LD19847

Anyone met with ChrisGerman?  Based in Hamburg and visiting London soon:
https://rentmen.eu/ChrisGerman
The profile is relatively recent.

If you like them built and a little more mature, I'd definitely recommend:
SteeveFrench on RentMasseur
RENTMASSEUR.COM View my profile on RentMasseur.com He is super hot, playful and gives a pretty decent massage. Can't say anything about his space since I only saw him in NYC when he was visiting. Bonne Chance!

I love spanking a muscle ass barehanded.  Draven Navarro does indeed enjoy a good spanking but you have to vary the tempo with him.  Hard slaps with a loud sound by using a cupped hand and then when he feels comfortable, open the hand and slap so that the slap is just as hard but not as loud and because there is more area struck, it is a bit more painful.  That is when you will get the best reaction, a yelp, a moan, even a sob.  A kiss to the reddened area and a gentle massage will cool down the area and once he is comfortable again another extra hard slap.  
For me though, it is the sound of the slap that I find the most erotic, that and the sound of the moan.  It is not so much a power dynamic.  Also, I never do an over the lap spanking, standing bent over or lying face down are preferable for me.  Allows more variation in the intensity the stroke. Spanking is never the main event, so five minutes would be a long session but there may be more than one session in an encounter.  Also slapping an ass while giving oral usually leads to a jump and a particularly hard thrust which can be fun. 
Do not give up after one encounter, and spank when the fancy strikes you to strike him.  
A belt is also fun but I tend to leave that for one or two strikes as I am concerned I might really strike more than my partner enjoys.  
The redness after is a nice afterglow image.  

Big C / Colton - Sadly no longer with us, the best muscle worship experience I've ever had
Solidaceguy - Believe he was last working from Los Angeles, retired a few years ago
Joey Van Damme - Stopped advertising many years ago, but seems to be enjoying life & I believe meets with regulars
Alain DeBerry - He did make a brief return from retirement but I would have loved to have met him.

Big C / Colton - Sadly no longer with us, the best muscle worship experience I've ever had
Solidaceguy - Believe he was last working from Los Angeles, retired a few years ago
Joey Van Damme - Stopped advertising many years ago, but seems to be enjoying life & I believe meets with regulars
Alain DeBerry - He did make a brief return from retirement but I would have loved to have met him.

Big C / Colton - Sadly no longer with us, the best muscle worship experience I've ever had
Solidaceguy - Believe he was last working from Los Angeles, retired a few years ago
Joey Van Damme - Stopped advertising many years ago, but seems to be enjoying life & I believe meets with regulars
Alain DeBerry - He did make a brief return from retirement but I would have loved to have met him.

Met him many years ago in Boston.  An absolute pro.  I wasn't at my best due to being very tired after travelling and he handled the situation well.

Anyone met with Ultrasonic?
Based on Sydney, currently visiting Barcelona and London later in August:
Ultrasonic - Pornstar Performer, Rentboy, Gay Massage in Sydney, Australia | RentMen
RENTMEN.EU Pornstar Performer & Rentboy in Sydney, Australia - Ultrasonic: Gym jock  

Some pictures of Stock & Soda and Stock Easy

Just back from a  four night trip to Montreal.  Weather was mostly good with the exception of some storms on Sunday and showers today Monday.   I noticed no smoke smell during my time there.  Things were active in The Village with lots of foot traffic.
I visited both Stock and Campus.  I was at Stock Thursday and Friday nights.  Stock is looking great with all the renovations.  Stock & Soda seems to be successful...at least now during the summer.  Plenty of folks sitting on the patio part on the street.  The inside VIP room (Stock Speakeasy?) was inaugurated on Friday.   Somehow, I managed not to check it out.  Oops!  I saw the new owner, Danny, who I remember from his bartender days.  He seemed really upbeat about everything.  DJ Anthony also made an appearance on Thursday for his hosting duties of the Studio Show.    Stock currently has more employees than I have ever seen previously.   The current level of business seems to support the increased number of staff.  Although, Thursday was relatively slow.  Things didn't really get going till after 11:00pm.  Note the weekly summer fireworks have been moved from Saturdays to Thursdays.  As a result, dancers and customers don't really start showing up to Stock till after 10:00.  They had 10-12 dancers there on Thursday and some didn't turn up till after 10:00pm.  So it was fairly slim pickings before 10:00pm.  Alex the bartender was on duty at the main bar by the shower stage.  He is always good fun.  I ended up hanging out with Jasper & Eric most of the evening.  It was good fun.  The crowd was mostly gay men.  Although there were a few ladies there, they did not make for an overpowering presence.
Friday was a very different night.  It  was, of course, much busier at Stock as a weekend night.  Also, the women were present in force.  It felt like a ladies night.  In fact, when I arrived around 8:30, I was advised that there was a special bachelorette-type party going on and that it would be over by 10:00pm.  It must have started at 6 or 7 cause at 8:30 it was already well underway.  Former Stock dancer Parker was the host and he had 2-3 non-Stock dancers plus Gatuso performing for the ladies.  Several of the bachelorettes were brought up on stage and given lap-dances.  It was kind of fun to watch from afar and I assumed they would clear out at 10:00pm.  Well this pre-show did end as scheduled  and the ladies were told that if they wanted to continue on at Stock, they would need to go out and pay the Stock cover-charge and re-enter.  It seems most of them did that and the female presence just grew larger as the night progressed.   All the chairs closest to the stage were occupied by females.  Men seemed to be in the minority in the bar.  The dancer line-up consisted of many attractive guys (Jo, Jasper, Vinny, Gatuso (from Tunisia), Barack (from Costa Rica), Bran, Denzel, Miguel, and Santiago).  There were a few others there as well which I would consider duds...at least for my taste.  Former Stock dancer Tyler also made an appearance as a customer.  We had a quick chance to catch-up since I had not seen him since before COVID.  He is not currently dancing anywhere.   I had fun both nights. at Stock.  
Thursday, I stopped in briefly at Campus between stays at Stock.  I seemed to be there during the transition from the day talent to the evening talent.  The daytime boys were largely forgettable in my view.  A few of the nighttime guys coming in looked interesting but I did not stay long enough to see any of them perform.  A couple of the daytime dancers were overly-aggressive which I did not appreciate.   Campus had roughly the same amount of clients on Thursday as Stock so , due to its smaller size, Campus appeared busier.  There was only a token presence of ladies at Campus on Thursday.
I returned to Campus on Saturday and what a difference.  It was packed with a whole lot more dancers.  Two very big body-builder types.  Also there were multiple muscular younger guys at Campus that seemed to be lacking at Stock.  I hung out with three dancers Saturday night and had great fun.   The bartender John was a hoot also.  He enjoyed gradually removing his clothes while working.    The former dancer red-headed Manager (I don't remember his name) was working Saturday and I had an opportunity to speak with him.  I told him I first saw him dancing way back when at West Side on Beaver Hall when they had strippers.  That's quite a few years ago now.  There were a few more women at Campus on Saturday than on Thursday but it did not feel overwhelming to me.
I did not go to the clubs on Sunday so nothing to report there.
My conclusions overall:
*  The Stock renovation looks wonderful and is bringing in increased business to Stock & Soda and also the main strip club.
*  Stock still has to work on getting the guys naked on stage.  There are multiple guys (mostly the newer ones) that do not get naked.  Some don't even flash their goods.
*  The dancer talent at Stock has improved over the last few months.  This is partially due to getting back some of the former Stock strippers that had stopped stripping or had moved to Campus.   That is all good, (and kudos to Stock management for achieving this) but Stock also needs to get some muscular younger talent .  We need to have some fresh younger faces to go along with the veterans.  
* Stock needs to get more dancers to come in earlier.  Many dancers not arriving till 10:00 or even 11:00pm  just doesn't work for me.  I like to start fairly early.  I really want to see most of the guys by 9:00pm so I can decide who to spend time with.  I would guess that most older customers 45+ (with bank in their pocket) would much prefer to have most dancers around  by 9:00pm rather than have to wait till 11:00pm to see the top guys.
*  The Women at Stock.  Something needs to be done about this.  I know it's a difficult issue as one cannot discriminate.   But the women on Friday (after the earlier bachelorette event)  were the dominant force for the entire night.  I wanted to tip one of the dancers on the stage and found it very difficult to even get close.  I was told Saturday night was similar at Stock.
I hope to return to Montreal this summer.  I really really don't want to be spending my gay dollars in Florida if I don't have to.  I am happy with the great progress at Stock in just three months but look for further improvements on the items highlighted above.  I really want to return more regularly if possible.
 
 

I agree with other posters that Priority No 1 is improving the quality of the dancers and that priority No 2 is getting them naked on stage.  Having said that, let's give the club some time to work thru the issues.  They are clearly investing a lot of money into the club and they want it to be successful.  Let's give them a chance to make the changes and see where things are at in a few months time.  

Stock has been closed on Sunday's for some time now I believe.
Yes the new owners have multiple other gay bars in the village.  

Wishing Danny and George every success with Stock under their ownership and I hope Steven and Bobby enjoy a well deserved break.
I've had many great nights at the club and really hope a trip to Montreal to visit Stock remains a part of my summer for years to come.

Wishing Danny and George every success with Stock under their ownership and I hope Steven and Bobby enjoy a well deserved break.
I've had many great nights at the club and really hope a trip to Montreal to visit Stock remains a part of my summer for years to come.

Wishing Danny and George every success with Stock under their ownership and I hope Steven and Bobby enjoy a well deserved break.
I've had many great nights at the club and really hope a trip to Montreal to visit Stock remains a part of my summer for years to come.

Wishing Danny and George every success with Stock under their ownership and I hope Steven and Bobby enjoy a well deserved break.
I've had many great nights at the club and really hope a trip to Montreal to visit Stock remains a part of my summer for years to come.

I was surprised to read on the FB page that Stock would be sold.  I wish the new buyers well in this business venture.  I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank current owners Steven and Bobby for building such a great club for us all to visit over the years.  They really did turn Stock into an institution and quality establishment that set the standard for male strip clubs in North America.  I spent many nights there over the years and developed friendships with dancers and employees alike.    It felt like going home when I would enter Stock.  
Best wishes to Steven and Bobby with whatever opportunities they wish to pursue!!

Im new here but I can comment o  some of the escorts I met. Nowadays, most in rentmen charge £200-250.  I am a bottom. So heres a review of some I met.
https://rentmen.eu/AdrianLoganXXX This guy is actually really nice. Hope had more stamina but still satisfying.
https://rentmen.eu/JSevilla -easy to talk friendly. Both the massage and the sex was amazing
https://rentmen.eu/danielvelascos he may not be that tall but he's great in bed. add with massage so more fun
https://rentmen.eu/Brian_London -good looking and I had fun too
https://www.sleepyboy.com/uk/london/escort/HotBod4You - Good looking, super tall hamdsome and the cock on this guy- just wow. Prepare yourself. 
Escorts I hated/didn't like
https://rentmen.eu/Kaikian/#platinum -really tall and hot in person but damn lazy. does not speak english. 
https://rentmen.eu/JacobLDN/#platinum very mechanical like he acts like your a job. 
https://rentmen.eu/Douglas_London/#platinum- only does massage and handjobs you can blow him for an extra
James Carson and Erick Lobo- these two are scammers. James would not show up. While this guy Erick says he does sex but he just made blow him. Too scared to complain since he's a big guy.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

If it's the same person I remember from a few years ago (he was based near Charing Cross Road at the time) he's a nice guy in good shape but his profile pictures were not of him.

I’ve travelled with them and had fun. 
But be warned "group travel" isn’t for everyone.

There will be annoying losers in your group.
You will frequently have to wait around for one Queen who is chronically late.
Your accommodations will be adequate but not 5 star. 
There will be snags and boring parts of the trip. 
99% of the guys will not be hotties despite the agent’s advertisements….
After all it’s called "advertising"….for a reason. 
You will eat and drink when the group wants to….not necessarily when you want to.
People in the group will have unrealistic expectations….and bitch about all of the above.
That said, it can be really fun. I like traveling with gay men.
On the whole, we’re smart, funny, and handsome.
You will make new friends and maybe even have some fun sex. 
I especially recommend it for places that aren’t easy to travel on your own.
Places like Egypt and Japan for example. 
I say try it once and see if it’s right for you.
I would travel with Detours again in a heartbeat. 

Please indulge me a little.   This is a long post.
Before heading to Montreal for the first time in four years, I wondered how I would write up the weekend. Would it be a celebration of a triumphant return to form?  Or would it be a farewell to the city I love?
First, A Little History
My love affair with Montreal was not planned.
In 2004, I booked a trip travelling across Canada. Montreal was a part of the itinerary I hadn’t thought about much.  I’d heard about Stock Bar before the trip.  I was quite nervous about visiting a strip bar for the first time and almost didn’t go.   Fortunately, I did and the rest is history.
A dancer called Marco caught my attention almost immediately on arrival and I had my first ever private dance.
After the club closed for refurbishment due to the fire at Unity, I returned in 2006.  Fortunately, Marco was still there.
From there on I have returned to Montreal almost every summer, typically on holiday weekends to have a good four nights Thursday to Sunday.  I’ve seen clubs elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale and Toronto but none came close to Montreal.
I have visited Campus a few times and to be honest have not stayed for more than 10 minutes.  It’s Stock Bar’s appeal that has endured.
It wasn’t just Stock, but also the city.  Compact, easy to get around, friendly and plenty of green space.
Much has changed.  Back in 2004, Montreal and The Village was an escape I needed.  The Village has changed and I certainly no longer have neither the energy nor interest to head to Unity or Stereo after Stock.  In that time many legends of Stock have come and gone.
All this time I’ve never been under any illusions.  One day my visits to Montreal would come to an end.
May be the clubs would fall victim to gentrification.  May be the city would have a licensing crackdown.  Or other changes in my life would put this all to a stop.
My last trip was in 2018.  After a four year gap primarily due to COVID, I returned this year for Labor Day weekend.
I was well aware things would not be the same as before COVID-19.  But how did it go?
The Village
The decline of The Village was been well documented.  As for as vacant real estate goes, this is the worst it has been.
With Gallerie Blanc and the boules project ended, there is little reason to go on a weekday.  Saloon Bar now opens at 5pm every day, apart for brunch between 10am and 3pm on Sundays.
There are ongoing efforts at placemaking with planters and platforms on the street and disco balls suspended from the lamp posts.
Friday
I would normally go to Stock on a Thursday but being aware it was quieter, I skipped this.
The Village was busy on Friday night with many restaurant terraces full of patrons.  I arrived at Stock at around 8.50pm.  The cover was $10.
My heart sank on entering.  There were about 5-10 patrons and I spotted 2 dancers outside and another 2 in the club.  The bar on the right hand side was closed.  No one was dancing on stage, until Fabio appeared at about 9.15pm.  I’d never seen Stock like this before on the weekend.
I ventured over to Campus where the cover was $8.  The club was much busier with patrons but no-one was dancing on stage. Though, a dancer soon appeared.
Returning to Stock the club did soon start to fill up and was pretty full by 11pm.  But the problem was clear, a lack of dancers.  Each dancer’s slow and fast performances were interspersed by music, rather than a fast and slow performance by two other dancers.  Also, no dancer all weekend performed their slow dance fully nude - most did in underwear or more.
There were a few female patrons but the majority of the crowd was male.  The rule seems to be that female patrons can only enter the club as part of mixed groups.  Two girls at the entrance were asking men if they could enter the club with them.
I didn’t see Joe, a former dancer who went into a management role.  Nor one of the very long serving bartenders.
Saturday
Saturday was a much stronger night.
Arriving at around 9.30pm there were, at a rough guess, 40-50 patrons.  Both bars were open and the club soon filled up.
Again, there were relatively few dancers but those on stage were well received by the crowd who all had a good time.
There were no duo or shower shows.
Speaking to other patrons on the night, many were at the club for the first time.  Apart seeing old clips on the screens between dances, they would not know any different.
One stand out dancer for me was, coincidentally, named Marco.  I made the mistake of turning him down for a private dance as I had not seen him on stage yet.  Really thick rugby player style physique.  I didn’t catch him afterwards but hoped he’d be there again on Sunday.  Big mistake.
Sunday
In the past Sundays on holiday weekends have attracted reasonably sized crowds.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case.  Arriving at 9pm there were 10 patrons and just a small number of core dancers who’d been there all weekend.  And no Marco. Admission on Sunday was $8.
Returning to the club after a brief walk in The Village, sensing that things were unlikely to change, I returned to my hotel.
Concluding Thoughts
The pandemic has been devastating for many businesses and survival is an achievement in itself.
I had the option of deferring my trip without penalty and, in retrospect, I wish I had waited until next summer before returning.
It was nice to be back in the city and there’s plenty else to do in the day but it’s clear at the moment there are not the dancers available to sustain 4 clubs in Montreal.
Many sectors have experienced labor shortages and there were many businesses across the city advertising for staff. I’ve seen reports of issues specific to Stock but I hope the club is able to return to its former glory.
Is this the end?  Never say never.  I’ll continue to keep a watchful eye on Montreal but I’d want to be confident that things have turned around before returning.
Side Notes
Apart from some venues closing and others changing opening hours one other change is that Montreal has fully embraced contactless payment since I was last there.  Some businesses are now cashless.
Also the Metro was free all weekend on the core central stations between Peel and Berri-UQAM on the green line and Berri-UQAM and Place-d’Armes on the orange line.

Please indulge me a little.   This is a long post.
Before heading to Montreal for the first time in four years, I wondered how I would write up the weekend. Would it be a celebration of a triumphant return to form?  Or would it be a farewell to the city I love?
First, A Little History
My love affair with Montreal was not planned.
In 2004, I booked a trip travelling across Canada. Montreal was a part of the itinerary I hadn’t thought about much.  I’d heard about Stock Bar before the trip.  I was quite nervous about visiting a strip bar for the first time and almost didn’t go.   Fortunately, I did and the rest is history.
A dancer called Marco caught my attention almost immediately on arrival and I had my first ever private dance.
After the club closed for refurbishment due to the fire at Unity, I returned in 2006.  Fortunately, Marco was still there.
From there on I have returned to Montreal almost every summer, typically on holiday weekends to have a good four nights Thursday to Sunday.  I’ve seen clubs elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale and Toronto but none came close to Montreal.
I have visited Campus a few times and to be honest have not stayed for more than 10 minutes.  It’s Stock Bar’s appeal that has endured.
It wasn’t just Stock, but also the city.  Compact, easy to get around, friendly and plenty of green space.
Much has changed.  Back in 2004, Montreal and The Village was an escape I needed.  The Village has changed and I certainly no longer have neither the energy nor interest to head to Unity or Stereo after Stock.  In that time many legends of Stock have come and gone.
All this time I’ve never been under any illusions.  One day my visits to Montreal would come to an end.
May be the clubs would fall victim to gentrification.  May be the city would have a licensing crackdown.  Or other changes in my life would put this all to a stop.
My last trip was in 2018.  After a four year gap primarily due to COVID, I returned this year for Labor Day weekend.
I was well aware things would not be the same as before COVID-19.  But how did it go?
The Village
The decline of The Village was been well documented.  As for as vacant real estate goes, this is the worst it has been.
With Gallerie Blanc and the boules project ended, there is little reason to go on a weekday.  Saloon Bar now opens at 5pm every day, apart for brunch between 10am and 3pm on Sundays.
There are ongoing efforts at placemaking with planters and platforms on the street and disco balls suspended from the lamp posts.
Friday
I would normally go to Stock on a Thursday but being aware it was quieter, I skipped this.
The Village was busy on Friday night with many restaurant terraces full of patrons.  I arrived at Stock at around 8.50pm.  The cover was $10.
My heart sank on entering.  There were about 5-10 patrons and I spotted 2 dancers outside and another 2 in the club.  The bar on the right hand side was closed.  No one was dancing on stage, until Fabio appeared at about 9.15pm.  I’d never seen Stock like this before on the weekend.
I ventured over to Campus where the cover was $8.  The club was much busier with patrons but no-one was dancing on stage. Though, a dancer soon appeared.
Returning to Stock the club did soon start to fill up and was pretty full by 11pm.  But the problem was clear, a lack of dancers.  Each dancer’s slow and fast performances were interspersed by music, rather than a fast and slow performance by two other dancers.  Also, no dancer all weekend performed their slow dance fully nude - most did in underwear or more.
There were a few female patrons but the majority of the crowd was male.  The rule seems to be that female patrons can only enter the club as part of mixed groups.  Two girls at the entrance were asking men if they could enter the club with them.
I didn’t see Joe, a former dancer who went into a management role.  Nor one of the very long serving bartenders.
Saturday
Saturday was a much stronger night.
Arriving at around 9.30pm there were, at a rough guess, 40-50 patrons.  Both bars were open and the club soon filled up.
Again, there were relatively few dancers but those on stage were well received by the crowd who all had a good time.
There were no duo or shower shows.
Speaking to other patrons on the night, many were at the club for the first time.  Apart seeing old clips on the screens between dances, they would not know any different.
One stand out dancer for me was, coincidentally, named Marco.  I made the mistake of turning him down for a private dance as I had not seen him on stage yet.  Really thick rugby player style physique.  I didn’t catch him afterwards but hoped he’d be there again on Sunday.  Big mistake.
Sunday
In the past Sundays on holiday weekends have attracted reasonably sized crowds.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case.  Arriving at 9pm there were 10 patrons and just a small number of core dancers who’d been there all weekend.  And no Marco. Admission on Sunday was $8.
Returning to the club after a brief walk in The Village, sensing that things were unlikely to change, I returned to my hotel.
Concluding Thoughts
The pandemic has been devastating for many businesses and survival is an achievement in itself.
I had the option of deferring my trip without penalty and, in retrospect, I wish I had waited until next summer before returning.
It was nice to be back in the city and there’s plenty else to do in the day but it’s clear at the moment there are not the dancers available to sustain 4 clubs in Montreal.
Many sectors have experienced labor shortages and there were many businesses across the city advertising for staff. I’ve seen reports of issues specific to Stock but I hope the club is able to return to its former glory.
Is this the end?  Never say never.  I’ll continue to keep a watchful eye on Montreal but I’d want to be confident that things have turned around before returning.
Side Notes
Apart from some venues closing and others changing opening hours one other change is that Montreal has fully embraced contactless payment since I was last there.  Some businesses are now cashless.
Also the Metro was free all weekend on the core central stations between Peel and Berri-UQAM on the green line and Berri-UQAM and Place-d’Armes on the orange line.

CBC News is reporting that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be dropped for travellers entering Canada, as will random testing of arrivals:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-lifting-pandemic-border-measures-1.6591883
 

Please indulge me a little.   This is a long post.
Before heading to Montreal for the first time in four years, I wondered how I would write up the weekend. Would it be a celebration of a triumphant return to form?  Or would it be a farewell to the city I love?
First, A Little History
My love affair with Montreal was not planned.
In 2004, I booked a trip travelling across Canada. Montreal was a part of the itinerary I hadn’t thought about much.  I’d heard about Stock Bar before the trip.  I was quite nervous about visiting a strip bar for the first time and almost didn’t go.   Fortunately, I did and the rest is history.
A dancer called Marco caught my attention almost immediately on arrival and I had my first ever private dance.
After the club closed for refurbishment due to the fire at Unity, I returned in 2006.  Fortunately, Marco was still there.
From there on I have returned to Montreal almost every summer, typically on holiday weekends to have a good four nights Thursday to Sunday.  I’ve seen clubs elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale and Toronto but none came close to Montreal.
I have visited Campus a few times and to be honest have not stayed for more than 10 minutes.  It’s Stock Bar’s appeal that has endured.
It wasn’t just Stock, but also the city.  Compact, easy to get around, friendly and plenty of green space.
Much has changed.  Back in 2004, Montreal and The Village was an escape I needed.  The Village has changed and I certainly no longer have neither the energy nor interest to head to Unity or Stereo after Stock.  In that time many legends of Stock have come and gone.
All this time I’ve never been under any illusions.  One day my visits to Montreal would come to an end.
May be the clubs would fall victim to gentrification.  May be the city would have a licensing crackdown.  Or other changes in my life would put this all to a stop.
My last trip was in 2018.  After a four year gap primarily due to COVID, I returned this year for Labor Day weekend.
I was well aware things would not be the same as before COVID-19.  But how did it go?
The Village
The decline of The Village was been well documented.  As for as vacant real estate goes, this is the worst it has been.
With Gallerie Blanc and the boules project ended, there is little reason to go on a weekday.  Saloon Bar now opens at 5pm every day, apart for brunch between 10am and 3pm on Sundays.
There are ongoing efforts at placemaking with planters and platforms on the street and disco balls suspended from the lamp posts.
Friday
I would normally go to Stock on a Thursday but being aware it was quieter, I skipped this.
The Village was busy on Friday night with many restaurant terraces full of patrons.  I arrived at Stock at around 8.50pm.  The cover was $10.
My heart sank on entering.  There were about 5-10 patrons and I spotted 2 dancers outside and another 2 in the club.  The bar on the right hand side was closed.  No one was dancing on stage, until Fabio appeared at about 9.15pm.  I’d never seen Stock like this before on the weekend.
I ventured over to Campus where the cover was $8.  The club was much busier with patrons but no-one was dancing on stage. Though, a dancer soon appeared.
Returning to Stock the club did soon start to fill up and was pretty full by 11pm.  But the problem was clear, a lack of dancers.  Each dancer’s slow and fast performances were interspersed by music, rather than a fast and slow performance by two other dancers.  Also, no dancer all weekend performed their slow dance fully nude - most did in underwear or more.
There were a few female patrons but the majority of the crowd was male.  The rule seems to be that female patrons can only enter the club as part of mixed groups.  Two girls at the entrance were asking men if they could enter the club with them.
I didn’t see Joe, a former dancer who went into a management role.  Nor one of the very long serving bartenders.
Saturday
Saturday was a much stronger night.
Arriving at around 9.30pm there were, at a rough guess, 40-50 patrons.  Both bars were open and the club soon filled up.
Again, there were relatively few dancers but those on stage were well received by the crowd who all had a good time.
There were no duo or shower shows.
Speaking to other patrons on the night, many were at the club for the first time.  Apart seeing old clips on the screens between dances, they would not know any different.
One stand out dancer for me was, coincidentally, named Marco.  I made the mistake of turning him down for a private dance as I had not seen him on stage yet.  Really thick rugby player style physique.  I didn’t catch him afterwards but hoped he’d be there again on Sunday.  Big mistake.
Sunday
In the past Sundays on holiday weekends have attracted reasonably sized crowds.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case.  Arriving at 9pm there were 10 patrons and just a small number of core dancers who’d been there all weekend.  And no Marco. Admission on Sunday was $8.
Returning to the club after a brief walk in The Village, sensing that things were unlikely to change, I returned to my hotel.
Concluding Thoughts
The pandemic has been devastating for many businesses and survival is an achievement in itself.
I had the option of deferring my trip without penalty and, in retrospect, I wish I had waited until next summer before returning.
It was nice to be back in the city and there’s plenty else to do in the day but it’s clear at the moment there are not the dancers available to sustain 4 clubs in Montreal.
Many sectors have experienced labor shortages and there were many businesses across the city advertising for staff. I’ve seen reports of issues specific to Stock but I hope the club is able to return to its former glory.
Is this the end?  Never say never.  I’ll continue to keep a watchful eye on Montreal but I’d want to be confident that things have turned around before returning.
Side Notes
Apart from some venues closing and others changing opening hours one other change is that Montreal has fully embraced contactless payment since I was last there.  Some businesses are now cashless.
Also the Metro was free all weekend on the core central stations between Peel and Berri-UQAM on the green line and Berri-UQAM and Place-d’Armes on the orange line.

Please indulge me a little.   This is a long post.
Before heading to Montreal for the first time in four years, I wondered how I would write up the weekend. Would it be a celebration of a triumphant return to form?  Or would it be a farewell to the city I love?
First, A Little History
My love affair with Montreal was not planned.
In 2004, I booked a trip travelling across Canada. Montreal was a part of the itinerary I hadn’t thought about much.  I’d heard about Stock Bar before the trip.  I was quite nervous about visiting a strip bar for the first time and almost didn’t go.   Fortunately, I did and the rest is history.
A dancer called Marco caught my attention almost immediately on arrival and I had my first ever private dance.
After the club closed for refurbishment due to the fire at Unity, I returned in 2006.  Fortunately, Marco was still there.
From there on I have returned to Montreal almost every summer, typically on holiday weekends to have a good four nights Thursday to Sunday.  I’ve seen clubs elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale and Toronto but none came close to Montreal.
I have visited Campus a few times and to be honest have not stayed for more than 10 minutes.  It’s Stock Bar’s appeal that has endured.
It wasn’t just Stock, but also the city.  Compact, easy to get around, friendly and plenty of green space.
Much has changed.  Back in 2004, Montreal and The Village was an escape I needed.  The Village has changed and I certainly no longer have neither the energy nor interest to head to Unity or Stereo after Stock.  In that time many legends of Stock have come and gone.
All this time I’ve never been under any illusions.  One day my visits to Montreal would come to an end.
May be the clubs would fall victim to gentrification.  May be the city would have a licensing crackdown.  Or other changes in my life would put this all to a stop.
My last trip was in 2018.  After a four year gap primarily due to COVID, I returned this year for Labor Day weekend.
I was well aware things would not be the same as before COVID-19.  But how did it go?
The Village
The decline of The Village was been well documented.  As for as vacant real estate goes, this is the worst it has been.
With Gallerie Blanc and the boules project ended, there is little reason to go on a weekday.  Saloon Bar now opens at 5pm every day, apart for brunch between 10am and 3pm on Sundays.
There are ongoing efforts at placemaking with planters and platforms on the street and disco balls suspended from the lamp posts.
Friday
I would normally go to Stock on a Thursday but being aware it was quieter, I skipped this.
The Village was busy on Friday night with many restaurant terraces full of patrons.  I arrived at Stock at around 8.50pm.  The cover was $10.
My heart sank on entering.  There were about 5-10 patrons and I spotted 2 dancers outside and another 2 in the club.  The bar on the right hand side was closed.  No one was dancing on stage, until Fabio appeared at about 9.15pm.  I’d never seen Stock like this before on the weekend.
I ventured over to Campus where the cover was $8.  The club was much busier with patrons but no-one was dancing on stage. Though, a dancer soon appeared.
Returning to Stock the club did soon start to fill up and was pretty full by 11pm.  But the problem was clear, a lack of dancers.  Each dancer’s slow and fast performances were interspersed by music, rather than a fast and slow performance by two other dancers.  Also, no dancer all weekend performed their slow dance fully nude - most did in underwear or more.
There were a few female patrons but the majority of the crowd was male.  The rule seems to be that female patrons can only enter the club as part of mixed groups.  Two girls at the entrance were asking men if they could enter the club with them.
I didn’t see Joe, a former dancer who went into a management role.  Nor one of the very long serving bartenders.
Saturday
Saturday was a much stronger night.
Arriving at around 9.30pm there were, at a rough guess, 40-50 patrons.  Both bars were open and the club soon filled up.
Again, there were relatively few dancers but those on stage were well received by the crowd who all had a good time.
There were no duo or shower shows.
Speaking to other patrons on the night, many were at the club for the first time.  Apart seeing old clips on the screens between dances, they would not know any different.
One stand out dancer for me was, coincidentally, named Marco.  I made the mistake of turning him down for a private dance as I had not seen him on stage yet.  Really thick rugby player style physique.  I didn’t catch him afterwards but hoped he’d be there again on Sunday.  Big mistake.
Sunday
In the past Sundays on holiday weekends have attracted reasonably sized crowds.
Sadly, this wasn’t the case.  Arriving at 9pm there were 10 patrons and just a small number of core dancers who’d been there all weekend.  And no Marco. Admission on Sunday was $8.
Returning to the club after a brief walk in The Village, sensing that things were unlikely to change, I returned to my hotel.
Concluding Thoughts
The pandemic has been devastating for many businesses and survival is an achievement in itself.
I had the option of deferring my trip without penalty and, in retrospect, I wish I had waited until next summer before returning.
It was nice to be back in the city and there’s plenty else to do in the day but it’s clear at the moment there are not the dancers available to sustain 4 clubs in Montreal.
Many sectors have experienced labor shortages and there were many businesses across the city advertising for staff. I’ve seen reports of issues specific to Stock but I hope the club is able to return to its former glory.
Is this the end?  Never say never.  I’ll continue to keep a watchful eye on Montreal but I’d want to be confident that things have turned around before returning.
Side Notes
Apart from some venues closing and others changing opening hours one other change is that Montreal has fully embraced contactless payment since I was last there.  Some businesses are now cashless.
Also the Metro was free all weekend on the core central stations between Peel and Berri-UQAM on the green line and Berri-UQAM and Place-d’Armes on the orange line.