When in Vegas, keep one thing in mind. The entire town is geared to fleece the unwary tourist and to clean him out in a hasty fashion.
You are correct. The stripjoints are a ripoff. Places like Glitter Gulch and the Palomino Club have staff and dancers who are pushy and insulting when you don't want a dance. Other places like Cheetah's at best, OK. I found no real laughs or satisfaction in any of the the Vegas stripjoints.
The cathouses are something else. I think they are created to clean out unwary Japanese tourists. Mabel's House of Prostitution in Crystal, Nevada is such a place. It costs as much for half an hour in the place as it would to have three massages in the best massage place in Toronto. As well, everything is a la carte. They even charged me for a Coke when I was there.