Hi folks! This is my first post here, and I never thought I'd post on a forum like this, but I happened on this site as I was flying to Vegas and found the tips and tricks here very helpful, so I thought I'd report back.
About Me:
I'm a 28 year old British gay guy who was solo in Vegas essentially for debauchery and good times. I'm not a drinker, if that makes a difference to anyone, so I'm pretty much oblivious to drink prices. Since I'm gay, and gay clubs hardly ever have rope lines and the like, I had no experience whatsoever in skipping lines and getting on guest lists etc. However, I wanted to see some of the legendary Vegas clubs, and I'm painfully averse to queuing and paying cover. So this website was a godsend!
I stayed in the Rio for the first weekend, then headed to the Hard Rock from Monday to Thursday, then capped it off at the Blue Moon (clothing optional!) gay resort until I flew out Tuesday evening.
The short version is that, using the tips here, I did not pay cover or stand in a line a single time during my almost two weeks in Vegas (except one night at Krave when a friend cancelled on dinner and I hadn't made plans to go out earlier). This seems pretty awesome to me!
Here's where I went, what I did, and how it went:
Voodoo Lounge, Sunday 14th August:
I was staying at the Rio for my first couple of nights and so headed to the Voodoo Lounge. I dressed up nice in dark jeans, newly-shined shoes and a jacket. It was a Sunday, but there was a big convention finishing up there and so there was still a bit of a line. This line, betraying all my English upbringing and innate senses, I skipped, and spoke straight to the guy at the front. I simply asked what was going on there, how many people were there, who the DJ was, what the music was etc (as if I cared and had options - I did not). He told me there was a $20 cover. I then said I might be back with a friend, but I felt the cover was steep for a Monday and that I might find somewhere else.
When I came back with my gentleman friend for the evening about 15 minutes later I approached the front of the line and the guy waved me in. No cover, no waiting. I have no idea why this worked but I just did what the guide told me, and it worked a charm! There were quite a few people on the open-air dancefloor and I had a great time dancing under the sky. Bonus: my new friend came back to my room with me
.
Pure at Caesar's Palace, Tuesday 16th August:
This one was serendipitous. I moved into the Hard Rock (finding a $100 chip in the safe - I got lucky!) and I knew I wanted to head here for industry night, and mentioned it to the guy driving the shuttle from the Hard Rock Hotel to the strip. We got talking, and he called a friend to put me on the guest-list (and bagged himself a big tip). I made sure to get a contact person, with number, at the club (i.e. whoever it was he was calling) and I called them to confirm later. I asked for me and a +1 - always helps to be optimistic.
When I got to the club (dressed well with a new friend I met that day in tow, of course!) I went straight to the rope past all the waiting people who were crowding up. I started chatting with folks and made sure a few beautiful ladies came to stand with us. When they opened the club (we were there quite early) I simply caught the eye of a doorman, announced I was on the guest list, and in we went, no cover, no wait.
My friend and I took in the club (I thought it was quite beautiful), danced for an hour or so, saw the sights (MANY gorgeous boys!) and then split for dinner when it became too crowded to dance. As we left we walked past some people who had been in line when we entered. I am ashamed to say that felt very good.
Piranha and Las Vegas Eagle, Wednesday 17th August:
No line or cover at Piranha, and no people either. I left around 12:15 when there were still only 10 people including the staff. The staff were delightful, however, and the shirtless bartender was simply gorgeous.
No line or cover at the Eagle of course - just a million crazy guys in their underwear (and some ladies). I checked my clothes at the door and was rewarded with a huge number "69" in Sharpie marker on my wrist. This turned out to be appropriate for the evening (none of your business!). Despite the terrible reputation of the bar (EVERYONE told me not to go), this was by far the best night of the trip from a dancing / clubbing angle. Very diverse, accepting crowd and completely raunchy, with some fantastic dancers. The old guys there made me feel beautiful. A leather daddy trying to suck me off at the bar was a bit much, but he was graceful when I suggested he should stop - mostly. Perhaps the mirror-ball pearlescent g-string was an unwise wardrobe choice, but if I can't wear it in Vegas, where can I? A riot - danced 'til dawn, almost, and met some truly unique fellows I will in all likelihood never forget.
A big shout out to Frankie who worked the clothes-check, the guy in the stockings with no teeth who could do the splits all the way down, and "Kebler", a tiny southern dude in panties, a dog collar, and handcuffs (which he used to cuff himself to people and various pieces of bar furniture).
Krave, Thursday 18th August:
This is the one I hadn't planned, so I ended up paying $10 cover. But I made sure they put me on the guest list for Friday, where cover is usually $20 and there's huge lines. So it worked out well nonetheless.
They had the small dance floor open and it was reasonably fun. The best gogo dancers I have EVER seen, with actual rhythm to go with stunning physiques. One guy span around on a bar towel in a way which I simply MUST learn. Excellent tip for wannabe gogos out there: do what this guy did and kiss each and every person who stuffs a dollar in your briefs, and SMILE while you're dancing. This guy must make bucketloads.
Krave, Friday 19th August:
Came back to Krave for their Friday extravaganza and skipped the line and the cover as I had organized the night before. This was a BIG line to skip.
The whole club was open this time, and I had a great time dancing like a lunatic with people. 18+ night, and they had 18 18-year-old dancers, which honestly made me feel a bit creepy (tiny little things!). But the smaller bar was great for meeting folks and hanging out. And once again my favorite dancer was twirling like a madman, which was worth staring at for 20 minutes or so. Good night in all, although drinks are absurdly priced there ($5 Water? $6 Coke???).
Tryst, Saturday 20th August:
I had heard a lot about the legendary Tryst, and wanted to go on a real busy night, which folks told me is Saturday. I went to the nightlife concierge at HRH (hello Esteban!), engaged in conversation, and asked if there was anything he could do for me. He made a few calls and set me up, and won a tip (who knew it was so easy!). Again I made sure to find out who's list I was on etc. before going, so I had a name to give at the rope.
I made it to Tryst early, since I heard the line was difficult to navigate. It was. It's basically one big line, and I didn't work out that if you are on the guest-list you have to essentially buttonhole one of the doorpeople who wander up and down the line plucking people out of it. Eventually I worked it out, leaned over and said "excuse me" to someone, and they said they'd "come back for me", which they eventually did. I told them whose guest list I was on and they let me in with a little signed receipt.
I found the club itself disappointing. From the rapturous descriptions I was expecting a large outdoor area around the pool and waterfall, but in fact there's only a little walkway there with some tables. The dancefloor was, I thought, rather small and too crowded. The music was very standard and the decor, in my opinion, rather tacky. Vegas tends to try too hard, which I think comes off badly.
The most upsetting thing was the anti-gay attitude I experienced. There's a big stripper pole in the club which lots of ladies (patrons, not professionals) were dancing on. At one point, a guy went up to dance on it too. He was physically removed from it by a large security guard. This happened twice while I was there - the second guy was manhandled from the pole quite forcefully. I asked the guard why guys weren't allowed to dance on the pole. His response: "Nobody wants to see that in here." This is a very offensive remark, and I told him so, before saying I was going to leave. To his credit, the guard did profusely apologize once he realized how offensive he had been. However, this simply should not happen in upscale clubs. I left with little respect for the place.
Charlie's and Revolution Lounge, Sunday 21st August:
I spent the early evening at Charlie's, a fantastic gay country bar which had drag shows and dancing cowboys. What more can you want than handsome men in tight Levi's? Then I headed to Revolution at the Mirage.
Gay night at the Revolution, and I got onto the guest-list here through, of all things, Adam for Adam (a gay GPS app on smartphones). I had set up that I was going to visit Vegas on my profile and was contacted by the promoter for the club and invited. I said of course I'd be happy to come! I went, I danced, watched the dancers in their Union Jack ties, made some new friends, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The "lounge" is well-designed, with a nice dancefloor and even seating for people who haven't paid a billion dollars! Got into a nice huddle with some very handsome boys and grinded away for hours!
Conclusion:
Many thanks to Mr. Colton for his expert advice! I easily saved $80 or so in cover charges and hours of time by following his guide, and massively increased my nightclub-confidence as well!
About Me:
I'm a 28 year old British gay guy who was solo in Vegas essentially for debauchery and good times. I'm not a drinker, if that makes a difference to anyone, so I'm pretty much oblivious to drink prices. Since I'm gay, and gay clubs hardly ever have rope lines and the like, I had no experience whatsoever in skipping lines and getting on guest lists etc. However, I wanted to see some of the legendary Vegas clubs, and I'm painfully averse to queuing and paying cover. So this website was a godsend!
I stayed in the Rio for the first weekend, then headed to the Hard Rock from Monday to Thursday, then capped it off at the Blue Moon (clothing optional!) gay resort until I flew out Tuesday evening.
The short version is that, using the tips here, I did not pay cover or stand in a line a single time during my almost two weeks in Vegas (except one night at Krave when a friend cancelled on dinner and I hadn't made plans to go out earlier). This seems pretty awesome to me!
Here's where I went, what I did, and how it went:
Voodoo Lounge, Sunday 14th August:
I was staying at the Rio for my first couple of nights and so headed to the Voodoo Lounge. I dressed up nice in dark jeans, newly-shined shoes and a jacket. It was a Sunday, but there was a big convention finishing up there and so there was still a bit of a line. This line, betraying all my English upbringing and innate senses, I skipped, and spoke straight to the guy at the front. I simply asked what was going on there, how many people were there, who the DJ was, what the music was etc (as if I cared and had options - I did not). He told me there was a $20 cover. I then said I might be back with a friend, but I felt the cover was steep for a Monday and that I might find somewhere else.
When I came back with my gentleman friend for the evening about 15 minutes later I approached the front of the line and the guy waved me in. No cover, no waiting. I have no idea why this worked but I just did what the guide told me, and it worked a charm! There were quite a few people on the open-air dancefloor and I had a great time dancing under the sky. Bonus: my new friend came back to my room with me
.Pure at Caesar's Palace, Tuesday 16th August:
This one was serendipitous. I moved into the Hard Rock (finding a $100 chip in the safe - I got lucky!) and I knew I wanted to head here for industry night, and mentioned it to the guy driving the shuttle from the Hard Rock Hotel to the strip. We got talking, and he called a friend to put me on the guest-list (and bagged himself a big tip). I made sure to get a contact person, with number, at the club (i.e. whoever it was he was calling) and I called them to confirm later. I asked for me and a +1 - always helps to be optimistic
.When I got to the club (dressed well with a new friend I met that day in tow, of course!) I went straight to the rope past all the waiting people who were crowding up. I started chatting with folks and made sure a few beautiful ladies came to stand with us. When they opened the club (we were there quite early) I simply caught the eye of a doorman, announced I was on the guest list, and in we went, no cover, no wait.
My friend and I took in the club (I thought it was quite beautiful), danced for an hour or so, saw the sights (MANY gorgeous boys!) and then split for dinner when it became too crowded to dance. As we left we walked past some people who had been in line when we entered. I am ashamed to say that felt very good.
Piranha and Las Vegas Eagle, Wednesday 17th August:
No line or cover at Piranha, and no people either. I left around 12:15 when there were still only 10 people including the staff. The staff were delightful, however, and the shirtless bartender was simply gorgeous.
No line or cover at the Eagle of course - just a million crazy guys in their underwear (and some ladies). I checked my clothes at the door and was rewarded with a huge number "69" in Sharpie marker on my wrist. This turned out to be appropriate for the evening (none of your business!). Despite the terrible reputation of the bar (EVERYONE told me not to go), this was by far the best night of the trip from a dancing / clubbing angle. Very diverse, accepting crowd and completely raunchy, with some fantastic dancers. The old guys there made me feel beautiful. A leather daddy trying to suck me off at the bar was a bit much, but he was graceful when I suggested he should stop - mostly. Perhaps the mirror-ball pearlescent g-string was an unwise wardrobe choice, but if I can't wear it in Vegas, where can I? A riot - danced 'til dawn, almost, and met some truly unique fellows I will in all likelihood never forget.
A big shout out to Frankie who worked the clothes-check, the guy in the stockings with no teeth who could do the splits all the way down, and "Kebler", a tiny southern dude in panties, a dog collar, and handcuffs (which he used to cuff himself to people and various pieces of bar furniture).
Krave, Thursday 18th August:
This is the one I hadn't planned, so I ended up paying $10 cover. But I made sure they put me on the guest list for Friday, where cover is usually $20 and there's huge lines. So it worked out well nonetheless.
They had the small dance floor open and it was reasonably fun. The best gogo dancers I have EVER seen, with actual rhythm to go with stunning physiques. One guy span around on a bar towel in a way which I simply MUST learn. Excellent tip for wannabe gogos out there: do what this guy did and kiss each and every person who stuffs a dollar in your briefs, and SMILE while you're dancing. This guy must make bucketloads.
Krave, Friday 19th August:
Came back to Krave for their Friday extravaganza and skipped the line and the cover as I had organized the night before. This was a BIG line to skip.
The whole club was open this time, and I had a great time dancing like a lunatic with people. 18+ night, and they had 18 18-year-old dancers, which honestly made me feel a bit creepy (tiny little things!). But the smaller bar was great for meeting folks and hanging out. And once again my favorite dancer was twirling like a madman, which was worth staring at for 20 minutes or so. Good night in all, although drinks are absurdly priced there ($5 Water? $6 Coke???).
Tryst, Saturday 20th August:
I had heard a lot about the legendary Tryst, and wanted to go on a real busy night, which folks told me is Saturday. I went to the nightlife concierge at HRH (hello Esteban!), engaged in conversation, and asked if there was anything he could do for me. He made a few calls and set me up, and won a tip (who knew it was so easy!). Again I made sure to find out who's list I was on etc. before going, so I had a name to give at the rope.
I made it to Tryst early, since I heard the line was difficult to navigate. It was. It's basically one big line, and I didn't work out that if you are on the guest-list you have to essentially buttonhole one of the doorpeople who wander up and down the line plucking people out of it. Eventually I worked it out, leaned over and said "excuse me" to someone, and they said they'd "come back for me", which they eventually did. I told them whose guest list I was on and they let me in with a little signed receipt.
I found the club itself disappointing. From the rapturous descriptions I was expecting a large outdoor area around the pool and waterfall, but in fact there's only a little walkway there with some tables. The dancefloor was, I thought, rather small and too crowded. The music was very standard and the decor, in my opinion, rather tacky. Vegas tends to try too hard, which I think comes off badly.
The most upsetting thing was the anti-gay attitude I experienced. There's a big stripper pole in the club which lots of ladies (patrons, not professionals) were dancing on. At one point, a guy went up to dance on it too. He was physically removed from it by a large security guard. This happened twice while I was there - the second guy was manhandled from the pole quite forcefully. I asked the guard why guys weren't allowed to dance on the pole. His response: "Nobody wants to see that in here." This is a very offensive remark, and I told him so, before saying I was going to leave. To his credit, the guard did profusely apologize once he realized how offensive he had been. However, this simply should not happen in upscale clubs. I left with little respect for the place.
Charlie's and Revolution Lounge, Sunday 21st August:
I spent the early evening at Charlie's, a fantastic gay country bar which had drag shows and dancing cowboys. What more can you want than handsome men in tight Levi's? Then I headed to Revolution at the Mirage.
Gay night at the Revolution, and I got onto the guest-list here through, of all things, Adam for Adam (a gay GPS app on smartphones). I had set up that I was going to visit Vegas on my profile and was contacted by the promoter for the club and invited. I said of course I'd be happy to come! I went, I danced, watched the dancers in their Union Jack ties, made some new friends, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The "lounge" is well-designed, with a nice dancefloor and even seating for people who haven't paid a billion dollars! Got into a nice huddle with some very handsome boys and grinded away for hours!
Conclusion:
Many thanks to Mr. Colton for his expert advice! I easily saved $80 or so in cover charges and hours of time by following his guide, and massively increased my nightclub-confidence as well!
.
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