Where Have All The Good Clubs Gone?

Life has been like the T.I. song “Ball” for me. One party after another, followed by hectic days in the emergency department. And the icing on the cake – tattoo #2 is done and it’s visible. Yes, I have a visible tattoo for the world to see. 

A few weeks ago my lesbian friends and I were talking about our early club hopping days and someone said that Shampoo Nightclub was closed. Before I was old enough to get into any club, Shaft Fridays was officially LGBT night at Shampoo and I always got in..uncarded…and for free. In fact I was such a regular that they put me on the exclusive VIP admissions list. I always had a good time when I was there and met the most interesting gay boys. In fact that’s how my best gay male friend met his partner. Their foam parties and Jacuzzi were always suspect (I just stayed away) but none the less, Shampoo was a staple of the 90’s LGBT party days. 

Early last Fall a staple in the Philly lesbian community closed its doors after 17 years. Sisters Nightclub was the best and only lesbian bar in the city that catered exclusively to the surrounding areas lesbians. Thursday nights were their most popular nights because it was $10 to get in and you got 8 drink tickets, free food buffet, and karaoke. It was the best deal in Center City and they also discounted your parking at the lot nearby. It’s usually $20-$30 to park in Center City, you only paid $10! You can’t find that now if you tried. They also had annual Equality Forum and Pride women’s events, not to mention the holiday celebrations and Sunday brunch. The bartenders were friendly, Fran is still my favorite bouncer ever and she always made a girl feel extra special. Some hated Sisters but if you’re not going out looking for drama you had a great time. 

With our lesbian staple being closed, lesbians only have the gay boys clubs (which are an abundant) to party at which truthfully is a drag (no pun intended). The drinks are watered down and overpriced, the bartenders are rude and act like they don’t want to be bothered by you, even though you’re a paying and good tipping customer. It’s like if you have vagina you’re a second class citizen. Although the gay boys and drag queens are a blast to dance with, sometimes a girl just wants to dance the night away with her fellow lesbians. 

So what’s left? The Stimulus Philly group host monthly parties throughout the year which have become the new lesbian party outlet. They always have an awesome drink special and admissions price. They use two venues – Voyeur and Tabu. The latter is my favorite because it’s a more intimate venue, and Voyeur is a huge industrial club. The drinks are watered down and service is way too slow there, whereas Tabu is always on point. Not to mention that the bartenders always remember my friends and I. Winning! 

Another group that has become a hot party outlet for us is Ladies 2000. They’re a party promo group similar to Stimulus but has been around much longer. They host monthly parties in Cherry Hill, NJ and other places like New Hope, Rehoboth. The crowd is more 30+ , they have $1 drink specials for the first hour, and free food buffet. I’m attending their event this month and look forward to having an awesome time. 

If you want to do more than just party there are Meet Up groups where you can meet and socialize with other lesbians in your area. I’m in a few groups and they keep my calendar packed. 

By the way, PA recently passed the marriage equality bill so yay for my home state. We’ll talk about my views on marriage next post…