Chicago adult venues

[Strafe13]

I posted the below paragraph in another person's thread in the Deli re: a Chicago escort, but it should really be here (sorry for hijacking). Any help would be appreciated.

 

What are the names and locations of gay bars and strip clubs in Chicago? I'll be there for the first time next month (Nov) and would like to know where to go during the weekend and nights. I've heard that Boystown is a neighborhood to visit, but I don't know which venues to go to. There's also a known sauna or bathhouse, isn't there? Forgive me, but I'm a Chicago virgin.

[rvwnsd]

Chicago has two main gayborhoods: Lake View (a/k/a Boystown) and Andersonville. Both are situated a few blocks from the lakefront. The main drag of Boystown starts at Halsted and Belmont (approx. 4 miles north and a mile west of Downtown) and Andersonville's main strip is Clark Street starting at Foster (approx six miles north and two miles west of Downtown). Both are accessible by the CTA Red Line, with the Belmont stop serving Lake View and the Berwyn stop serving Andersonville.

 

There are two bathhouses left in Chicago: Steamworks in Lake View and Man's Country in Uptown, just north of the Andersonville community. Steamworks is the nicer of the two.

 

Steamworks:

http://www.steamworksbaths.com/chicago/

 

Man's Country:

http://www.manscountrychicago.com/about/about.html

 

Lake View has been the center of LGBT life in Chicago since the late 1970's when the scene moved north from Old Town. The last vestige of the Old Town gay scene is the Bijou (a theater and sex club affiliated with Bijou Video) and it is closing on Sept 30. Most of the bars are located on Halsted between Belmont and Addison.

 

Roscoe's (Corner of Halsted and Roscoe) has been around since the mid-1980's. It has several rooms, with the main room having one of the most beautiful antique bars.

http://www.roscoes.com/

 

Side Track is a video bar down the street (south) from Roscoe's and has also been around for ages.

http://www.sidetrackchicago.com/

 

Cocktail is a relative newcomer (it opened in the 1990's) and is across the street from Roscoe's

http://www.cocktailbarchicago.com/

 

Andersonville is Chicago's second gayborhood. It is about two miles north of Lake View, with Clark Street being its main commercial strip. Although I have never been, friends of mine like @mosphere and Marty's Martini Bar. Marty's is tucked away on a side street off of Clark Street on Balmoral Avenue. @mosphere is not far away and has strippers.

 

@mosphere (Corner of Clark and Balmoral)

http://www.atmospherebar.com/

 

Marty's (Balmoral between Clark and Ashland)

http://www.yelp.com/biz/martys-martini-bar-chicago

 

There are two gay bars downtown: Downtown (located in the former Gentry space) at 440 N State Street

http://www.downtownbarandlounge.com/

 

and The Second Story an old-school bar above the Sayat Nova Armenian restaurant at 157 E Ohio St.

 

Both are near the Grand Red Line stop.

 

Big Chicks in Uptown is a very popular bar. I've always found it to be very friendly and a lot of fun. It is located at 5024 Sheridan Rd, a few blocks east of the Argyle Red Line stop.

http://www.bigchicks.com/

 

If you like strip clubs, the granddaddy of them all is The Lucky horseshoe, located at the corner of Belmont and Halsted.

http://luckyhorseshoelounge.com/

 

There are bars that have strippers (such as the afore-mentioned @mosphere)

 

There are many others. Just google "Chicago Gay Bars" and you will see. Many of the bars are located outside of the traditional "gayborhoods" and could present a challenge if using public transit. Boystown is very accessible by the 'L.' Andersonville is a bit of a walk from the 'L,' so Uber or a taxi might be a better bet.

[tyro]

R, you forgot Touche on Clark, didn't you? And the leather store right next door...

Just trying to provide the speck of knowledge I possess.

T

[jvanchicago]

Great rundown rvwnsd! One small correction, Cocktail is no longer in business; that is now the home of Progress Bar. There are many new additions to Boystown, including Replay, Seven, and Manhole.

Strafe, Boystown is certainly where you're going to get more bang for your buck (no pun intended!) As rvwnsd mentioned, if you want strippers, Lucky Horseshoe is the place. Three bars, two dance stages, and a rotation of dancers (usually 8 each night). Plus private lapdances (that aren't really that private) are offered. Plus, just a couple of blocks down is the aforementioned Steamworks (which is absolutely better than MansCountry). If you want the quick fix and not into the whole bath house, there is also Ram (a bookstore with a hopping back room-$15 to go back there) down the street. No matter what your taste- Leather, showtunes, twinks, Latins, strippers-there's a bar in Boystown for you.

[rvwnsd]

Great rundown rvwnsd! One small correction, Cocktail is no longer in business; that is now the home of Progress Bar. There are many new additions to Boystown, including Replay, Seven, and Manhole.

Strafe, Boystown is certainly where you're going to get more bang for your buck (no pun intended!) As rvwnsd mentioned, if you want strippers, Lucky Horseshoe is the place. Three bars, two dance stages, and a rotation of dancers (usually 8 each night). Plus private lapdances (that aren't really that private) are offered. Plus, just a couple of blocks down is the aforementioned Steamworks (which is absolutely better than MansCountry). If you want the quick fix and not into the whole bath house, there is also Ram (a bookstore with a hopping back room-$15 to go back there) down the street. No matter what your taste- Leather, showtunes, twinks, Latins, strippers-there's a bar in Boystown for you.

Thanks for the correction. I thought I heard Cocktail was no longer, but then I saw their website and recent Yelp reviews. I always forget about Manhole. It has been there for years!

[Strafe13]

Thanks so much to all who offered their knowledge on this thread. Yet another reason why this forum is invaluable.

[rvwnsd]

Thanks so much to all who offered their knowledge on this thread. Yet another reason why this forum is invaluable.

You are welcome.

 

PS: If you have time, check out some of the non-gay centric venues Chicago has to offer. Millennium Park downtown is not to be missed. The Cloudgate sculpture is breathtaking as are the gardens, which might not be in bloom when you visit given that Chicago has distinct seasons and Autumn is upon us. A stroll down Michigan Avenue is always fun and the Chicago River architectural tours are great ways to relax and sightsee. Try to grab a cocktail at the bar at the top of the John Hancock building. For the price of a drink you can get a 360 view of Chicago and Lake Michigan from the 94th floor. The drinks are a bit overpriced, but they are less expensive than the observatory a few floors up. IMO, the view from the Hancock is superior to that of the Willis (Sears) Tower Skydeck. I also recommend visiting the Art Institute's Modern Wing and walking around the Loop to soak in the architecture and the city's character. Lastly, (well not lastly, as there are dozens of things to do) a great way to see the North Side is from a Brown Line 'L' train. You can catch it on the Loop 'L' and ride it up to Belmont (it goes further, but Belmont is one of Boystown's main streets). Some great vistas of great architecture.

Edited September 30, 2015 by rvwnsd

[+ deej]

rvwsnd, you make me homesick.

 

And you didn't even touch on food! Chicago is a fantastic place to put on the feedbag!

[Lookin]

rvwsnd, you make me homesick.

 

And you didn't even touch on food! Chicago is a fantastic place to put on the feedbag!

 

Bittersweet that the Bijou is closing today.

 

I walked in there forty-plus years ago and sat in the fifth row. Before long, a guy came in and sat next to me. After rubbing his leg against mine, his hands got busy. Which was fine. Until he picked up my hand and put it in his lap. Where I felt the solid outline of a gun.

 

No Mae West jokes either. http://www.boytoy.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif It was a gun in his pants!

 

Told him I needed a quick bathroom break, and was out the door in ten seconds flat.

 

Never went back and, to this day, I have no idea what would have possessed somebody to bring a gun into a gay movie house. This was way before the current wave of theater shootings, though it was in the days of John Wayne Gacy. http://www.webegtodiffer.com/images/smilies/unsure.gif

 

Sorry to highjack your thread, Strafe13, for that little stroll down memory lane. http://www.dayonepatch.com/public/style_emoticons/default/face_daydream.gif

 

Plenty of great food in the ethnic neighborhoods, if I recall, and the best deep dish pizza anywhere. It's a meat town! http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/want/t2805.gif

[seaboy4hire]

I second grabbing a drink at the Hancock! I recently took a friend who was visiting from Denver. Be ready to wait in line to get up though. Dress is casual, nothing fancy. If you do a boat tour be sure to sit up top. You wont see anything on the bottom. If you take the El, I wouldnt suggest going past Chinatown unless you are with a local or very adventurous like myself. Rogers Park which is the cities most diverse hood and my hood has a few gay bars by the Morse red line stop. I've never been to them but they seem to be popular for the area. Depending on what types of food you like I might be able to stear you in the direction of some kick ass eats. Enjoy your stay in my lovely kick any other cities ass city!

 

Hugs,

Greg

[rvwnsd]

rvwsnd, you make me homesick.

 

And you didn't even touch on food! Chicago is a fantastic place to put on the feedbag!

 

That is a thread in and of itself.

 

One thing to love about Chicago: people like to eat, drink, and f*%$.

[seaboy4hire]

That is a thread in and of itself.

 

One thing to love about Chicago: people like to eat, drink, and f*%$.

 

Damn skippy we do!

 

Hugs,

Greg

[Strafe13]

I second grabbing a drink at the Hancock! I recently took a friend who was visiting from Denver. Be ready to wait in line to get up though. Dress is casual, nothing fancy. If you do a boat tour be sure to sit up top. You wont see anything on the bottom. If you take the El, I wouldnt suggest going past Chinatown unless you are with a local or very adventurous like myself. Rogers Park which is the cities most diverse hood and my hood has a few gay bars by the Morse red line stop. I've never been to them but they seem to be popular for the area. Depending on what types of food you like I might be able to stear you in the direction of some kick ass eats. Enjoy your stay in my lovely kick any other cities ass city!

 

Hugs,

Greg

 

Thanks so much, Greg. Since you asked, I love steak, seafood, Italian food, and desserts. I'm a total foodie, so besides gay stuff, I'd love to plan my forays into town around best places to chow down.

[CHIberia]

Just an fyi, none of the bars are "strip clubs," and none of them host strippers. Chicago is strictly gogo dancers. No private rooms, no nudity. The closest you'll get is the lucky horseshoe, which is very fun, but the best you'll get is a lap dance in the common bar area.

[cpq1bcle]

And indeed the subject of the thread is Adult Venues. I went to Chicago some years ago and I can confirm that the Lucky Horseshoe is a G-stringed ripoff (unless they've changed their policy since then). Like G strings can't be removed or something.

[+ Funguy]

Check with RGM (Raul G. Manzo) for all things Chicago!

[+ mature_guy]

The Lucky Horseshoe....I've tried it out twice and honestly I've never been so bored in my life. A couple of hot guys, but they were all busy visiting with either friends or I assume guys they thought they could make easy money with. A girl walked in and that occupied three of them. One dancer almost moving on the platform (I was starting to wonder if we should have checked him for a pulse). Maybe if the guys actually danced or worked the crowd a little it would be worth a stop in here. Even making eye contact and trying to be friendly was useless. I left with all the money I walked in with with...minus the costs of a couple of drinks. Not going for a third try. If I want to spend a lot for a drink and stare at cute guys off in the distance, I can just go to Starbucks.

[rvwnsd]

And indeed the subject of the thread is Adult Venues. I went to Chicago some years ago and I can confirm that the Lucky Horseshoe is a G-stringed ripoff (unless they've changed their policy since then). Like G strings can't be removed or something.

Unless the statute has changed, Chicago's municipal code prohibits nudity in a venue where alcohol is served.

[EZEtoGRU]

Last time I was at the Horseshoe was some years ago so may not reflect the scene today. Complete waste of time....at least for me. Just a few street twinks were dancing. Some of them looked like they needed a shower.....and a meal. Really depressing that this was the best strip/gogo show that Chicago had to offer. Maybe it is better today.

[+ mature_guy]

From what I could see, the boys were hot except for the one almost dancing on the platform in the front bar. The others - and there were several boys in the bar - weren't dancing or circulating. They were all hanging out in groups of friends as near as I could tell. Not sure how they make money with that approach. It seems more like a neighborhood bar with a few kids hanging out in g-strings than a go/go bar.

[shoparound]

Are there any casual bars with hot college guys in chicago? Might be worth a look more so than Lucky Horseshoe (which I do go to everytime I visit)

[CHIberia]

Are there any casual bars with hot college guys in chicago? Might be worth a look more so than Lucky Horseshoe (which I do go to everytime I visit)

If you're looking for the college guy "type," and not necessarily the age, then I'd say Replay in Boystown, North End and Sidetrack. Lucky Horseshoe is barely considered a stripper bar, and the newer rules of less revealing underwear and no contact at all make it a hard pass for most people.

[shoparound]

Sounds rough, is the no contact at all being strictly enforced now?

[Aardvark]

Are there any casual bars with hot college guys in chicago?

 

Like every single bar in Lakeview and Lincoln Park

[CHIberia]

Sounds rough, is the no contact at all being strictly enforced now?

 

It was bad enough when it was just a bar with Gogo dancers heavily featured, and would give you a public, clothed lap dance at your seat. Now the dancers can give back rubs and that's it. My friend bartends there and tells me that they get only about 25% of the patrons they used to.