It remains deeply seductive

So when you’re the nightclub formerly known as Deep, what’s the one thing you need to keep? The dancing girls, of course.

Nothing puts an olive in a martini faster than jiggling girls behind two-way mirrors, and Deep was the club with the most cheesecake. So when new owners Brad and Dave Weida decided to take over and retool the infamous spot at the corner of Hollywood and Vine (once a Brown Derby) under the new moniker Basque, they made sure they stocked it with plenty of go-go dancers.

“We really wanted our female customers to feel safe and at home,� says Brad Weida, who reopened the club in May. “So we classed it up. The dancers and servers are dressed in tasteful costumes that leave more to the imagination.�

It’s a theme the brothers carry throughout the club to winning effect. Having promoted nights at many venues around town, the Weidas teamed up with Hany Malek and Peter Younan of Ocean Blue Investments for Basque. The word of mouth on the new club is strong.

“It still has that uninhibited vibe left over from Deep,� says clubber Catherine Carlyle, “but I’d feel comfortable bringing my family from Texas. It’s not too much.�

Although the bones of the club are the same, gone is the sleaze factor -- a red-light-district feel that gave Deep its provocative and somewhat sinister side.

In its place, the Design 360 team tries for a tasteful take on seduction. Guests walk into the club through a patio decked out like the French Mediterranean countryside before hitting the bar area, which is where the dancers are found behind windows. The owners have done a significant amount of gussying up. The VIP rooms, which were once little more than meat lockers, are warmed up with fur-lined ceilings. In addition, they’ve softened the lighting and added chandeliers and plush French wallpaper. Basque also features a new tapas menu.

The see-through ceiling above the dance floor is intact, with seductive slithering by model/actress/strippers, but guests are no longer boxed in. The walls around the dance floor have been taken down so customers can move around with greater ease.

And despite the fact that Hollywood nightclubs are facing some stiff competition -- with a multitude of good, viable clubs opening each month -- Basque, a French word meaning “tight-fitted corset,� is holding its own.

“The response has been great,� says Ben Beck, who promotes Basque’s popular Thursday night dance club. “Since we opened in May, the club’s hit capacity by 11 p.m. each week.�

Thursdays are becoming increasingly popular, as promoter Beck and sexy DJ Penelope Tuesdae (the resident DJ at the Playboy Mansion) have managed to reel in such celebs as Chad Michael Murray, Jesse Metcalf, Vince Vaughn, Kelly Clarkson and Ashlee Simpson. And on a recent Sunday, actress Lindsay Lohan decided to host a birthday bash at Basque.

The owners also retained doorman Eric Elle -- a fixture at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Even though Hollywood seems to crave all things new, when it comes to its doormen, clubbers like stability and familiarity. It gives old customers the confidence that they’ll be taken care of, which is why Basque has managed to retain Deep’s core guests.

That, and the dancing girls.

“I’m not saying I’m sexist, but those girls are hot,� says Arman Aruju, pointing out the ladies grinding above him on the dance floor. “I might just have to stay here a little longer.�

Heidi Siegmund Cuda can be reached at weekend@

latimes.com.

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Basque

Where: 1707 Vine St., Hollywood

When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays

Price: $20 cover (unless on guest list). For Thursday’s list, e-mail benbeck@basque

thursdays.com. Reservations recommended.

Info: (323) 464-1654