tuscl

Baltimore notes - "The Block"

schmoe31415
Whatever
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 6:18 AM
I was in Baltimore for a few days and visited "The Block" several times while there. I don't have enough to say to warrant reviews of the handful of clubs I checked out, so figured I'd just post some thoughts here. The Block is an unusual street. Most of the it is just one strip club after another. At night the street fills with people, and the police show up to block traffic off from running down it. I don't know that I've ever seen so many strip clubs packed into such a small space before. The first club, walking from the west to the east, is listed here as "Foreplay Gentleman's Club" with an icon that's for a Hustler club. This was closed, apparently for good. Next door, and down some stairs, is Indulge. That club was a bit larger than the others, with a stage behind a rectangular wrap-around bar. I went down several nights at different times. There was never anyone there at all, except once when there were three guys there drinking and one other time when there was a single bored dancer. I tried near midnight, thinking 10pm was too early, but even then it was empty. The other clubs were all from the same mold, and generally had at most a few dancers in them. The basic pattern was a narrow space with a bar running the length, a stage behind the bar, and stool/chairs along it. They had no cover. Several had people standing out on the street saying "Come check us out, it's free" as I walked by. They generally charged $10 for a bottle of water. They all charged $25 for a "dancer drink" which bought her attention for a short time. The dancers were not particularly attractive. Some looked a bit rough around the edges. But several were at least cute and they varied a bit from thin to curvy. The $25 drink varied in what it purchased. One dancer gave me something resembling a lap dance with some twerking and sort of ramming her ass back against me while she sucked down her drink. Another took her time and chatted and offered a bit of light petting. Club Pussycat had three or four dancers there each time I visited. I got a dance with a friendly dancer with a Jersey accent. This was $80 to the bartender and then something else to the dancer. She wanted $80 for herself too. The dance was roughly 15 minutes on a couch behind some beaded curtains. The mileage was pretty good. She let my hands wander and attempted to grind with enthusiasm but with little technique. She did a bit of light stick shifting and suggested a much more complete experience in VIP. I never managed to hit the Block in the afternoon, so I don't know how its character changes. At night the street was often quite busy, but the clubs were not (at least the half dozen I stepped into as I toured the street). I ended up having a relaxed time chatting and getting a fair dance from one friendly dancer, but found most of the clubs empty and a waste of time. I would never make a trip there, but if I was again staying in downtown Baltimore I'd probably throw the dice and check it out.

14 comments

  • StripClubXpert
    a year ago
    @schmoe31415 Next time you are there you have to go to Indulge in the daytime. Read the reviews.
  • StripClubXpert
    a year ago
    Any dance away from the bar other than VIP is generally a waste on The Block.
  • funonthaside
    a year ago
    The Block has been eroding from its peak for years. It's barely a shell of its former self. I agree with StripClubXpert....any dance away from the bar, other than VIP, is a waste. And, VIPs are absurdly expensive in relation to the low quality of Block girls.
  • schmoe31415
    a year ago
    I had intended to give daytime a try, given the reviews here, but didn't get the chance. I didn't find my dance away from the bar a waste. It was a pretty good dance, though not the full experience you can get in VIP. The prices (for dance and VIP) were definitely high for the quality of club and dancers.
  • Hank Moody
    a year ago
    Thanks for the report. I go to a Baltimore club once or twice a week and haven’t been to a club on the Block incl Hustler in more than 10 years. Hustler was the only large scale club on the Block and once they lost the Hustler banner, I figured it was a symptom of their impending demise. It’s a huge space. They are going to have trouble finding a business that can pay that rent. It’s either another big strip club, which has already been proven to fail, or it’s a non-strip club business that doesn’t lose sales by being situated next to a bunch of strip clubs. Good luck. I’ve met a couple of dancers in the last year who left Hustler and they were really hot.
  • steve3000
    a year ago
    I was never a fan of the Block clubs, but would visit the Hustler Club. They had a decent decade, followed by terrible one, and then closure. Hank is the expert on Bmore clubs! Where are the hot ex-Hustler girls dancing at, Hank? Penthouse?
  • Hank Moody
    a year ago
    Thanks for the compliment Steve. I’ll shoot you a pm.
  • shailynn
    a year ago
    Even in its prime the block was sketchy at best (one time someone attempted to roofie me in a restroom - I look up and my drink is fizzing). At least in the past it was entertaining but I guess all that’s gone now. Entertaining - you know, a night out where the prospect of you or someone in your party getting robbed, assaulted or murdered is always thrilling when it’s high.
  • Studme53
    a year ago
    My and my drunk baseball buddies walked from our hotel at the Inner Harbor to the Block and went to the Hustler club about 12 years ago. The Hustler club was great. Top notch looking dancers and a lot of mileage. Not a bad value. The rest of the joints were pretty sleazy. We walked back to the hotel at the end of the night without incident even though the cops on the blocked warned us against it. We were all broke by the end of the night anyway.
  • funonthaside
    a year ago
    ^ Well, Officers, if it's so dangerous, why aren't your fellow Boys in Blue patrolling it?
  • Studme53
    a year ago
    Oh there were a lot of cops on the Block but not in the no-man’s-land between it and our hotel
  • funonthaside
    a year ago
    ....between no patrol and no lights in that no-man's land, it's no wonder Baltimore has become a wasteland. The last 2 times I was on The Block at night, I questioned my judgment....and I've been to many sketchy cities and neighborhoods around the world. It's really a shame....if properly managed, The Block could be a gem for the city, rather than the blighted mess that it is. It's wasn't always like this. Sure, if wasn't Disneyesque, either, but it was most certainly frequented by average citizens, instead of the dregs of society that are generally there now. The last time I was there, DoorGuys were attempting to get $20 cover charges....assuming I didn't know any better.
  • Studme53
    a year ago
    A couple of my buddies were big scary dudes so that helped
  • StripClubXpert
    a year ago
    @shailynn The Block clubs have been sketchy since I was going there over the last 10 years or so but they had some surprisingly friendly hot girls there. Girls that looked looked like hot college girls. Many were open to meeting you outside. I don’t just mean OTC, they would go out to eat and just chill the whole day with you. And this would happen after just meeting me once in the club. You could probably do the same thing now except now instead of 8s & 9s the dancers are now 2-3s so why would you want to. The exception is the Indulge in the daytime. Now I’m getting the urge to check it out soon.
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