Out in Washington, D.C.

[Guest jamier]

WASHINGTON, D.C. our nation’s capital has full nekkid’ dancing. Way to go! There’s not much mention of DC on these boards, so I thought I’d say ‘hi’ and let you know what a cool weekend I’ve just had there. First to the clubs then…

 

SECRETS

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9pm to 3am. Opens 7pm Sundays.

Web: http://www.secretsdc.com

1345 Half Street SE (entrance is on O Street)

Cover is $10 Friday and Saturdays (not sure about other nights)

Full nude dancing

 

Secrets is located in the same building as Ziegfeld’s, a female impersonation venue that is also fun if that’s your thing (and great if you want a quick look at what it’s all about). With an adjoining inside door, you’re free to interchange between the two, but they do feel like separate venues with Secrets as an excellent gay strip club!

 

Secrets is a large airy rectangular room; a huge bar with seating round three sides and shower along the back. Also a stage at the opposite end and two podiums inbetween. Seating on stools round the edge as well, but standing-room only when it gets busy. Usually two dancers are on the bar, one in the shower, two on stage and one on each of the podiums, so there is always plenty to see whichever way you look! The atmosphere is amazing with friendly patrons and dancers. I met so many cool people of all ages during my two evenings visiting and the dancers really want to chat to everyone. They dance fully nude, save for a pair of socks – ideal for collecting tips of $1 upwards. If you sit at the bar, the dancers get very close. No touching and no private dances but, I promise you, you will have a good time!

 

Dancers are all gorgeous. Seriously! And a good mix of body types. Personal favorites – ah there are so many! Jeffrey appears Saturdays with his lovely southern accent, longish highlighted hair and very cool tattoos on his ‘to-die-for’ long, slender body. Kevin is just the nicest guy in the world with a great body, JR is a real cutie who seems to be favorite with the regulars, and Steve, with shorter blond hair and another great body and ass does the best shower show.

 

Dancers switch with 20 minutes dancing then a 20 minutes break, taking up a different location each time. So I guess there are at least 14 dancers in two sets then – seemed like more though. I think they have an amateur contest on Thursdays.

 

Definitely the best strip club in Washington, feeling very friendly, clean and welcoming.

 

 

THE FOLLIES

Open 24 hours.

24 O Street SE

Cover is $16 for a day’s membership at weekends, but you can come and go (ahem!) up to three times.

Full nude dancing

 

The Follies felt very sleazy from the moment I stepped into the ‘theater’. And that’s the thing! The dancers don’t really perform on stage, but head straight for the patrons’ laps to dance up close and very personal. Tipping, I guess of $1 upwards, is encouraged in exchange for touching and groping. The auditorium is incredibly dark so it doesn’t really matter what the dancers look like – actually all four that I saw were very cute and good-looking. I think there is around 15 minutes of dancing from the small number of dancers, then the screen shows porn films until the same dancers come on again later.

 

On my short visit, I was a little concerned by horrendous groaning noises coming from an elderly patron at the back as I didn’t particularly want to be witness to a heart attack! I really didn’t want to sit in those stalls, and most definitely did not even go near the booths or washrooms or ‘whatever’ was out the back!

 

So this is a private sex club rather than a strip club. For some people it may have a delicious, dark and sleazy atmosphere, but it wasn’t for me. There is no bar, only vending machines for snacks and soft drinks.

 

 

WET

Open Monday to Saturday, 8pm to 3am.

Web: http://www.edgewet.com

52 L Street SE

Cover varies for different nights.

Full nude dancing.

 

Wet has more of a nightclub feel that Secrets as it is darker and does actually have a dance floor of sorts. Not that any of the customers dance or would want to dance, but The Edge located next door is Wet’s sister nightclub. I didn’t go there, but did try out Nation, which is a very cool nightclub just one block away.

 

Wet seems larger than Secrets. There were dancers on the bar fully nude when I visited but, I guess as there was only a small crowd at first, the two mini stages remained empty. The shower at the back of the bar is quite difficult to see. As things got busier later on a Friday night dancers sporadically took to the stages as well, but the main highlight was that night’s Wet Underwear Contest when around a dozen lads paraded the stage in their undies before taking it all off in the shower. There were a lot of screaming girls in the audience – quite fun chatting to them about the hot guys but it did seem a strange mix of clientele. The dancers are more of a mix, but are all friendly as is the manager and staff. The Amateur Contest night on Wednesdays is reputedly fantastic.

 

Wet is certainly well worth a visit. I would suggest checking out their website to see what is on different nights. Pretty friendly and welcoming.

 

 

NATION

Nation deserves a mention, as it’s the coolest gay nightclub I’ve ever been to. No nude dancers but you just know us gay guys always look hot on a night out! Nation is located close to Secrets and Wet and attracts a large crowd. Sound system and music is great and the atmosphere informal, funky and fun – no dress code (but lots of tight T’s and jeans!). The building is huge and the main dance area is incredibly spacious.

 

 

Speaking to some DC locals, apparently LA CAGE, another of Washington’s legendary strip clubs sadly closed at the moment, has recently been bought and is being refitted for a Spring or Summer reopening.

 

 

GETTING AROUND WASHINGTON

Secrets is three or four blocks from the Navy Yard Metro station but it’s not the safest area of DC! Best to walk out of the ‘Half Street’ exit and then walk along South Capitol Street which is better lit and always busy with traffic. Secrets is in O Street. The Follies is just a couple of doors down from Secrets on O Street, and Wet and Nation are both one or two blocks from the Navy Yard Metro station.

 

The Metro in Washington is clean and efficient. And on Friday and Saturday nights runs ‘til 3am. Actually they say until 3am, but remember the last trains head back to downtown from Navy Yard station just after 2.30am.

 

If you miss the Metro or would rather take a taxi, it costs less than $10 back to downtown Washington, but it’s difficult to find one in the area outside the clubs. Best to make sure you have a couple of ‘phone numbers for local taxis with you.

 

You’ll find hotels in downtown DC are really inexpensive at weekends especially in the Capitol Hill and White House area as their main trade is for business and conferences mid week. I’ve found rooms at three and four star hotels in this area for around $40 a night – the area is safe and close to Metro stations. Plus lots to do during the day with so many free museums.

 

I just want to add that these boards are great – you guys are so cool. I’d love to hear from about things I’ve missed in D.C. and I’ll make sure I visit them next time!

 

Jamie

[foxy]

Thanks for an informative and in depth report of the DC hot spots. Hope you will inspire others to report about strip clubs they visit.

[KY_TOP]

Great report, thanks for the updated info.

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

Bravo!! Nice report. Similar experiences with Wet and Secrets when I visited in early December. The wet underwear contest was fun -- I brought one of the contestants. The follies sounds like something to see... at least once. Glad to hear that La Cage is on the way back. Keep us posted please.

[Cooper]

Thanks Jamier for your DC updates. I will add this thread to the Strip Club FAQ where it will be available to inform other readers.

[J-Man]

For those of you who share my taste for "dark meat," remember that Tuesday nights are "Hot Chocolate Night" (all black dancers) at WET. (Or at least they used to be-- I haven't been there since last year.)