Reviews

Parking/Valet: Parking is on the street. Nothing on Morewood in the same block but parking on both Baum Blvd and Center Ave are usually ample for a walk of less than a block. The Club: The club Medusa’s Lair has now reopened a few weeks ago as an after-hours club. Seems that they are now open from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM six nights a week, Tuesday through Sunday mornings according to the advertisement. After they have been open for a few weeks decided to stop in on a Friday morning and see what the place had to offer. Arrived at 12:35 AM and first noticed that inside the main door they have a curtain across the entire club that blocks the view of the bar and stage from the doorway. No one at the front door to take my money so I walked behind the curtain. The rest of the place has not changed that much other than the curtain. Restrooms are still to the left from the entry way. Bar is on the left wall, two private/dance curtain areas are on the right, stage would be straight ahead from the entry way with two poles, one with a small platform and of course the King and Queen chairs on the back of the stage. Up the spiral staircase is the DJ booth at the top of the stairs with two medium and several smaller private dance areas around the upper level but only have thin curtains in front of them. Above the stage along the back of the upper level is where the one dancers dressing room is. Have noticed a lot of guys going up there and throwing $1’s from there down on the stage to dancers they like. But the money usually ends up all over the club. There were only three other guys in the club that I could see. Not even a bartender. The three seemed to be talking and shortly one came up to me and informed me that there were not dancers but someone was going to go get one dancer. Said the “entertainment” fee was $40.00 but then you got to drink all night for free. I think this would attract the college crowd from nearby? Said if no dancers showed up in half an hour I could get my money back. So paid the fee and got myself a drink. Music was playing all the while I was there but none of the TV’s were on. The manager/owner (fourth guy) was doing some clean up that was badly needed from the prior nights festivities. First sweeping up what he saw and then emptying the trash cans from behind the bar. I would think leaving the trashcans in the club overnight would attract several of the unwanted creepy crawlers that most people do not want in there house but that is just me! Chatted a bit with the two guys and the manager/owner came over and said hello at one point but after 45 it seemed that one lady came in the door but the bouncer told me that was the bartender that went upstairs to get changed. Decided that I had seen enough for this night and got my $40 back and walked out the door. Maybe this is a hopping place on the weekend’s but on this night it was as dead as a door-nail. But then again that could have been because the Steelers lost to the losing Browns up in Cleveland and no one wanted to celebrate? I’m just sayin’.

Parking/Valet: Parking is on the street. Nothing on Morewood in the same block but parking on both Baum Blvd and Center Ave are usually ample for a walk of less than a block. The Club: The club re-opened as Medusa;s Lair in May 2023 (formerly known as Cricket). There was warning issued by Allegheny County Health Department back in January or February of this year and they seemed to have cleared up those issues and were open again by March. Come the end of May 2024 the Allegheny County Health Department reported several violations and the club was closed down according to published reports in the local news. Have waited a month and last Friday I drove by later in the evening and the bar is still closed. So no telling if this is a permanent close or they are just trying to correct the current reported violations.

It's been several months so I figured an update to my last review was in order as no one else has posted anything. The layout is the same and they still don't open until 9, but there is now a cover charge of $10 unless it is a "special event", then it's $20. The owner gave out discount cards (a whopping $5 off cover) when the place first opened but the door thug wouldn't take it on a "normal" night specifically saying, those are only for special events when the cover is $20. If you guessed the same guy wouldn't honor the card when the cover was $20 on this visit, you'd be right. No one could tell us what the "special event" was either. Not off to a great start at the door, although we did walk in without any pat-down. Later there were full pat-downs and a metal detector wand being used, and they had what appeared to be a constable doing it. That said, they did allow two different people in wearing full face masks (balaclavas, not covid masks), which seemed odd when it was 60* that afternoon and wasn't that cold outside. When we arrived around 930, it was EMPTY. No other customers, no one dancing, and a few dancers sitting/wandering around. Like before, the bartenders were the most attractive girls there. As the evening progressed, they did fill up with dancers (probably 20 or so wandering around) and a few mentioned they thought a couple of birthday parties were expected that evening. 95% of the girls were AA, and 80%+ of them were on the bigger/heavier side. There were only 2-3 white girls, and no Asian or Latin girls that I saw. A couple of the AA girls sat and talked, none hustled for a dance. I even asked about the upstairs layout and was told there are some standard lap-dance style booths (i.e. bench seat and a curtain) and a couch area up there for dances. Upstairs is for 15 minutes or longer dances, by the song is still done in the room behind the stage. I wasn't pitched on pricing (previously $90/3 or $300/half hour) or propositioned to go. I'm not complaining because I had no interest in the majority of the dancers I saw, so the lack of any pressure was nice. The place seems to get going later. We bailed a bit after midnight and the place was maybe half full, mainly a large group in the small table area next to the bar. No one sat at the stage because girls only went up there occasionally. There is no DJ, music is loud and run off someone's phone but that means no annoying DJ patter all the time. It also means no one is running the show, so there wasn't one. Dancers wandered, talked together, and sat at the bar, not many engaging customers and only dancing when they felt like it (which wasn't much). I ordered the same drink every time and was charged at least two different prices for it; that, or they didn't count the change right, but prices are about the same as before; $12 for a basic call brand liquor with soda. Bartenders varied from three behind the small bar to none, so service was spotty. My buddy bought a drink for a dancer that told him she was 20; they served her no problem. It's possible she was telling him a line on her age, but I doubt it. Another one that he wasn't interested in asked him for a "rejection fee" but that's the only girl I saw make any money (besides bartender tips). I didn't see anyone going for private dances and very few girls got on stage. The club does allow smoking; we had cigars without issue and other patrons had cigarettes. Ventilation seemed decent, no clouds of smoke hung around, but I did smell plenty of marijuana. While being able to enjoy a cigar in a strip club is nice, the dancer roster, while voluminous, lacked quality and variety. The place is still new enough to not be totally seedy, but it's getting that feel. It also seems like it wants to just be a club, not necessarily a strip club. While I haven't crossed the place entirely off my list, I won't be rushing back any time soon.

The Cricket Lounge is gone, it is now Medusa's Lair although the old Cricket sign is still up. There has been some internet chatter about this place for a few months and as a fan of the old Cricket, when their social media indicated it was open, I had to check it out. They do not open until 9pm, which is a bit late for a weeknight. They were open when we rolled up shortly after 9 and we walked right in. No cover, no patdown or metal detectors, although one social media post said to expect a "police style patdown" at the door. As we were the only customers and no dancers were on the floor or stage, they are clearly trying to get the word out that the place is open so that may change. Another pair of customers showed up right before we left, but that was it for the couple hours we were there. As you walk in, the bathrooms are on your left, remodeled and clean, without an annoying attendant but in the same spot as when it was the Cricket, with a much smaller bar than the Cricket had, on the left wall in the same rough spot as when it was the Cricket. There is floor seating at small tables in front of you and what appears to be a small VIP couch area on the right wall. Past all that is the stage, still open up to two stories, but no longer with 360 degree seating. There are some thrones on the back wall of the stage and two poles with mini-platforms on them. There are a lot more TVs than before. The big staircase to upstairs is gone, access appears to only be via the small spiral staircase next to the VIP area. It appears the upstairs was expanded and the layout changed, but I did not get up there. Some curtained booths were visible from downstairs so I assume lapdances still occur up there. Drink selection was much better than before, plenty of good brand-name liquor on the back shelf of the bar but a basic call brand liquor with soda was $12, and $5 for a bottle of beer. The bartender was the most attractive girl working, which was pretty common back in the Cricket days so some things may never change. There were 5 or 6 dancers working, one white girl and the rest AA. The white girl and an AA girl who said it was her first night ever dancing came and sat at the bar with us and chatted a bit. I spoke with the new girl, she had no hustle and was well-spoken. They eventually went to the stage together, so we moved up and tipped at the stage. A couple song set and they were done. The white girl ended up topless and would pull her g-string aside for a peek, but I don't know that the new girl took anything off. There was no contact from them, although the new girl did grab my hand and put it on her ass so I could put a tip in her g-string. We went back to the bar and I noticed a few more AA dancers had shown up and were rotating on and off the stage. Dancers that weren't dancing on stage or hiding in the back sat at the bar buried in their phones, so no hustle, no pressure for dances. Lap dances were literally never mentioned by anyone during our entire visit and per my rating of the dancers that evening, none really struck my fancy so I didn't ask. The owner was there and seemed personable. He gave us a bunch of coupons for $5 off the cover (sounds like that will only be on weekends until they get established) and to his credit, was working and cleaning. He also said cigar smoking is allowed but I did not see any for sale. Overall, it was a chill night, reminiscent of the old Cricket - sit at the bar, have a few drinks, see some girls, and relax. The owner knows what the Cricket was, as well as the long-gone sister club Anthony's, and doesn't appear to be trying to drastically change the formula. There may be a new name, fresh paint, and new decor, but it still had the small club vibe. I will go back, test the cigar smoking permission, and see if the dancer roster improves. It's still new, and it's still (sort-of) the Cricket, so my expectations were appropriate and fully met, arguably exceeded in a few ways.

Parking/Valet: Parking is on the street. Nothing on Morewood but parking on both Baum Blvd and Center Ave are usually ample for a walk of less than a block. The Club: The club has been re-opened since May 2023 and was only open a few days a week but they have now expanded to be open Tuesday through Sunday. Inside the main door is a small admissions counter with register. That has not been used that I have seen as of this writing. Underneath is a glass display case for supposedly an albino python. Yet to see that there either. Through a thin curtain is the main club area. On the immediate right are a couple of bar games that are sometimes used and where the security officer is on he weekends. Going back along the right was are two private dance areas that are not that private as they only have thin curtains to pull across about a 10ft span. After the dance areas is an a spiral staircase that leads up to the DJ booth area and the former upstairs area that is for employees only. Then a few little cub be areas with small tables. The back wall is against the back of the former stage which is the only thing that does not seem to have been changed from the old Cricket days. Stage still has two poles but the one on the right has a little platform about 18” off the floor that spins around with the pole and is used by the dancers. To the left after you enter is a statue with a fountain. Just beyond that along the front wall is the ladies restroom. Facing toward the entryway is the men’s restroom but it is a hidden door that you just push on to open. (You will know it when you visit, but don’t try it the first time when you are drunk) Along the left wall after the men’s restroom is the bar that is lighted. In fact, there are a lot of backlit panels around the club, on the bar, behind the bar, on the low ceiling at the entry way, etc. After the bar area is a collection area of miscellaneous stuff then along the back wall on this side is a step up to a private party room with about half a dozen chairs and a small couch with a drink rail along the one wall. Down the center of the club from the entrance are a couple of couches that will fold down and have some small lighted plastic hour-glass shape tables for setting your drinks on. There is also a hanging half egg chair closer to the stage. Along with a few odd tables and chairs before you get to the stage. There is a mixture of Greek, Roman, English and Egyptian items are scattered around the room. As well as a few skulls for good measure. Dancers: They open at 9:00 PM and go until 2:00 AM and as per most clubs now a days there are only a few on opening but by about 11:00 PM there are quite a few. Dancers are of all variety’s. Tall, short, skinny not so skinny, red haired, green, blue, black and even some blond haired women. Almost all women today have a few tattoos but some ladies here are almost a full canvas of them. Dances: Dances are done in those curtained off spaces I mentioned earlier, not much privacy. I got a couple of dances at $25 per dance. I inquired about longer and the one manager said it was $185 for 15 minutes. That is the highest price I have ever heard for the area. Not even the number one club in the area, that is about 8 or 10 times at big as this one, does not charge that much. Figured they want to get some incoming cash to help pay for the renovations. Value: The no cover charge is good. You will pay for about $8 for well drinks and $11 for premium liquor. I think the beers were $6. The prices for the single private dances are about in line with the rest in the area. Room prices are just excessively high for me to spend $$ here, and the fact that there is little privacy makes it a definitely no for me to partake in. Overall: Patrons seemed friendly and not that rowdy like a brawl was going to erupt any minute so felt good and relaxed in the club. It seems to come in waves of hardly no customer and then the place is pretty packed but I think that may be due to the club only being reopened for a couple of months now. It is a good sign that they are open more days of the week. They even have special bartenders on a couple night during the month if I read the advertisement correct. For the value I think this place is worth a try for those that want to try a smaller club that has a good upbeat vibe to it. Especially on these hot summer nights.

Came here on a Saturday night at like 930z Post CoVid. It’s in a commercial area, restaurants, banks, pep boys, safe area. I think there is parking behind but you can’t access from the front so I just parked at the getgo parking next door. Cover was free before 10. Bouncer dude in front, he explained the mask rules, you can take it off at the bar. Set up. Square bar to your left. Bathroom to immediate left. No lock so shit at your own risk. Lap dances are upstairs with a curtain booth. $25 and $45 for two. Private room is also up there on the rig he for $125 for 15 min. In talking with some dancers perhaps some fun could be had but I couldn’t verify. Also my bud light was $4 which unheard of nowadays. Girls. I counted 4 girls working. Not a lot on a Saturday night but none were bad looking at all. I wouldn’t say out of this world but solid especially for Pittsburgh. Maybe 7’s across the board or an 8 in there. 3 white and 1 black. I got dances with some veteran blonde spinner girl named Barbie. I would say I got decent mileage. Two way touch during the CoVid storm I’m not complaining. I didn’t have the budget to blow everything on this night but of all the Pittsburgh clubs I’ve been to this was the most comfortable. I like the vibe of this place. I’ll be honest I expected a shithole but what I got was a relaxed place. It wasn’t bad just probably needed more girls for a Saturday but then again I was one of three customers. Might be CoVid stuff though. I would probably come back here.

So it was later on Friday evening and was heading home and decided to stop in to see that was happening at this club. Doorman greets me. Asked for ID and cover charge as normal. Then asks if I have a fever, have I been out of the country in the last two months and a couple other questions. Satisified with the answers, I was let in. As with most places now, there were fewer chairs at the bar but most of them were taken. When I ordered a drink the bartender seemed glad to see me, or was it just that I was another paying customer? There were only about eight guys in the place and two of them looked like they were with their girlfriends. Seems that was true because shortly after that they all got up together and left. Took my drink, cannot get use to the plastic glasses for good mixed drink, found a seat at the stage with the two other guys and proceeded to tip the dancers. There were about 8 – 10 dancers from what I could tell sitting at the bar and around the club. Some dancers, it appeared, that this was the start of their careers on stage. A couple of faces I did recognized and they obviously were better performers. After a round of dancers it was time for a refill. This time I found an empty seat at the bar and sat down. One of the newer ladies came over and started up a conversation, did not get her name, but it was like getting bubble gum out of your child’s hair. Lucky for me she has to go on stage. Another lady stopped over, Madison, since there definitely more dancers then customers. Started some same old what bring you out tonight, want to have some fun, yada, yada, yada. As I tried to hold up a conversation about the club and the way things are in the club now she soon got bored and moved on to the guy sitting at the next seat. Seems that this night was going to be a short one here since any of the dancers I would have spent some private time with after tipping them on stage were too busy chatting amongst themselves. That is one thing that does not happen here is that when you tip a lady on stage they now expect it and never come around when they are off to thank you for tipping them. Call me old fashion but that goes along way with me when I am out in the club and tipping at the stage. Will have to check back in a couple weeks to see if the talent has improved or at least learned some stage presents.

I arrived just before midnight. Upon entering the door guy said a mask was required while not drinking and asked a couple of basic health screening questions. Cover was $5, beers were $4. Other than many fewer chairs around the bar, stage, and tables, not much has seemed to change with the reopening. There were only 3 dancers. Ruby (white girl, a solid Pittsburgh 7, average height/build, hair colored reddish, crooked teeth, some baby damage, but still cute) and 2 mixed girls. The first of the others was thin and athletic. the second was very curvy and big framed, but not fat, she carried it well. This is first time I’ve seen these two so I didn’t catch their names. Ruby has been here ,and at Erotica as Scarlett, for quite a while. I only stayed for 2 beers, and tipped at the stage a few times, overall about 20 minutes. I would have been down for some dances with Ruby, but she was in-demand after her set by people throwing around a lot more stage money than me. Overall I’d say there were maybe 10 customers there with most at the stage and very few just hanging at the bar. That’s a reversal from how it typically is here. Getting a dance didn’t seem like a guarantee so I decided to leave so I could get to Cheerleaders before it was too late. The dancer/customer ratio has always been all over the place here. Some times it’s like tonight, others I’ll walk in as the second customer with 6-8 girls circling the water trying to catch a dance. Also, the TVs were off, probably because of the state’s rules against having “entertainment”. However that directive hasn’t put as stop to stage and lap dances. I’m curious if the LCB might crack down on this.

Having not visited in a while, I decided to see how the Cricket was faring with the massive construction project out front. I suppose business was good since the place was very busy with customers, but only a handful of dancers appeared to be working and being generous the best in the house was a 5. Mostly AA dancers this visit. They appear to have dumped the DJ as the bartender would use a wireless mic to introduce the next dancer to the stage and music ran on a continuous playlist. Considering the DJ was the one who watched the lapdance booth/room cameras, maybe that's a bonus for patrons, but there weren't any dancers worth getting a dance from to find out. I haven't written reviews for the past couple visits as there was nothing much to write about but at this point, it's probably time to call the trend what it is, a decline. There has been no activity on the club Snapchat account in months. Cover was $10 and my mixed drink was $9 ($1 more than at Rick's downtown!). Overall, a very disappointing visit and waste of time/money. Ended up at Rick's and will probably just start there next time.

As one old Pittsburgh radio man once said there are three seasons in Pittsburgh. Fall, Winter and Orange Barrel. That has been evident around the area this year and they are ramping it up as the summer goes on. Thought I would drop in on a Thursday night since I had the day off on Friday. Well getting a parking spot was even more precarious than usual. On Morewood they have closed the entire east side of the street to parking for some construction on a building. Then there is Baum Blvd that has little on it and a block of Center Ave is also closed to street parking. Finally found a place not too far away and with the difficulty parking I did not expect to see a lot of ladies inside. Got the entrance and there was a motorcycle parked out front. Note to self, maybe bring the bike next time? Paid the $10 admission and went inside to the bar. Boy was I surprised. There were at least a dozen ladies there and those were just the ones I could see when I sat at the bar. Order a drink and started to check out the scenery. Tall blond was on stage with only a couple of guys tipping, but they were tipping her well. Couple if the ladies were sitting with some customers and one dancer was sitting with a couple at the bar. Seeing more and more couples coming to the clubs now a days. About half way through my drink a dancer walked up to me and said Hi Tom! Well my name is not Tom and I have never played one on TV or in real life. After getting that straight, the conversation went downhill from there. I was polite and answered her question but when I said I was not ready for some private dances, she was off with the strobe light pulse. Second drink and few dancers later, noticed one of the dancers that really uses the pole and the trapeze when she is on stage. So went up to tip her for her fine performance. A few more guys had showed up and there was about a dozen around the stage now. After she was done I stayed for another couple of dancers and then went to get another drink and sat at the bar. A smaller skinner lady come up and sat beside me and started to chat me up. Very pleasant on the eyes and was easy to talk to. After another drink I gave in and did a few dances with her. Nice contact but not the best I have had there. After the dances went back to the bar and finished my drink and the place was starting to thin out about 12:30 so left for home and some sleep. Will have to go back again on a Thursday night and see if it is as lively again.

I decided to visit this club toward the end of the night. It was probably around 1 am when I arrived at the club. Cover was $10. There is a bar area in the front and one big stage area in the back. The stage area is one big room. There is a mezzanine level on the second floor where lap dance booths are located. Since it was an hour before closing there weren’t too many dancers when I was there. The first dancer was a tall blonde white girl who was around a 5 or 6. Although she had a nice body she did not have the best face. She danced pretty well and since there were not many other people around the stage she danced in front of me and chatted with me a bit while she was dancing. After her dance was over she offered me a lap dance but I declined. The second dancer was a hot AA who was a strong 7. She had a great body and really got into dancing. She made sure to give me a good view of her whole body. I was hoping she would ask me if I wanted a lap dance but she ended up giving a lap dance to someone else. The third dancer was a short brunette white girl who was around an 8. She was definitely the best dancer of the three and really seemed to enjoy dancing. After she was dancing for a while the AA girl returned and the two of them grinded each other for a while. I was also hoping the short brunette would ask me for a dance but she ended up returning straight to the dressing room after her set. There were a few other dancers making the rounds in the club. One tall blonde girl asked me for a dance but because I did not find her that attractive I declined. After one drink I left. This place has a lot of potential but I would recommend getting there earlier. Even on a Saturday night, things were already winding down by 1am.

Be warned this is a city club that is rough around the edges but as with all clubs there can be diamonds in the rough. Amazing time with AA goddess. Cheap drinks $5 and NUDE full contact dances. About 10-12 dancers working with about the same number of customers and a great bartender that even broke up a stripper fight. A great group of working folks taking good care of you. First good luck on parking ... No parking lot so I parked around the corner at the bagel store lot since it was closed. Rolled up to the nice bouncer outside at night around 10:00 and stayed still closing. I had struck out earlier at Beemers Gentlemen's Club so was hoping this was going to be a better experience and I was not disappointed, but things did start off slow. Showed by free coupon found online instead of paying the $10 cover. Close to college and university with many dancers students working for extra spending money. Strange layout with a bar and a few tables that over look the very large two story stage that goes maybe 40 foot high. Around the second level that overlooks the stage are the DJ and dancing booths and VIP sections. Stage was huge and let one athletic AA dancer put on an amazing performance by jumping and swinging on the all the bars and apparatus. Dancers (5-10) were all shapes and sizes with more than half AA dancers. One amazing AA goddess (April) caught my eye, she fair skinned tall tight body with long sexy legs and natural great looking breasts. Negotiate your prices ahead and YMMV but my NUDE VIP dances $100 but with normal length songs and breaks lasted 30 minutes total. Dances were most sexy and highly sensual with full contact but no extras although not needed as I left well relieved many times as I went back for 2 more sets and closed the joint with my AA goddess. To summary this is a rough club with gems in the rough, I might have just lucked out. Cheap prices make Cricket Lounge well worth a try for some single action but not the bachelor party place. VIP is the way to go as the dances booths are real small, but with full NUDE VIP experience from AA goddess April you cant go wrong. Officially Cricket Lounge prices are 2/$45 and $115 15 minute VIP, but just negotiate up front.