One thing you ought to first look into is what kind of ceiling you have. If it's an old Victorian-era home in the UK, it may very well have plaster over wood lath. If that's the case, you could still mount the top support, if you can locate a joist. However, the repeated uneven pressure on the mount (from swinging around on the pole) could cause the plaster and/or latch to crack and break. And if so, that would be quite a bit more work to patch up.

In addition, if the ceiling has old plaster and wood lath, simply knocking on the ceiling probably isn't going to find a ceiling joist for you. Neither will most stud finders, as the entire ceiling will have wood behind it. So, unless you can access the ceiling from above (such as from an attic), or there's a ceiling light you can temporarily remove to try to inspect inside the ceiling, you may have a tough time locating a suitable joist, without drilling a lot of test holes.

Best way to find a stud or joint behind lathe is a strong neodymium magnet. One scavenged from an old hard drive works well as they have a strong pull at the edge, allowing you to be more precise in locating the nails

Make a pencil mark where ever it sticks in the area you want to mount something, and the stud/joist will be indicated by a straight row of marks while any painted over or broken off nail in the gaps will be an outlier.

If its lath and lime I would even venture to advise against messing about with it. Not all contractors work with it and ones that do charge extra, your landlord or management company can and will deduct that price out of your deposit if they find out.

So glad I'm not a landlord.

Does your GF weigh more than 45kg? Odds are you'll be paying damages, even if you are lucky enough to find a joist. No disrespect, just physics.

They sell stud finders with magnets on Amazon. Only way I’ve been able to find studs in my wood/lathe house.

But, yeah…..this sounds like a bad idea, have a feeling the plaster will start to crack.

You should seriously consider if you can afford the cost of replacing a joist in a Victorian home before you mount this. This isn't hanging a mirror or a chandelier or something, a pole dancing pole is going to exert a lot of forces in different directions. The joist you find is likely incredibly old and dry. Do you really want to risk drilling holes into that and putting it under varying loads?

A freestanding pole would cost less than a repair and you can easily move it to a new location when you move.

Right? This just doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm sure his landlord could easily provide all the information he needs, but he won't ask them because he knows he shouldn't be doing it.

Yup yup yup, I'm all for people making an apartment feel like home, but there's a limit to that and I think this crosses the line.

Besides, like most home workout equipment it's going to be collecting dust in a few weeks anyways, that is assuming it doesn't rip out the ceiling first.

Don't do this.

You're welcome.

I’d advise against that. Setting aside the major damage to your property, those poles are extremely dangerous. My ex had a roommate with one of those and some girl fell off it at a house party and got permanent brain damage. Her family sued my ex’s roommate and won

You could avoid attaching to the ceiling. Either a massive exo frame with minimum of three additional posts (think of a structure for hangman's noose with three legs). Or a raised floor that acted as a torsion box and pole with honey cone core and not attached to the ceiling at all. Or maybe copying a swing set frame. Easy

You know this isn't a great idea.

You know you shouldn't be doing this.

Do you think you're going to get your deposit back?

Holy jeebus yes.

Buddy here is about to attach a dance pole to a lath & plaster Victoria ceiling.

OP, you have a reasonable chance of bringing down chunks of said ceiling.

I commend your girlfriends dream of being a pole dancer and wish her well. That said I think you will bring the ceiling down on your heads. Please do not try this in your rented apartment.

It’s a joke. Isn’t it?

Well I’m glad you don’t care about your deposit.

You could try posting in r/bdsmdiy

Honestly if I’m in your shoes, I’m not giving up this dream without giving it the ole college try.

Shirley, don't sue a stripper

"Why?"

Because she's a stripper. Life sued her, and she lost