Fuego has a bit of an...

Fuego has a bit of an identity crisis. As recently as last Fall the place was still firmly a latino club with a hearty supply of black dancers, but in 2009 the club has really started to take on the feel of a black club. On the last visit on a Saturday night, the demo was split about 50/50 black to latina, and if it was more of one side it would have been more black than latino (in the dancers and the customers). It makes for an interesting scene with the little pockets of alternating ethnicities and dancers pinballing between them. But, somehow it seems to work and you don't really pick up a culture clash in between the patrons. This club stays pretty packed on the weekends late into the night, in contrast to a lot of clubs in the area that are struggling. This probably has something to do with the club's proximity to DC and the well known fact that DC area clubs are uniformly terrible if you have any interest in getting up and close and personal with the dancers. Yeah, there are always exceptions, but who the heck wants to pay DC prices to try and scout out the dancers who deliver?

Back to Fuego, they've had some minor cosmetic changes. There is railing around the VIP seating area now and the one in the far corner is quite a bit off the ground. The obvious benefit is that people who pay the charge to sit in the VIP areas now have an advantage over the guys in the cheap seats and the others who stand around like zombies and block the view on all sides of the center stage. The dancers have been better at getting back to customers for dances. Latino clubs have a bit of a different vibe for interacting with the dancers, so if you seen one that you like who is getting attention you need to be a little more proactive than in other types of clubs. Sniping is pretty much the order of the day, and the better latina dancers don't make it very far before guys are in their face or grabbing them trying to force a detour. The rising popularity of this club with the Mexican worker population has had an effect on other clubs. Showcase Theater over in Beltsville was practically overrun for a while with spanish-speaking clientele, much to the dismay of dancers there who typically were not fluent in Spanish and not appreciative of the culture. Last time I was there I saw barely any latino customers at all. With the high number of Spanish speaking dancers at Fuego it's clearly a more comfortable situation.

I personally don't like this club. When it's crowded it's too crowded, and this is the type of club that is better for guys in groups because of long waits for dancers and there being not a lot of interaction with staff or random people. The club is to loud for just a casual conversation, so there's a lot more investment required for a just simple "did you see what that dancer just did?" to a stranger. It must appeal to some people, though, because it does stay crowded. It's more of a statement club than a place to hang out. You get a lot of guys here who like to make it rain with dollar bills and pose and preen. If that's your scene, this is the place for you. Just on basics it does still have some good points. Dances in the cheap seats are still $10/song and the songs are not cut short. The club still has its fair share of good looking dancers but not as many as before. You get a nice, full contact lap dance and depending on the time of night and the girl you can have some interaction before or after a dance. There's less now of girls just hanging around to socialize than before but it does happen. While I'm not crazy about the club, it's cheap and the women are just hot enough that it stays on my list for the occasional after hours visit.