Gay Clubs

Hmm. Well, my info is quite a few years out of date (been a long time since I've been in a club and that was literally on the other side of the planet from you) but I also suspect that things haven't changed all that much. So, YMMV.

The Smell: A unique blend of smoke (assuming smoking is allowed in bars where you are?), stale beer, and the combined aroma of every men's cologne currently on the market (I swear some guys must bathe in the stuff). Don't worry about remembering it, your clothes will do that for you.

<Note: Really, your clothes will remember it for you. And your hair. And your skin. I'd suggest planning on a full shower before bed that night. Unless you want to change out and wash your bedding the next day. You're also likely to be sweaty if you've been dancing>

The Sound: Thump thump, thump thump - <Note: At least if you're in a dance club, the music will be loud and nearly non-stop. If you end up near a speaker (and sometimes even if you don't) plan on your ears ringing a bit for a good chunk of the next day. My favorite bars were the ones where you could go outside on a patio to get away from the noise and the crowd for a bit).

The Crowd: Details will differ with the bar but lots and lots of different kinds of men (and some women, again depending on the type of bar and the overall 'vibe' of the place. You may see a mix of muscle jocks, bears, twinks, and just regular looking guys out for a night of blowing off steam. Depending on local custom and possibly ordinance, shirts may be optional, although an unwritten rule is that if you're going to lose your shirt, you better have the body to pull it off. Shirtless guys wearing jeans, boots, and a leather and metal harness of some kind are advertising a specific interest in either leather or BDSM.

This was in Tucson so there were also a lot of guys in full cowboy dress (although in Tucson, that could have just meant they didn't bother to change before coming to the bar...). One of the bars had a 'country and western' side and a 'dance music/rock' side. It made for an interesting mix of people.

One bar that opened in Tucson and then changed to a straight bar had male go-go dancers on platforms. They were fun to watch, but ultimately weren't worth the cover charge.

The bars I went to also had a fair complement of women, but that varies with the bar. Been to a lesbian bar once with a guy I was dating. It was much cleaner and newer and had a very nice little closed off sitting room area (with wingback chairs and a fireplace) for quiet conversation. Also pool tables and a dance floor. Once they figured out we were both gay and cool with them, they were cool with us.

Likely you may see some people signing to each other, although whether because they are actually deaf or just know how and it's easier than trying to talk over the noise I don't know.

The Dance Floor: At least at the places I went to, anything short of actual sex on the dance floor was considered perfectly fine. Some guys just danced by themselves, many just danced in each others vicinity the way most do these days, and some pretty much plastered themselves together and dirty dance/grind/make out on the dance floor. Many do some combo of all of this as the mood or music takes them. Larger groups may be on the floor as well, ranging from 3 (being the middle man in a three man sandwich is *fun* if you can all synch your dancing right) to something that just calls out to form a conga line (and sometimes does). Some groups look like they must have been practicing their choreography beforehand and some look like a game of twister set to music.

If there is any sort of specific dance movement that is popular at the moment (voguing or the Macarena were popular when I was going to the bars) at least some people will be doing it and if the right song comes on, a whole lot of people will be doing it.

The Bathrooms: There are probably a lot fewer ladies rooms than mens, and the guys are going to just use it anyway (lots and lots of guys and lots and lots of booze and almost no women mean that the ladies is not going to remain vacant). You can either just deal with it (like any of the guys there are going to bother you), or go with some male friends (large male friends if possible) to guard the door while you use the facilities.

The Drinks: Probably overpriced and of low to middling quality - The club has something of a captive audience and good cheap drinks aren't really what they're selling. Then again that could just be where I went and I didn't drink just heard from my friends who were.

The Vibe or 'Attitude': This can vary widely from bar to bar. Some are very cool (IMHO) and take the attitude that everyone is welcome as long as everyone is cool. My favorite bar was like this and you had a mix of gays and straights, men and women, and all the different types of gay person from muscle jocks to drag queens all out to have a good time and get along with each other. Other bars are less into this and you may actually want to check out several and see if you find one that 'feels best' for you.

Note also that while there are dance club gay bars there can also be pool bars, sit and drink and talk bars, leather bars, etc. Some of these are more 'meat market' than others. One of the bars in Tucson was called the Eagle and a friend of mine liked going there. He talked about 'black out parties' in which someone would yell 'black out', the lights would go out or very low and people would pretty much have sex with whomever was closest. Not my cup of tea, but there it is.

On a final note: At least in Tucson, the different bars/clubs seems to vary in popularity on some sort of rotating basis or something. For a while a given spot would be *the* place to be and everyone would go there, making it very crowded. Then, for now discernible reason, the focus would shift and the whole tribe would move on to some other locale which would become *the* place to be for a while. And so on. So a given bar may be dead when you go there one time and jumping a few weeks later if you go there again.

You may also want to go with a group of friends. Gives you someone to talk to and a bit of confidence in terms of knowing you are all looking out for each other, even if you never actually need to exercise that option

Ok, I think that about covers it.

Hope this helps,

Todd

 

there's gay clubs in tasmania? whoa...

its different for alot of people...

music is gay ie kylie, brittney, techno etc...

people are way too friendly... always in your face trying to hook up with you etc...

bathrooms are normally are hook up place and some bars have unisex bathrooms...

most gay clubs in melbourne are like that... it aint my scene but if you like what you hear then go HARD