Where do you find dark rooms? Aside from bath houses.

[ellentonboy]

The Philadelphia "Blue Ball" held in January was a circuit event I went to for years because A. I'm from Philly and could stay with my BFF. and B. It was one of the most economical circuit events to go to.  The VIP, which included access to the "private lounge" included bathrooms with private stalls and doors that locked.   This allowed you to play with people, without committing to leaving the event with them.  Sort of a "test run" so to speak.  That "uncharge" was next to nothing.  I believe the three day event was $175 to $195, something like that.  Or maybe that was because I was FWBs with some of the event personnel, I am not sure.

Unfortunately,  the organizers were arrested for embezzlement, all the proceeds were supposed to go to AIDS charities, not to decorate their condos.  A bunch of them went to prison, both state and Federal.

Fast forward, the "circuit boys" left (me) and the "do gooders" came in (those who did not, or would not, participate in sex in a public place or enhancements).  The event is now nothing what is was like "back in the day", I still proudly have my "dog tags" that allowed me access to the "back rooms", oh excuse me, the VIP room.🤫

God I miss those days. wonton sex, no judgment zones, and non-stop flights from Tampa to Philly.  My flight benefitss now make me change planes in Newark, it SUCKS!

[norefusal]

3 hours ago, hntnhole said:

 

The envelope on the end of the bar every Friday afternoon doesn't fill itself, you know ... 

lol true dat

still i think there a dif between a local bar charging u for drinks and/ or cover and a VIP section at the already elitist circuit parties, the gated community of the gay club scene 😜

[Bimarried001]

I go to a theater in NY that keep one bathroom as a dark room. 

[NWUSHorny]

32 minutes ago, norefusal said:

lol true dat

still i think there a dif between a local bar charging u for drinks and/ or cover and a VIP section at the already elitist circuit parties, the gated community of the gay club scene 😜

I don't see how it is any different than a bathhouse charging for access to their fuck venue facilities. I can even think of 1 bar/bathhouse combo in Canada, but I don't remember that bathhouse having a darkroom.

Also, darkrooms don't really work if the patrons of the establishment don't understand the purpose and etiquette of a darkroom. I've been to one venue that had a sign explaining the rules at the darkroom entrance and another where the patrons had no concept of the purpose and etiquette, so not much in the way of sex ever happened in the darkroom.

Edited December 14, 2023 by NWUSHorny

[barefucker44]

13 hours ago, norefusal said:

🤮

i don't know if it's because i'm a hippie at heart or a big old slut or just a cheapskate but the whole idea of paying for sex pisses me off 

Totally agree

[norefusal]

15 hours ago, NWUSHorny said:

I don't see how it is any different than a bathhouse charging for access to their fuck venue facilities. 

 gay men often forget what it was like coming out. they feel comfortable in all situations from the local ABS which charges a modest price for access to private booths and videos to a circuit party targeted to beautiful gym bunnies w an inner vip area for extra $$$. closeted, questioning, DL guys, younger inexperienced guys short on $, etc seeking m2m sex prob won't be in the vip section of a circuit party. they all offer access but some offer exclusivity as well and that's just yuck for me personally but that's just an opinion or personal preference. 

[austin_submale]

One of the local adult bookstores here in Austin has some dark rooms in the arcade.  They aren't real big of course.

 

[AlwaysOpen]

Another reason a lot of the dark rooms are gone is we spoiled things. Too many guys would head to a bar with a dark or play area  and slide around the bar like they were in need of the toilet, and then never even buy a fukkin cheap ass bottle of water- instead bolting  straight to the dark area and setting up camp like they were the featured show for the night.  Just a purchase or two by everyone might have made bar owners more tolerant of the daily mess they had to clean up from those areas, and the paltry take in the cash register at the end of the night. 

The pandemic killed many too, not just the dark area, but the entire bar. There used to be a spectacular one in Miami, small, a bit run down in slowly gentrifying area. Good music and reasonable beer or soda prices ( no hard liquor) . And an outdoor area out the back door of the main bar with no lights, no limitations. When all the bars were forced to close in the early days of Covid tho, this place didn't have the cash reserves to meet Miami rent prices and never reopened as things loosened up. But even this place, as much of a jewel as it was- suffered from guys who would show up 10 minutes before the cover charge began, would stay out in back all night chasing cock or hole, and never stop and buy another drink ( the door and the bar were in a line, so the bartender could nab each new person for at least A drink sale , but really- too many took advantage of the place. 

(Jamboree, I still wish you would be like the phoenix and rise from the ashes , and recreate-reopen a bar somewhere in the area)

[Bbbtmws]

On 12/14/2023 at 1:43 PM, hntnhole said:

Same here in Ft.L. 

The envelope on the end of the bar every Friday afternoon doesn't fill itself, you know ... 

Thanks for the info. Will have to look for it and contribute next time I am in town. 

[btmdad]

It seems that  Gran Canaria  has an abundance of dark rooms.  I think I will plan a trip there soon.  I went to a nearby  bath house advertising a "blackout night"  they had the attendees wear a glow in the dark wristband that indicated their top or bottom preference by color.  The damn things put off so much light that it was not even dark.  Not to mention that the bottom to top ratio was about 8 to 1  so  a total waste of time. 

[hntnhole]

On 12/18/2023 at 2:31 PM, Bbbtmws said:

Will have to look for it and contribute next time I am in town.

Apparently I was unclear:  it's the owner of the bar that fills the envelope, out of the cash register to which you "make your contribution" when you buy drinks. 

The bar owner needs the cops to know who the dough is coming from .... 

[onlyraw]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:08 PM, norefusal said:

the eagle in providence still has their back room. 

Good to know … I need to make a trip down to Providence one of these days.  

[onlyraw]

On 11/30/2023 at 8:18 PM, BootmanLA said:

I'll add that quite a few bars "used to" have "dark rooms" in the back. There's a scene in Torch Song Trilogy where Harvey Fierstein's character goes into one after getting drinks at the bar itself. Many such bars are now gone, but a few live on here and there where they typically operate with an unspoken truce with law enforcement.

I was lucky enough to have seen The Harvey perform that scene in it’s original off b-way run - (maybe off off Bway as I remember only being about 10 or 15 feet away ) he is a genius … it was a brilliant scene (actually the whole play in a brilliant time capsule of our history)