first review in TWO years

One distinction of this club is that it opens at 11:00 am, while all others in the area open at 6:00 pm. However, there probably won't be dancers at that early hour (see below). You enter on the ground floor, where there is a door man. I was NOT asked for vaccination card or ID (but the previous day when I stopped in, I WAS asked; and I didn't have my card so couldn't enter. So it's probably best to carry your card.).

Description: The building entrance is on a side street (37th) just east of 6th Av. It's between other buildings. This is a medium-to smallish space, made to look larger by mirrors. The foyer has an ATM. Straight ahead are several nice black leather chairs and sofas, around small round tables. Toward the back is the medium-sized, well-stocked bar. The man who is the cook was substituting for the woman bartender, who came in later. Three TV's are on the wall, set to ESPN. Another video display indicates the club has affiliations with Rick's and Hoops (on 33rd). Two stages with poles are available.

The walls are painted black; lighting is medium intensity and there are some colored lights but not flashing ones. Music volume was low enough to talk and consisted of rock and later, rap.

There is a lit staircase (and elevator) going up to the 2nd level. I was told that from 11 to 8 pm only the downstairs is open, and the upstairs gets opened up later. The bartender told me they've been getting 5 dancers before 8 pm, and 12-18 dancers at night. (They've been fully open since June 2021. But the current dancer lineup was said to be a reduction from 25 at night, pre-COVID). Upstairs has 2 more stages with poles, plus another bar and a food kitchen. Menu can be scanned with QR code or on paper; choices are $16 for various sandwich plates and they also have pizza, salmon, ribs, and steak. Both the downstairs and upstairs have fancy nice bathrooms.

I came at 2:15 pm. I was told that, even for a Monday, this was atypically slow: no dancers. It was $7 for a beer, cash. If you use a card, there is a minimum 2-drink purchase. I stayed a while; talked to people and watched TV; there were 2 or 3 other customers but still no dancers. I went back to my hotel close by for a Zoom meeting, and returned. Only at 5:10 did one curvy, medium height Latina show up (CiCi) and then a second one walked in. CiCi went upstairs to do a private dance for a customer right away, then came back down and talked to me and danced on the pole onstage a bit, took top off, where I tipped her. She said she's been working here only a month.