would be proud to visit, and where men and women would be proud to work," Rizos says. "We have a lot of fun, of course, but we never lose sight of that goal here every day."

A visit to The Lodge, near a busy highway in Northwest Dallas near D/FW International Airport, shows that she has succeeded on virtually every level. The most obvious is the jaw-dropping beauty of the 25,000-square-foot club, along with a kitchen that turns out casual fare and upscale entrees on a par with many of Dallas' best restaurants. But behind the luxury and style is a philosophy of doing business known as "The Lodge Way," treating staff members and entertainers with respect, generosity and appreciation that draws some of the best talent from around the country.

"Every time I deal with somebody, I think about how I would feel if that were me on the other side of the table," Rizos says. "That's the attitude we instill in everyone here."

But the upstairs VIP area is drawing the most attention these days. The original members-only section, The Casablanca Room, features arches and ironwork reminiscent of Rick's Cafe from the fabled Bergman/Bogart movie classic. In January, after a year of work, workers tore down a temporary wall to unveil The Lost Caverns, a new delight to explore. A waterfall invites visitors through two faux-underground archways into a web of 10 individual caves, each with plush seating, speakers and romantic lighting. The attention to detail worthy of a Disney park attraction extends all the way to the specks of gold embedded in the rocks.

"This is a new concept unlike anything else in the country, and our customers are thrilled with the new look," boasts Rizos. "As good as we think we are, we're always looking for ways to make it better."

That philosophy has earned The Lodge a long list of local, regional and national awards since it opened in 1996, including perennial nominations for ED's Club of the Year honors. In 2006, she was named Innovator of the Year at the Annual Adult Nightclub & Exotic Dancer Awards Show in Las Vegas. But she gets far more satisfaction back in Dallas, helping young women support families, put themselves through school and use their years at The Lodge as a springboard to the rest of their lives.

"I tell the women that they're like athletes," Rizos says. "They have a certain number of years when their bodies will help them make a good living, and they need to use those years to save, get an education or career training, buy property -- all the things you'll need when you can't run the ball down the field anymore. We get a lot of satisfaction in being part of that process."

In a speech at the 2007 Gentlemen's Club Owners EXPO, Dawn told the story of a woman named Elle, who danced at The Lodge for five years. As a full-time student, she paid no house fees, and when she ran into financial trouble, The Lodge awarded her its annual scholarship, covering tuition and books. She graduated with honors with a degree in computer science and now runs a business with her husband designing software, creating and hosting websites, and installing computer systems for businesses.

"Success stories like these are very important to us," Rizos told the convention. "They make us feel good about our work and what we can help young women achieve. But it's also very good for business. Treating our dancers with respect and appreciation engenders loyalty and encourages them to strive to meet our high standards." Those standards focus on beauty, of course, but they don't stop there. "I compare our approach to geishas in a Japanese tea room," says Rizos. "We think our women should be interesting, intelligent, good conversationalists, as well as great eye candy. Our customers want good company for an hour or an evening, not just a dance or two."

"And we can't stand trashy, not in looks and not in behavior," she continues. "We recently started 'gown day' once a week and it really gives the club an elegant feel." Her biggest pet peeve for anybody representing The Lodge? "Chewing gum," she says, eyes narrowing to make the point that she's not kidding. "I hate it."

In that same Las Vegas speech, Rizos detailed her philosophy of running The Lodge, and urged fellow club owners to consider some of the ideas to improve the industry's image. Among the highlights:

· .Good management. Lodge managers hold regular meetings where they can express ideas without fear of retribution and hold frequent team-building excursions. They're paid well so they'll care about their jobs and the club, and they can't make side deals or take tips from dancers.

· A safe environment. This ranges from a well-maintained dressing room to security escorts to the parking lot, from banning husbands and boyfriends in the club (to avoid potential drama) to making sure dancers get home safely if they may have had too much to drink.

· A nurturing environment. The Lodge provides dancers with an in-house beauty salon, boutique, exercise machines and a well-stocked prop room for skits and special events. It holds periodic entertainer appreciation parties and closes the club for an entire day for the annual Christmas party. Rizos distributes anonymous questionnaires for dancer suggestions and complaints and makes sure women know they're welcome to stop by her office and talk. She also makes clear that dancers can move on to other jobs in the club, including bartenders, waitresses, house moms and managers.

· Incentives. The Lodge charges no house fees for many shifts when dancers are on time. Full-time students pay no house fees and can apply for a full scholarship awarded every semester. A reward system modeled after the Neiman Marcus department store allows dancers to earn prizes and privileges by showing up on time, taking part in skits and helping the club's sales.

But bullet points can't encapsulate an intangible feeling that permeates The Lodge. At a recent entertainer appreciation party, Rizos says, a woman who had just started dancing there approached her to say thanks. "She said she had danced at other places, but now she'd never go anywhere else," Dawn says. "She told me, 'At The Lodge, you're not just a number.' That means a lot to us. She understood us right away."

This is serious business at The Lodge, but the club also revels in its sense of fun. The official slogan is, "For the finer things in life," but there's a tongue-in-cheek line that sums it up as well. "A lot of people describe this industry as 'T and A,' and you know what that means," Rizos says with a laugh. "We're more 'T and C.' Instead of 'ass,' we substitute 'class.' "

Dawn has other principles that differentiate The Lodge, rightly or wrongly, from many in the industry. Her personal touch includes a handwritten letter to every VIP on his or her birthday, with a gift certificate enclosed. Her email address is simple and well-publicized -- dawnrizos@aol.com -- and every suggestion, compliment or complaint gets a personal response.

She's also picky about where she advertises. "I've never been sure that it pays off," Rizos notes. "One thing we do instead is, we're media-friendly. We can be discreet and protect our customers' privacy, but still be open to reporters. Yes, it can backfire, but we've found that the more we cooperate with the media, the better our chances to be treated fairly. And more news coverage means more free advertising."

The Lodge strives to be a good neighbor and a positive element of the community. "The city may not want to acknowledge it, but we know we help draw visitors and conventions to Dallas," Rizos says. "We do a lot of charity work and we try to be good citizens."

That's one reason you'll never see a Lodge billboard on the highway. "This will always be a controversial business, and we don't make any friends with a suggestive, unsavory ad that a mom has to explain to her kids in the car," she says. "We think it's more effective to target businesspeople and travelers and build our business by word of mouth. If we do a good job in our club every day, that's how we'll succeed."