Not Too Wild Or Wonderful In West Virginia

I recently spent a weekend in Berkeley Springs WV and wanted to check out one of the Eastern Panhandle clubs. I didn’t really want to risk driving back from Martinsburg on twisty Route 9, so off to Bunker Hill I went. Thankfully I found a more direct route than what Google maps came up with. On a previous swing through that neck of the woods I’d heard from a dancer at Vixens that Elysium had been closed for repairs due to a flood. That too was the gist of the most current review of Elysium on this site. I wasn’t certain what to expect as I rolled into town. As I drove by Elysium at about 9:15 on this particular Saturday night I saw their OPEN sign was turned on so I pulled into the parking lot. I was the only car out front. That should have been my first clue. Before I reached the entrance the bouncer/manager came out to recommend that I try back at around 10:30 as the dancers were just starting to trickle in. This is although they allegedly open at 9. Anyway I went down the road to Vixens and hung out there until around 11. I returned to Elysium and found one other car out front. I paid the $20 cover and walked into nothing. I was the only patron. Besides the manager there was a person whom I took to be the DJ and a lady with him. Everyone else apparently was in the changing area.

I took a seat at one of the booths lining the wall and drank some of my water which I had brought in. Elysium is BYOB. They sell sodas and water. Eventually the manager went back to the changing area to prod someone to go on stage. The rectangular stage is in the center of the room. It is surrounded by a tip rail with seating. During the roughly 70 minutes I was there 4 dancers took the stage. A couple of times there were gaps between when one set finished and the next began. 2 of the dancers were AA and the other 2 were Latina or possibly of Italian descent. While I was there one other patron came in. He too had been at Vixens earlier. We both threw some singles at the ladies. None of the 4 dancers was a stunner in my book. And there was precious little interaction by any of the 4 after their sets. Each of them thanked us and made a beeline back to the changing area.

Private dances are available. You pay in advance. The rate schedule is posted. I’m sorry I can’t remember the details. Possibly it was $60 for 15 minutes and $100 for 30 minutes with other lengths of time available.