NEW YORK ADULT ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE Vol 1 Num 1 – 1984

The following is a scanned copy (visuals and text transcript) of the NEW YORK ADULT ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE, Volume 1 Number 1 from 1984. This is a fascinating time-capsule of the seedier side of New York City (mainly Manhattan, and typically mainly Mid-Town) in the decade before the Big Mouse started sniffing around town. I don’t think it’s a big stretch to suggest that a great number of entries were probably paid placements of one type or another, but so what? We get a list of a ton of sleazy joints that may have gone missing in the sans of time otherwise. A couple of items that struck me: first is the categories and what was placed in which category. For instance I would not have considered the PUSSY CAT GRAND CINEMA as an S&M Theatre…And the second thing that surprised me is the continued prevalence of 8mm loops and peep-machines, even into the mid-1980s. I would have thought that videos machines would have had a wholesale replacement by this time, but evidently not.

In any case, enjoy perusing these listings. Keep in mind that everything beyond this point is directly from the Guide, so if you find the order or titles or anything confusing or otherwise, don’t blame me, I’m just the messenger. Oh, and at the bottom there is a PDF of the original Guide, but bear in mind it has a lot of naughty pictures in it…
-Spicy

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Text Version

Every day, all across this fair land of ours, countless legions of men hop into taxis and ·ask the drivers some form of the classic question: “Where do you find the girls in this town?” Buttonholing cabbies is a venerable and effective way to track down the ladies or lady-related entertainment in most places, but not in New York. The problem here is size. The City is so large it would take a very long ride with a· fast talking and knowledgeable cabby to discover all the alternatives within New York’s vast world of adult entertainment. The aim of this guide is to cut New York down to size-a workable size in terms of finding what you seek in adult entertainment. If we may boast a bit, we feel the New York Adult Entertainment Guide is the most complete source book of adult entertainment every compiled on New York City. Written for both the resident New Yorker and visitor alike, the listings here are up-to-date, thorough and honest assessments covering the entire spectrum of Manhattan’s commercial sex industry. New York is widely understood to be a huge and expensive city. But that is only half the story. A beautiful thing about New York is the competition and thus the variety of choice that its size engenders. Because there are so many sources competing to sell you the same products and services, New York can be either the most or least expensive of cities. For instance, in Manhattan it is just as easy to find a $1,000 overnight dalliance as it is a $10 streetwalker-the choice is yours, and we’ll tell you where to look. Not only does New York offer the widest variety of adult entertainment, but it offers it at prices that are less-if you shop judiciously-than anywhere else in the nation. Because of the vast choice in most areas of adult entertainment, we will include as much background information as we deem it necessary to clarify each listing. Further, we will try to spell out the ground rules governing each scene, and include hat are, hopefully, interesting i sights in various aspects of New York’s ortd o commercial sex. In the overview, adult entertainment is alive and well in the Big Apple. r m a hi int in 1978 when there were er 200 se -related businesses in the Times Square area alone, a combination of factors as · ed this number down to less tha ha .r_ e factor was oversaturation-not e 1en -r·st-taden Times square could ac m a e 200 separate sex businesses. g ea e factor has been a series of City spo s e clean-up” campaigns involving ne and r hibitive zoning laws and City Go emmen pressure on the landlords of sex-re a ed usinesses. But New York is a liberal e · e lace, and there is a sort of “natural bala e hat exists between the forces of · m rali · and the City’s commercial sex i us rv. While massage parlors, porn st es a d o a lesser degree adult theatres ha e suffered declining numbers, ere as been a proliferation of Oriental ealth Clubs-in . effect, elaborate massage parlors staffed by Oriental women-which a e i recent years been springing up like ea sprouts all over town. consequently, toda s otal number of sex related businesses probably remains close to what it was in e late 1970’s. Because the vast majority of the City’s adult entertainment is centered here, this guide covers only anhattan. While our main focus is towards “straight” or heterosexual entertainment, we have also included a gay guide for those who are interested. Be assured however, that there is nothing abridged about our “straight” listi’ngs, which, again, are as thorough and honest as we can make them, and which contains the most to-date information available at press time. so, ·nuff said, read on, and enjoy!

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PEEPSHOW STORES

Since most porn stores in New York sell a combination of services, i.e., live and movie shows as well as reading matter, it can be a thin line indeed that separates the bookstore from the show store. The criterion used here to differentiate between the two categories, is whether a particular store specializes in the sale of reading matter or the sale of the erotic exhibition. The peepshow stores-though they also sell magazines, films and sex aids-emphasize the sale of the erotic exhibition, in all its forms. And in New York’s porn world, the erotic exhibition takes many forms. By far, the most prevalent. type of peepshow is the 8mm loop film, usually presented in a private booth in 25 cent installments. The price of viewing these ten to fifteen minute films runs upward of $3.00. Video “preview” booths offer excerpts from feature length porn films. The previews, shown on a TV-like screen, run about the same length as the loop films and cost at least as much to view. In most places entrance to a viewing booth is limited to couples or a single male at a time. But the cubicles are usually lockable, and once inside the patrons can do pretty much whatever they choose-short of destroying the booth. competition for the porn dollar is rigorous in New York, so there are many variations on the prototype 8mm /video peepshow. Many stores offer a circular configuration of booths surrounding a stage on which either a stripshow or live sex acts are performed -usually accompanied by earsplitting disco. An offshoot of this are the grope booths. unlike the strip or sex act booths, the glass separating the patron from the performer has been removed in the girl-grope booths, and the girls, either nude or close to it, allow themselves to be fondled through the opening at the rate of about $1 a minute. Since the metal curtains in these booths tend to descend like a slow motion guillotine, the patron must either feed the appratus continual quarters or make a hasty retreat with his arm. A further variation is the on-one” booths. costing a dollar per minute, the one on one booths feature a floor to ceiling plexiglass shield and a . phone with which to converse with the nude. girl on the other side of the glass. That about covers the current state of the art in Manhattan’s porn peeping world.

The peepshow stores:

• SHOW WORLD CENTER 669 8th AVENUE AT 42nd STREET. Open 24 hours, daily <247-6643). It was an awesome ic vision that conceived this four-floored peeper’s dise. Within this complex there are no less than eight 8mm loop film booths, twenty-one video booths, three live sex shows, five one-on-one girl booths, a sizable sex aid store and a S6 admission theatre featuring various porn stars in review. During the day the place resembles a ·cross between Grand central station and a sexual carnival. There is a S1 admission charge in the form of four non-refundable peepshow tokens.
• BLACKJACK 210 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th . AVENUES. Open 24 hours, daily . A purposely sleazy atmosphere in which there are forty 8mm loop film booths on the first floor along with a sizeable selection of magazines, 8mm films, video movies, sex aids and a separate room housing gay magazines, films and paraphernalia. Upstairs can be found another series of booths surrounding a stage on which up to half a dozen girls offer body groping at the standard rate of S1 a minute. Blackjack occasionally offers live sex shows upstairs and there are seven o n e girl booths. The horseshoe configuration of film booths downstairs happens to be a wide open gay cruising zone frequented by every form of Times Square hustler including felonious looking male hookers, drag queens and the undefinable.
• LES GIRLS 132 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 6th AND 7th AVENUES. Open 24 hours, daily (391-0006>. A three-floored voyeur’s supermarket second in size only to SHOW WORLD. Besides a large, well-stocked bookstore featuring most of the latest in magazines, books, 8mm films, video movies and sex aids, LES GIRLS offers fifty-three private 8mm loop film booths, seventeen video booths, twelve one-on-one girl booths and a live sex show on the third floor. There is a $1 admission charge in the form of four non-refundable peepshow tokens.
• ROXY BURLESK 247 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th AND 8th AVENUES. Open 24 hours, daily (no phone). Burlesk is about the last theme you will find shown in ROXY’S thirty-nine private 8mm loop film and nine video booths. There is also a substantial selection of magazines, books, 8mm films, video movies and sex aids.
• PEEPLAND 228 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Open 24 hours, daily (no phone). PEEPLAND, as it’s name implies, enthusiastically sells the erotic exhibition via seventy-two spacious and private 8mm loop film booths spread out over two huge floors. The loop films at PEEPLAND tend to be the newest imports on various fetish themes. There is a small bookstore on the first floor.
• VIDEO RAMA PEEPSHOW 1487 BROADWAY BETWEEN 42nd & 43rd STREETS. Of all the stores we visited to compile this guide, only one was uncooperative: VIDEO RAMA. “What’s in it for me?” the manager demanded when asked his hours of operation and phone. If the management is this negative towards free publicity, we have to believe they will have a similar negative attitude towards their clientele. A good place to avoid.
• SHOW FOLLIES CENTER 711 7th AVENUE BETWEEN 47th & 48th STREETS. Open 24 hours, daily (no phonel. Another large complex featuring a store with a representative selection of magazines, books, 8mm films, video movies and sex aids. Three forty-eight private 8mm loop film booths, twenty-nine video booths, a strip act peepshow, a live sex act peepshow, fourteen one girl booths, featuring, it must be said, some of the best looking girls in Times Square, and a theatre review sometimes featuring porn film stars at $6 admission. There is also a $1 admission charge to the complex in the form of four non-refundable peepshow tokens.
• SHOW CENTER 1605 BROADWAY BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 24 hours, daily (581-1964>. Yet another large, modern store offering a comprehensive selection of magazines, books, 8mm films, video movies and sex aids, as well as fifteen private 8mm loop film booths, fifteen video booths, fifteen one girl booths, a live strip peepshow, and upstairs, a live sex show theatre at $5 admission. There is a $1 admi.ssion charge in the form of four non-refundable peepshow tokens.
• VIP BOOKS 21 ANN STREET, BETWEEN BROADWAY & NASSAU STREETS. Open Monday through Friday 9:30AM till 6PM, Saturday 10AM till 3PM (766-8641). Also known as the TWIN TOWERS ADULT SHOWCASE, this store services the notoriously horny legions of investment people in the City’s financial district. It is a two-floored store with a large and current selection of magazines, books, 8mm films, video movies and sex aids. There are twenty-four private 8mm loop film booths, eleven video booths and a live strip peepshow on the 2nd floor.

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STREETWALKERS

New York City-give or take a It is estimated that there are !i. I 60,000 prostitutes working in few thousand. That, by any yardstick, is a lot of hookers. she may well try to make up The reasons are simple the difference out of your enough: New York has the pocket-if she thinks she can liberal attitude, the size, the get away with it. For instance, tourists and the money to if a street strumpet insists on accommodate a huge trade in pulling your pants all the way commercial sex. Of the total down while delivering a of prostitutes the largest curbside blowjob, it does not percentage, perhaps the exactly mean she is the majority, are streetwalkers. In passionate type; more likely short, the streets of New York she intends on rifling through may not be lined with gold, your pockets while you’re but some of them are lined occupied. Hotel trysts are with hookers-you just have generally safer than car to know where to look. There couplings, but this depends are over a dozen streetwalker on the hotel and the girl. cruising zones or “strolls” in some larcenous hookers work Manhattan that we will name in pairs. One girl will follow and define. But first, here are you to your room and while some basic ground rules for you are preoccupied with her dealing with streetwalkers in partner, she will sneak in and New York. go through your pant·s First and foremost, never pockets. The fact is, no matter trust a streetwalker you have how difficult it may be, with just met. street hustling in hookers you have to mix Manhattan is a dangerous vigilance with sex. scene and its practitioners conversely, streetwalkers tend to be the toughest and have more to fear from you most adventurous prostitutes than you do from them. anywhere. While it is true that Virtually every veteran street most of them are not hooker has been raped, larcenous, it is also true that ripped off, assaulted, or, as is many of them work for most often the case-busted someone. Nearly all by the police. Bad judgement streetwalkers will swear on a can land a hooker in jail or stack of condoms that they cost her her life. Whores do not have a pimp.· count on internal sonar to Nevertheless, the majority of survive, and if their instincts them are pimped, and in tell them you may be a bandit, certain neighborhoods that I psycho or cop-they will not majority runs to about 99%. If go with you. The onus is on a girl’s pimp gives her a high the client to establish that he money quota on a slow night is as safe as milk. wresting money back from a hooker is something like trying to call back an orgasm once you’ve ejaculated. Pimped or otherwise, streetwalkers adhere to the following principles: 1> always get paid in advance; 2) never return money. You must establish in advance what you expect to get for your money. Rates are a various thing. some whores start the bidding at more than they expect to get, others exhibit their pride by never compromising their prices. Most will ask that you name a price first as a means to protect against a bust and on the chance that you might offer more than their bottom line. With all these rules and regulations what are the advantages of using a streetwalker? First, there’s price. streetwalkers are a bargain relative to massage parlor and call girls. second, there is availability and the chance to see what you will be jumping on before the fact. After all, a call girl is in effect, a blind date. Perhaps for some the factor of uppermost importance is the adventure of a tryst with a streetwalker, who are in a very real sense, the wildest women alive. Here is the list of Manhattan’s streetwalker zones.

CRUISING ZONES – THE EASTSIDE

• DELANCY STREET. walkers tend to gravitate to where they will be tolerated, which is to say, decaying or low or non-residential neighborhoods. The former is the case on Delancy, which runs across several impoverished neighborhoods in Manhattan’s Lower Eastside. The hooker zone extends north and south along Delancy roughly from the Bowery to Forsyth street, like one long outdoor supermarket for blowjobs. There is an A zone and a B zone. The A zone runs south down Cristie Street from Delancy. The girls here are primarily black, young, rambunctious, about 99% pimped and working on the quota system. The quota system goes like this: either the girl brings her pimp his quota-anywhere from S50 to S500-or she leaves town in a hurry. consequently, filching is common here. Prices start at about S15 for a curbside blowjob and a time spender is considered to be someone who will pay a girl about $30 to accompany him to the New Delancy Hotel for an additional s1o~a place that offers complimentary cockroaches in every room. The B team hookers work one block east of Cristie on Forsyth Street north and south of Delancy. They are mainly independents, not pimped, generally less attractive than the A team, priced accordingly and perhaps less larcenous.
• 14th STREET & 3rd AVENUE. The hooker stroll starts at 14th Street and runs down 3rd Avenue to about 7th street. Only here you can find a garishly attired ing homosexual hooking next to a six-months-pregnant woman with a complexion like a mushroom pizza. But by and large, this area is worked by a racially-balanced mix of hookers, many of whom are second and third generation whores working the same corners for years. Most of them are drug addicts of some sort and they are basically a good natured crew without either the energy or inclination necessary to rip Off the Clientele. The $10 blowjob lives on 14th Street and most of the girls will do anything in a car from between S15 and $25. Arriving on foot? No problem. The local flea bag hotel on 14th street is safe if nothing else at s12. Note that the gay dressers working here look deceptively feminine from a distance, but close scrutiny reveals bulging muscles and baritone voices. It is advisable to maintain a tactful manner with the crossdressers as they tend to become hysterical when rejected.
• LEXINGTON AVENUE-23rd TO 34th STREETS. There are many low or non-residential neighborhoods on Eastside Manhattan in the 20’s and 30’s that at night function as pockets of prostitution. Lexington Avenue between 23rd and 34th Streets is just such a place, and the girls here are somewhat more attractive than their downtown colleagues and slightly higher priced. The greatest concentration can be found between 23rd and 28th streets. The girls are young, primarily black and aggressive. It is common practice here for a girl to sashay up to a car, reach through the window and fondle the driver’s crotch. Rather than a display of lust, this-is a means to determine if a prospective trick is carrying a wad. They will ask for S25 or S30 but generally settle for S15 or S20 in the car. The bidding for hotel “dates” begins around S50, but most will settle for S30 or $40, and since the local roach-ranch hotels have been closed (probably by the Board Of Health> the girl will lead you to the Hotel senton on 27th Street west of Broadway where the room tab is S12.
• PARK AVENUE-23rd TO 34th STREETS. Running parallel to Lexington Avenue, the Park Avenue hooker zone starts around 9PM, is running full tilt by midnight, and continues till dawn. Up to several dozen racially mixed trollops slightly better dressed and healthier looking than the girls on Lexington work here, and again, the main tion can be found between 23rd and 28th streets. A fast fling in the Hotel senton runs from S40 to S50 and most girls will deliver frontseat pipejobs for about S20. Like the Lexington Avenue girls, the Park Avenue hussies are heavily pimped, and hence should not be trusted further than you can stretch a condom. The neighborhood, however, is relatively safe.
• GRAND CENTRAL STATION AND NORTH ON LEXINGTON AVENUE. Due to the railway station and the numerous hotels that dot Lexington Avenue up here, the area is subject to intense police scrutiny. But it is an urban law of nature that where there are tourists there shall also be whores. so, beginning around 11PM or midnight, once the commuter traffic is gone, the all-night ladies come out. The hookers here are a mixed bag. Many work in the direct vicinity of the hotels hoping to trick in your room for S50 or better. Others, as local residents will testify, are not above delivering a doorway blowjob for considerably less than $50. Because of the police vigilance it is one of the safer zones, but for the same reason it is also erratic in terms of finding hookers.
• 86th STREET, LEXINGTON TO 1st AVENUES. East 86th Street goes against the normal criteria for a hooker zone in that it is both a prosperous and heavily residential area. But there is a dichotomy here that mixes the rich and celebrated with the poor and prurient. For instance, Elaine’s at 87th and 2nd Avenue is one of the main celebrity outs in the City. over the course of a drink at the bar one can witness a year’s worth of wet dreams sail through Elaine’s doors in the form of beautiful women. Meanwhile, a block south on 86th street, there are also women to be admired-less beautiful but much more available. The theatres and niteclubs on 86th attract a crowd of black and hispanic kids from Harlem and Spanish Harlem; along with them come black and hispanic hookers to work the niteclub and singles· bar trade from the neighborhood. The hookers can be found lurking in doorways and, later on in the evening, strolling along 3rd Avenue north of 86th Street. The girls mainly perform in cars, your hotel room or apartment, though some are not adverse to delivering a hallway blowjob. Prices start at around S20 and range upward to S50 and more. Again, because this is a healthy, respectable neighborhood, it is heavily patrolled, and so the hookers appear and disappear sporadically.

CRUISING ZONES – WESTSIDE

• GREENWICH, WASHINGTON & WEST STREETS-SOUTH OF 14th STREET. If transsexuals, transsexuals are your thing, then this is your place. Although this section of Greenwich Village is the heart of New York’s gay bar and cruising zone, transsexual and crossdressing male hookers also ply their trade here. The main concentration generally works along Greenwich at Bethune and on west street facing the Hudson River, but they can also be found on Washington and side streets south of 14th street. Price is negotiable-beginning at S10 and working up-or down to nothing if one of the shemales takes a liking to you. However, it is advisable not to trifle with the she-males since they combine the wildness of the wildest of hookers with the strength of a man. occasionally one finds a natural born female hooking in this area, but don’t count on it.
• 23rd STREET & 8th AVENUE. Sporadically, a few Times square hookers wander down here and set up street corner shop. They are generally more dead than alive in appearance and will perform in cars for as little as S10 or S15. This is not a steadily reliable area and unless you’re in the hood it is not worth a special visit.
• 8th AVENUE NORTH OF 42nd STREET. This section Of 8th Avenue is the sleaze trap for all of Times Square. It is also where the City’s most ruthless pimps launch the City’s youngest streetwalkers into careers in prostitution. But young here does not necessarily mean beautiful. Drug addled teenagers with sixteen-year-old faces going on fifty cruise 8th Avenue soliciting passerbies with the traditional hooker euphemism: “Want a date?” A “date” runs anywhere from S25 to S50-or whatever the girl can find in your wallet. Be forewarned that this area is also a supermarket for stolen credit cards and ID papers freshly filched by hookers from their clients and hawked on the street by their pimps or the girls themselves. Theoretically there is a risk factor in simply walking up 8th Avenue, much less dealing with any of its habitues.
• 9th AVENUE SOUTH OF 42nd STREET. Another crossd resser zone, 9th Avenue and 42nd, resembles the set of a Fellini film in the early morning hours when the she-males routinely bare their silicone breasts to passing traffic, and when the most brazen of them can be seen stooped over drunken teenagers rendering jobs on the sidewalk. Prices start at S10, but again be forewarned that this is a crazed, often vicious and fearless crew. During serious crackdowns when the entirety of Times square is prostitute-free, one can still find several of these creatures peddling selves on 9th Avenue. The local hotels, like the Elk, where some of the she-males· live, are about as safe as a minefield.
• 42nd STREET & 10th, 11th & 12th AVENUES. Being a desolate section of Midtown, the police allow hookers to work here with relative impunity. once this area was the home of the most woebegone hookers in the City, a place where sex sold for as little as S5. Nowadays a healthier looking crop of hookers are working these streets in ever increasing numbers as the City continues its “Clean Up Times Square” campaign. The main concentration of girls rent their bodies on 11th Avenue between 40th and 45th Streets. Most of them prefer tricking in cars, charging $15 or S20 for a blowjob and $30 or S40 for intercourse. If you insist on a bed, they will lead you to the Hideaway Chateau at 14th street and 10th Avenue for S17 a pop-so to speak.
• 40th STREET AT THE LINCOLN TUNNEL. Since a large percentage of the walker clientele drives in frnm New Jersey, there are usually several hookers strutting their stuff in greeting at the exit to this tunnel. The girls are not necessarily better looking, safer or less expensive than the rest of their Times Square sisters-just a little smarter.
• THE AMERICANA & HILTON HOTELS. Many Of the most attractive and certainly the best dressed and most expensive streetwalkers in Manhattan cruise the vicinity of these two hotels-which is to say, 6th and 7th Avenues beginning in the lower so·s and ranging up to and including 57th street. These are strictly low profile tarts, tastefully dressed (evening gowns are not unheard of>, cruising so discreetly that it requires a second look to determine with certainty that they are ladies of the evening. If you’re lucky, prices start around sso but average closer to S100 for a tryst in your hotel room. some of these ladies are quite attractive, but good looks and decent clothes notwithstanding, they are still hookers and hence you still should mix vigilance with sex.
• BROADWAY FROM 86th TO 96th STREETS. Here on the intellectual Upper Westside resides a sizable biracial hooker stroll. Many of the trollops live in the neighborhood north of 96th street, a drug marketplace, high crime area. While the girls are not generally larcenous, many other people in the area are-so caution is the byword. Actually the hookers are a bit better looking than average, and frontseat head goes from between S15 and S25 with the old in-and-out ranging up from about S30. For those who do not wish to spring for the S12 tab at the Notre Dame or central Hotels, many of the hookers will fuck in the local S3 parking lot.

ADULT MOTELS/HOTELS

The following places cater to lovers in a hurry-a three hour hurry, to be precise.

• HIDE-A-WAY CHATEAU, 500 WEST 14th STREET. (741-2333) The HIDE-A-WAY MOTEL is literally surrounded by sex. Within eyesight of their front door, hookers ply their trade along west street and the Hudson River. What’s more the WAY itself resides above THE ANVIL, an on-premises gay bar. The rate is S15 for three hours with an additional charge of S3 if you want them to pipe adult movies into your room. There is a S25 to $31 overnight charge for the few rooms they have available on this basis.
• SETON HOTEL, 144 East 40th Street. (889-5301 > Tucked away in the heart of Midtown, this moderate sized hotel charges S21.95 for three hours with room adult movies included in the price. Additional hours are S7 each. Hopefully security is better now than it was this past summer when a couple was robbed and raped in their room.

ESCORT SERVICES
Many of the better girls can be found via Manhattan’s multitude of escort services. The services are a mixed bag-some are simply call” businesses who will send a girl to your hotel or dence for anywhere between S80 and S200 an hour. Other services offer an entire ing’s companionship, or, as they call them “dinner dates” and “dinner-dancing dates” lasting for four to eight hours for a package price. However, most of the escort services fering “dinner dates” ulate that the lady only spends an hour or two of the time with you in what they term “privacy.” The of the services, as will be noted, limit the transaction to cash or travelers’ checks, though some will accept credit cards and personal or corporate checks. All of the services make elaborate claims as to the quality of their escorts, and many of the services further claim they can meet specific requests as to the appearance, ty and even educational ground of the escort. But few services will discuss their available escorts before you supply them with verifiable personal information. The rates quoted in the listing are for clients residing in tan only.

The escort services:

• AMBIENCE 406-2459. This service likes to boast of its high prices in its advertising, implying that their girls are worth it. Charging $200 per hour or $1,000 for eight hours. They accept cash, -Mastercard and Visa.
• ARISTOCRAT ESCORTS 628-3277. $150 per hour, $350 for three hours. The swing club rate is $250 for the hour minimum. cash only.
• BEL AIRE INTERNATIONAL 683-5715. $110 per hour cash or travelers· checks. Each additional hour same rate. CACHET II ESCORTS 874-1310. $160 per hour cash or travelers· checks. Each additional hour at the same rate. Swing club rate of $300 for the two-hour minimum.
• CAPRICE ESCORTS 737-3291. $160 per hour payable in cash or travelers· checks. Swing club rate of $320 for the hour minimum.
• CIRCUS ESCORT SERVICE 764-6119. $80 per hour, $400 per night, payable in cash only. They advertise atrixes available.
• DATING SERVICE 382-2560. This outfit runs a dating match-up and escort service from the same phone number. They will try to get your life story before imparting any mation. Not recommended.
• ELLE ENTERPRISES & ESCORTS 744-3838. They claim to have professional models, actresses and “career girls” at’ $300 for a two-hour minimum, each additional hour at S150. Dinner dates at $600, cash only. Their escorts will accompany but not swing with you at swing clubs.
• ELEGANTE 410-3036. $100 per hour, additional hours at the same rate. Two-hour minimum for swing clubs, cash only. EAST END ESCORTS 517-9666. s100 per hour for cash, $130 per hour using Visa or Mastercard. Minimum of two hours for swing clubs.
• EMPIRE ESCORTS 343-8991. s110 for the first hour, s100 for each additional hour or $1,000 for the night. swing clubs at $100 per hour, hour minimum. Cash only.
• FANTASY ESCORTS 734-2486. $125 per hour,· additional hours at the same price. hour minimum at swing clubs. cash or travelers· checks only.
• FINESSE ESCORTS 759-5052. $175 for the first hour, $150 for additional hours. They claim their escorts are all either students or career women. Four-hour dinner date at $500, 6 hour dancing date $750-all cash rates. Visa, Mastercard and personal checks accepted at higher rates. They will not go to swing clubs.
• INTERNATIONAL ESCORT SERVICE 765-7896. $250 for two-hour minimum; or “VIP ESCORT SERVICES hostesses” at $350 for two hours, or their top category: “models and actresses” at $500 for two and a half hours. They accept carte Blan_che and Diners Club cards but will not go to swing clubs.
• KATHY’S ESCORTS 946-8156, 9259. $100 per hour for each hour, cash or travelers· checks. $150 for the two-hour minimum at swing clubs.
• LE CHARM ESCORTS 421-4567. $120 per hour with the same rate for additional hours. cash only.
• MANHATTAN ESCORT & GUIDE SERVICE 308-2462. $180 for the first hour, $150 for each additional hour. They accept Mastercard and Visa but will not go to swing clubs.
• MANHATTAN ESCORTS 307-7996. $200 for one hour or $300 for two hours. They accept Mastercard and Visa. Their escorts will accompany you to a swing club but they will not participate.
• MEETING ESCORT SERVICE 362-3876. $150 for the first hour and S100 for each additional hour. The swing club rate is $225 for a two-u r minimum. cash or tra elers· checks only.
• I UE ENTERPRISES -s . $125 per hour or e e tire night, Joel, the claims he founded the swing escort concept, and his rate is $180 for a two-hour minimum. NUANCE 874-1310. $150 per hour with additional hours at the same rate. They accept Mastercard, Visa or cash.
• NUMBER ONE PARK AVENUE 570-9040. $200 for the first one and a half hours, $100 for each additional hour. There is a 15% service charge for the use of Mastercard, Visa or American Express.
• PURLIE DE PARIS 420-1849. $175 per hour, $1500 overnight. They will go to swing clubs with a four-hour minimum at $200 per hour. They accept Mastercard and Visa.
• RENEE’S VIP ESCORTS 581-1948. Renee claims her escorts are “mostly aspiring actresses and models.” The charge is $300 for two hours or $600 for four hours. cash or half cash half personal or corporate check. They will not go to swing clubs.
• REGENCY ESCORTS 288-9150, 737-7303. $110 per hour with additional hours at the same rate. Two-hour minimum for swing club dates, cash or travelers· checks only.
• SAMMY SCHWARTZ’S ESCORTS AK8-4291. $100 per hour or $1,000 overnight. They accept cash only.
• SUPERIOR ESCORTS 362-3876. $150 for the first hour, $100 for each additional hour, six hours for S500, or twelve hours for S900. cash only.
• TINA’S ESCORTS 646-8156, 8030. $80 per hour for any number of hours. cash only. TRYST 532-6330. “Manhattan’s most expensive escort service” their ads boast. Actually, they get s200 for the first hour and $150 for each additional hour, making them only one of the most expensive services. cash only.
• VIP ESCORT SERVICE 223-0870. Their “student model” rate is S160 for the first hour; then their “exclusive models” at s200 for the first hour; or there is the “Ultra VIP” package of four to five hours of dining and dancing with one hour in “privacy” for $600, with an “exclusive model” $500, or a “student model” $400. The swing club rate is $320 for a two-hour minimum, cash or travelers· checks only. NOTE: The swing club rates listed above in most cases apply to the escort swinging only with you. While some services allow their escorts to fully participate in a group sex situation (usually for a higher fee>, others do not. You must inquire specifically with each service.

BURLESK

As all fans of the “art form” know, burlesk in the United States is going the way of the dodo bird and the 25C: beer. The situation is such in New York that there are now more gay strip theatres than straight ones. In fact, there is only one straight burlesk house in Manhattan. While several other places advertise burlesk, this is just a front for other activities-usually a dry hustle for drinks or an expensive bordello service.

However, New York’s one true burlesk theatre is quite a place:

• HARMONY THEATRE, 205 WEST 48th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY AND 8th AVENUE. Open Noon to Midnight Sunday through Thursday, till 2AM on Friday and Saturday <581-5314). Recently renamed from the Melody to the HARMONY THEATRE, Gotham’s only burlesque house occupies a second-floor corner location in the heart of Times Square. In the classic burlesque fashion, the HARMONY features a long T-shaped runway surrounded on three sides by about 100 seats, all of which afford a good view of the stage. From Monday through Friday they offer a traditional stripping program in which a rotation of seven girls disrobe down to the altogether in minute sets. The some of them second tion-include occasional porn stars and a number of girls who start their sets in elaborate Gypsy Rose style costumes. Then there is Mardi Gras. Limited nowadays to Saturday and Sunday, up to fifty panty-clad girls work the theatre on weekends mingling with the clientele-and we do mean mingling. Specifically, the ladies will sit on your lap and accept smooches and fondling at the rate of about $1 a minute. Although the “mingling” is limited to these tactile affections, it makes the HARMONY a busy place on weekends. The theatre’s “regulars” are fiercely loyal , and though they cover all age ranges, there is an abundance of senior citizens who apparently prefer an atmosphere in which they can schmooze young women to a checkers contest at the retirement home. Good for them! Admission is $6 dropping to $4 after 10PM on weekdays when they close at . midnight.

TOPLESS BARS
In New York City there are two types of topless bars: watching joints and clip joints. In a legitimate topless bar the price of a beer-anywhere from $2.50 to S4.00-allows you to sit in peace and watch the go-go girls strut their stuff. In the clip joints it is another story altogether. Preying primarily on tourists, the “dry hustle” joints, as they’re called, charge anywhere from $3 to $6 for what may well be a bottle of near beer. Then the big ripoff begins. The performers, when not on stage, function as B girls, soliciting the patrons to buy them drinks that can cost as much as $200 <for a bottle of S5 champagne, for instance). The police do constant battle with the clip joints, but some still manage to stay open, just one short step ahead of the law. In all topless bars, legitimate or otherwise, the girls will perform wearing at least a g-string and a no-touch rule is strictly enforced. Here we will list only the topless bars that, to the best of our knowledge, do not operate as tourist traps. But be aware that if you should buy a performer drinks in any topless bar, chances are excellent that you will be left holding a very large tab, not a woman.

• PUSSYCAT LOUNGE, WICH STREET AT RECTOR STREET. Open 11AM to 1AM weekdays only <952-9675). Buried deep within the financial district, the PUSSYCAT features a very long bar behind which up to three go-go girls perform against a backdrop of solid mirror. It is a bustling place, especially during lunch and the happy hours when patrons line up two and three deep at the bar. Beers are dispensed by leotard-wearing barmaids at $2.75 each and the go-go girls range from punk rock slutty through leggy and statuesque to damn near wholesome in appearance.
• BABY DOLL LOUNGE, 34 WHITE STREET AT CHURCH STREET. open 11 :30AM to 3AM, closed Sunday <226-4870). A relatively small bar with two stages but generally only one girl performing at a time. Lest the patrons should get any ideas from the smallness of the place, a sign reading; “Please Don’t Touch The Girls. Thank you, The Management.” hangs behind a stage. Beers cost $2.50 and service is polite, but there is an overall sullen feel to the place, perhaps caused by the semi-sinister looking regulars. The go-go girls range from mediocre to attractive in appearance.
• BILL Y’S TOPLESS, 729 6th AVENUE AT 24th STREET. Open 11AM to 4AM weekdays, 7PM to 4AM Saturday (989-3373). Another relatively small place where a bottle of beer cost S2.50, and where either one or two girls perform on a stage facing the bar and surrounded by tables. BILL Y’S tries hard to create a “neighborhood hangout” feel to their establishment. one sign offers a free beer to anyone with a ticket stub from a New York professional athletic team, other signs announce upcoming holiday parties at which there are various raffles and giveaways. The go-go girls range from lewd looking to very attractive in appearance.
• GOLDEN DOLLAR TOPLESS, 7th AVENUE BETWEEN 41st & 42nd STREETS. Open 10AM to 4AM. A large but dingy place that has managed to maintain that sordid ambience for which Times Square is world famous. A monolithic bouncer/ maitre’d greets customers at the door, and equally serious looking barmaids dispense beers at $3. 75. After a purchase, patrons are left to watch one or two looking go-go girls do their number on a short runway that faces the bar. on the way out-in fact, on the way in as well-the patron will probably be accosted by a number of hookers who linger by the door and asked if he’d like a “date” in the neighboring Hotel National. Buyer beware.

S&M THEATRE

A sort of “bondage chic” swept the country in the late 70’s, peaking around 1980. While the Rolling stones sung When the Whip comes Down, fancy stores started carrying metal-studded black fashions and sex magazines -began to tell us it was okay to role play as “master and slave.” Through all this, true S&M’ers-those who equate pleasure with pain-remained in terms of numbers, sexual 1%’ers, and the trend, like all other trends, died down. THEATRE Lisa De Leeuw However, today dabbling with S& is not nearly as much of a heavyweight taboo as it once as, and in ew York one direct legacy of “bondage chic” is a group of public S&M clubs for the whip and nipple clip trade-where previously there were none.

The clubs listed below offer theatre presentations on an S&M theme. some places, as noted, offer private sessions with dominant and sive members of their staffs,. . by appointment.

• LES SCENES, 436 WEST 18th STREET. Open 10AM to 3AM (989-3084>. occupying a large loft painted an appropriate black, LES SCENES main room contains a small, centrally located stage, an equally small juice and soda bar, a TV showing S&M video in front of about a half dozen tables and the usual obligatory array of stocks, hanging handcuffs, and saw horses. There is also an upstairs “dungeon room” and several first floor private cubicles for couples only, as Les scenes functions as an S&M swing club as well as offering theatre tions on Thursday and Friday nights. The show is a choreographed series of five or six vignettes that emphasize the erotic rather than the punitive aspects of S&M. That is, except when Mistress Honey is on stage (the head ballbuster and splitter at LES SCENES); then the show becomes ing. Females are admitted free; admission for single males is S10 on Wednesday, S15 on Saturday and S20 on Thursday and Friday nights.
• BELLE DU JOUR, CALL FOR ADDRESS (505-7817). Belle Du Jour, one of the best known, or most notorious, dominatrixes in the country,· runs her theatre and professional “dungeon” _in a mammoth midtown Manhattan loft, The theatre presentation, taking place at 9PM on Wednesdays only, encourages audience ipation and features three or four vignettes of decent quality. Of greater interest is the heavily choreographed walking tour of Bell’s elaborate “dungeon” wherein a half dozen slaves experience mini-doses of Belle and her staff’s wrath. Show admission is $5 for single females,, $25 for single males, and $30 per couple.
• MAGDA SADE’S, PLAYHOUSE 51, 51 WEST 19th STREET (989-8309>. Often running over two hours, Mada Sade’s Mirrors of sexuality show is the lengthiest S&M presentation in town. A sized stage is complemented by a small bar offering beer and wine and a comfortable grouping of candlelit tables. The show, which encourages audience participation at some point, suffers from a need for some serious editing. women free, single men $25, couples $30 for the show that takes place at 10PM on Tuesday and Thursday.
• THE CASTLE, CALL FOR ADDRESS (719-5907 or 354-1870>. Jay and THEATRE Diane Hartwell, formerly the publishers Of the S&M Express, continually produce the class act of New York S&M theatre. The decor of their Midtown loft and even the musical back-up reflects the same imaginative intelligence as the show, which numbers about a half dozen vignettes which range from light-comic through choreographed discipline to several dramatic, almost lyrical monologues. As a “believer” of thirty years standing, Jay Hartwell likes to precede the show with an articulate if lengthy apologia for S&M. But the atmosphere is loose enough so that after Hartwell ended one recent lecture with the words: “Have I forgotten anything?” a voice backstage responded: “Yeah, the score of the 1952 All Star game!” Following the show, the house dominants and submissives line up on stage inviting audience participation. Private sessions with members of the staff are available by appointment. Admission to the show, which takes place at 9PM on Wednesdays only, is $25 for single males, and $30 per couple.
• EULENSPIEGAL SOCIETY, 25 EAST 4th STREET. 7PM to 10PM on Monday nights (477-6588>. Meeting at various Manhattan locations since 1971, the EULENSPIEGAL SOCIETY is the oldest public S&M “club” in New York. Though basically a discussion group focusing on S&M and sexual fetishism, the second part of the Eulenspiegal’s weekly meeting usually includes some comic to serious skits on S&M life and/ or strations on different aspects Of fetishism. The SOCIETY also hosts seasonal parties open to the public. Admission to the weekly meeting is $2.
• FRISCO THEATRE, 7th AVENUE BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 1 OAM to 2AM (265-1413>. A small but clean and attractive theatre with only one program: Deep Throat and Devil in Miss Jones. Thanks to the steady influx of tourists who have not seen these two porn classics, the FRISCO has been able to show them steadily for at least the last 5 or 6 years, and probably will continue to show them into the 21st century. Admission is $6. Ł
• DOLL THEATRE, 7th AVENUE BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 10AM to 1AM (764-9099). A very small theatre with its seats arranged around a stage on which live sex shows take place on an hourly basis. The DOLL also offers two third run porn films for its admission price of $5.
• BILL & DEBBIE’S FUNDGEON, 488 8th AVENUE NEAR 34th STREET. 2nd floor. (279-3332, 279-3320) The latest ant for the whip and nipple clip trade. once weekly S&M theatre and video takes place on Tuesday evenings ning at 9PM. Private sessions available at prices starting at $100 in their eight ped session rooms. Show admission is $25 for males, ladies admitted free.
• CIRCUS CINEMA, BROADWAY BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 10AM till 2AM <489-9290). A moderately large and well maintained theatre showing one first run good quality porn feature at $6 admission.
• PUSSY CAT GRAND CINEMA, BROADWAY BETWEEN. 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 1 OAM to 2AM (582-2725). “A large, attractive theatre as clean and well maintained as any “legitimate” movie house. The Pussycat Grand shows a single top of the line porn feature at $6 admission. The. management of this place goes so far as to occasionally spring for a “premier party” at which the day’s patrons get a few free drinks and a chance to ogle porn stars in the flesh. A class act as porn theatres go.
• PUSSYCAT CINEMA II, BROADWAY BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 1 OAM to 1AM <582-0883). Next door and downstairs from the PUSSYCAT, a smaller theatre with a smaller screen but equally well maintained and also showing one first run porn feature at $6 admission.
• WORLD THEATRE, 49th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY & 7th AVENUES. Open 10AM to 2AM, Friday & Saturday 10AM to 3AM (757-9550). About the oldest continually running adult theatre in New York, recently moved from its original location several hundred yards down 49th street, to its present locale. But still showing a single first rate, first-run porn feature in a clean environment for $6 admission.
• HAREM THEATRE, 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Open 24 hours <868-5585). A. 220 seat theatre right in the heart of the 42nd street honky tonk. The HAREM Offers the relative bargain of two first-run if lesser quality porn features for $5 admission. Open around the clock, but considering the late night types who frequent 42nd Street, the HAREM might not be the wisest place to be at 4AM.
• RIALTO II, 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Open 9:30AM to 1AM <221-9003). Yet another bargain house offering three second or third run porn features for $3 admission in a roomy, relatively clean environment. VICTORY THEATRE, 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Open 9AM to 1AM (730-0324). Another bargain house offer three second-run to ancient porn features for $3 in a spacious theatre of attractive baroque design. Again, because of its location on 42nd street, one is liable to encounter some strange cr~atures here, especially during the late evening hours.
• EASTWORLD, 1st AVENUE BETWEEN 61st & 62nd STREET. Open 10AM to midnight <688-1717). The Upper Eastside’s only porn theatre is a smallish place with a matching screen. It is, however, clean, attractive, and features a single state of the art, first-run porn film at $6 admission.

PORN THEATRES

While a few theatres have fallen· by the wayside in recent years, there are still no less than twenty heterosexual -porn movie houses in Manhattan. The theatres range from brand-new showcases featuring the latest in explicit films at S6, to ancient houses showing ancient films <grainy, shopworn movies dating back to the Dawn of Porn in the late ’60’sl in usually sleazy surroundings for as little as $1.99. With twenty theatres to choose from in Manhattan, competition for the porn movie-going dollar can be fierce. some theatres, as will be noted, offer live sex act shows between films or at hourly intervals. In the latest wrinkle, some theatres have, what are in effect, premises bordellos. women circulate through the aisles soliciting patrons for a “private show” at $10 or $15 that takes place in a room somewhere with in the theatre. However, once in the room, the girl will require a substantial tip to include you in the performance.” ally speaking, the tipping scale ranges between $20 and $60, and the girls tend to be rather aggressive hookers on hiatus from the streets. For obvious reasons we cannot specify exactly which theatres are currently running premises bordellos, but a little savvy and perhaps a phone call or two should lead you to paydirt. Bear in mind that some theatres routinely change their prices and formats overnight, and that this will particularly apply to bordello-theatres, which must respond to police pressure.

And so here is the list of Manhattan·s feature length porn theatres:

• METROPOLITAN CINEMA, 14th STREET BETWEEN 2nd AND 3rd AVENUES. Open till midnight with late shows on Friday and Saturday nights <673-4004). A proudly and adamantly sleazy place with a men’s room right out of a janitor’s nightmare. The METROPOLITAN is unique among porn theatres in that it attracts a straight and gay crowd. The straights come to view the three second run to ancient hetero porn films on the weekly program, the gays come to cruise the entire complex, especially the balcony, with relentless enthusiasm. Gays outnumber straights here, and as in many gay establishments, a sign reading: “Beware of pockets” hangs in the lobby. From the looks of some of the clientele, this is sound advice. Admission: S3.
• VARIETY PHOTOPLAYS, 3rd AVENUE BETWEEN 13th & 14th STREETS. Open 9AM to midnight <no phone). A small but reasonably well maintained theatre showing two second run or older porn films at the ultra bargain price Of $2.00. Like the METROPOLITAN, only less so, the balcony is a gay cruising zone attracting a motley array of crossdressers and what appears to be the overflow crowd from the neighboring JEWEL all male theatre. CINEMA 14, 3rd AVENUE BETWEEN 14th & · 15th STREETS. Open Sunday through Wednesday 10 AM to 10:30PM, Thursday through· Saturday 1 0AM to SAM (473-4994). A tiny theatre seating less than a hundred people, which tends to change its format with great regularity-from 16mm loop films to feature length movies, from live strip acts to no strip acts, etc. Admission is $3.
• CAMEO, 8th AVENUE BETWEEN 44th & 45th STREETS. Open 10AM to midnight (246-6696). A large, busy theatre which shows three third run to ancient porn films for the cheapest price in town: S1.99. Because of its size and bargain price, the CAMEO tends to be a shelter for the Times Square hordes, including the most boisterous collection of drag queens in the western. Hemisphere. The she-males congregate in the CAMEO’S balcony, and their raucous chatter often succeeds in drowning out the movie soundtrack.
• VENUS CINEMA, 8th AVENUE BETWEEN 45th & 46th STREETS. Open 10AM to 7AM (246-6696). A small, dark and dingy theatre of about 150 seats which shows three third run to ancient porn films on bad equipment. When we visited the VENUS the floor Of the lounge area was flooded and the sign in the lobby reading: “Do not throw rubbish on the floor” was being totally ignored. Admission is S3 till midnight then ss. CAPRI, 8th AVENUE BETWEEN 45th & 46th STREETS. Open 10AM to midnight (581-4444). A few doors up the street from the VENUS, the CAPRI is slightly larger, cleaner and apparently better run, showing two second or third run porn films for $1.99.
• ORLEANS TH EAT RE, 4 7th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY & 8th AVENUES. Open 10AM to midnight (757-3503). Probably the best of the “bargain theatres,” the ORLEANS is a large, busy and well maintained cinema showing three films for S2.99. Since this place is part of a chain of theatres, ~at least one film on their weekly program comes direct from its New York premiere.

ORIENTAL HEALTH CLUBS
Oriental massage parlors, or “health clubs” as they call themselves, are a recent entrant into New York’s world of adult entertainment. Actually, some of the Oriental clubs had been in existence for years, but kept a low profile, garnering their exclusively Oriental clientele by word of mouth and ads in c h i n es e -I a n g u a g e n e w s -· papers. Then, around 1980, one place took out ads in English to attract occidental men; soon afterwards, several other clubs followed suit. The ads met with such success that Oriental health clubs have been springing up all over town ever since-an explosion that, apparently, has not yet peaked. Ł The health clubs offer relaxation in an unhurried atmosphere, which generally includes drinks, a accupressure massage, body shampoo, and an opportunity to satisfy some of your “China girl” fantasies. Actually, the vast majority of the women in the health clubs are Korean, with a smattering of Japanese, Thais and Filipinos. Shiatsu massage, of 20th century Japanese origin, is based on a principle of applying pressure to no less than 660 body zones where blood vessels, nerves and glands concentrate. For those who have never experienced Shiatsu, it must be said that some aspects seem as if they were lifted out of a medieval torture manual-such as when the attendant cracks your finger and toe joints and walks across your body-but the overall effect should be quite relaxing. Unfortunately, many of the girls in the Oriental health clubs are unskilled at giving Shiatsu, so if you find your attendant is half-killing you, don’t hesitate to tell her to knock it off. She probably won’t mind at all. Broadly based on the Japanese Geisha ritual, the program at the Oriental health clubs goes something like this: A “session” or admittance costs around $30. You will be instructed to leave your shoes by the front door and led to a locker room to disrobe. Then you will be led to the sauna; usually following this one of the attendants will give you a head and body shampoo. In many places you will be served a drink at this point and be allowed to select your masseuse from however many girls are which may range anywhere from two to fifteen, depending on the place and the time of day. However, in some health clubs you will be assigned an attendant with no recourse of choice. Appearance-wise the women range from average to highly attractive, and again, they are mostly Korean. Tipping is a requirement. The $30 sessio fee only entitles you to e use of the facilities a shampoo and massage-a else must be negotiated i the girl. Generally spea · the tipping scale $25/$50/$75, dependi g the service requested. these figures are flexible a depend on the indivi further, you may find that certain girls do not wish t perform certain services. I short, it is necessary to negotiate the tip before the massage. Here is some further advice concerning the oriental health clubs. It is always best to call before going to a specific place since the police have been periodically raiding some of the clubs. usually a raided club reopens within a day or two, but it may initiate a “no tipping” policy until things cool down. so, you should ascertain that tipping · is permitted before visiting. What’s more, certain places exhibit a strong preference for oriental clientele-namely Chinese and Japanese businessmen over non Orientals. They will serve you in these places, but you may be accorded less than royal treatment. The attitude of the hostess over the phone or in person should indicate whether or not you are welcome. But by and large, and despite these problems, Oriental health clubs offer a leisurely and unique means of total relaxation.

The health clubs:

• CHANG’S HEAL TH CLUB, 127 WEST 28th. ST. 2nd FLOOR. <695-2199> Brand new at press time, CHANG’S is open 24 hours daily and charges a S30 entrance fee which entitles the patron to a body shampoo and massage. They offer a sauna and claim to have 5-7 girls on duty.
• CHOPSTICKS ORIENTAL HEALTH CLUB, 138 5th AVENUE AT 19th STREET, FOURTH FLOOR. Open 10AM to 2AM daily (989-8779). A bold sign above the street entrance proclaims the existence of this club to the world. Inside, ten or more above average to extremely attractive attendants sit boldly with arched backs along a lengthy couch hoping to be selected by each prospective patron. A spacious, bustling and well run health club, which offers a steam room, suana, body shampoo and massage for the S30 entrance fee. Tipping ranges from moderate to high here.
• ITZHI BAN JAPANESE HEAL TH CLUB, 44 WEST 56th STREET, FIFTH FLOOR. Open Monday through Saturday 11AM to 2AM (582-6197). on a high toned street, ITZHI BAN is an ultra low profile place with absolutely no identification in or on the building. It is a small set-up with sauna, staffed by four or five girls where S30 nets you a body shampoo and a decent accupressure massage. Though small, service is friendly and moderate tipping completes the deal.
• JAPANESE HEAL TH CLUB, 224 WEST 49th STREET, ROOM 203 IN THE HOTEL CONSULATE. Open 11 AM to Midnight Monday through Saturday (765-2845, 307-0666>. on the second floor of this respectable Times Square hotel, the JAPANESE HEAL TH CLUB features a steamroom, sauna and whirlpool within its Ja pa nese-styl e maze-Ii ke interior. The $35 session fee includes a body shampoo and shiatsu massage from one of the half dozen friendly Korean or Japanese attendants. You will be assigned an attendant unless you specifically request the right to select one.
• JUN ORIENTAL OF NEW YORK, 35 WEST 57th. ST. Open 11AM to 2AM. (355-0250> Another · brand new Oriental health club, JUN gets S35 for a one hour session which includes use of the sauna along with a body shampoo and massage. They claim to maintain a staff of 8 attendants.
• KOREAN HEAL TH CLUB, 604 5th AVENUE AT 49th STREET, FIFTH FLOOR. THE KOREAN HEAL TH CLUB, also known as SALON DE SEOUL is housed anonymously in a small medical building on the most fashionable business section of 5th Avenue. The $30 entrance fee entitles the patron to a massage, use of the sauna but no body shampoo. Anywhere from two to five average looking to above average attendants lay sprawled around in a cramped and rather unattractive decor, waiting to be selected.
• MA YA KY HEALTH CLUB, 45 EAST 28th STREET. Open 11AM to 2AM Monday through Saturday <689-9434>. one of the oldest and busiest of the Oriental Health Clubs, MA YA KY’S drab panelled interior does not impress the eyes nearly as much as their attendants. About ten girls of above average to highly attractive appearance, wait to be selected in a front room. The $30 entrance fee gets you the customary massage but no body shampoo. There is a sauna and at times a masseur to give Swedish massage. Tipping runs a bit high here, matching the quality of the girls. ·
• MIYAKO CLUB, 156 EAST 23rd STREET, SECOND FLOOR. Open 11AM to 3AM, daily (505-8089). one of the newest of the Oriental clubs, MIYAKO offers a steamroom, whirlpool, sauna and workout room along with the massage and body shampoo for a $30 entrance fee. The attitude is friendly and there are generally up to ten girls wandering through the spacious and attractive premises to choose from.
• NEW WORLD ORIENTAL CLUB, 166 EAST 28th STREET, SECOND FLOOR. Open 11AM to 3AM, daily (696-5911, 679-8322>. NEW WORLD is the only oriental club in town currently offering outcall meaning they will send a girl to your hotel or residence. In house, the facilities are limited to sauna and showers, but are tastefully-if isively-decorated. The entrance fee of $30 entitles the patron to a massage, body shampoo and his choice from among up to eight attendants.
• ORIENTAL HOUSE, 26 EAST 23rd STREET, SECOND FLOOR. Open 11AM to 3AM, daily (254-7109). Only a tiny sign by the bell identifies this health club, which, though housed in a dingy building, offers a comfortable steamroom and sauna within its truly huge_ premises. They are flexible here. The hostess may well tell you that the first session costs $35 and the second $25, but if you hesitate she will quickly lower the price to $30. over, discounted ships are available and the patron has his choice of attendant, with eight or more generally being available.
• ORIENTAL STAR HEAL TH CLUB, 38 WEST 28th STREET, THIRD FLOOR. Open 11AM to 3AM daily (684-8204). Nestled within a commercial building, APPLE is a dimly lit place offering a steamroom, suana, body shampoo and massage for the $30 entrance fee. The patron can choose from about a half dozen average to above average looking attendants. The layout is not overly attractive and the attitude can be brusque at times.
• SALON OKINAWA, 21 WEST 86th STREET, ROOM 301. Open Monday through Saturday 11AM to 11PM <580-9029). occupying a suite in the Br~wster, an apartment residence, SALON OKINAWA is a very small operation with usually only two attendants available. There is a small sauna, and massage-either shiatsu or Swedish-runs $30 per half hour or $50 an hour. The attendants will respond to moderate tipping.
• SALON 27, 22 WEST 27th STREET, NINTH FLOOR. Open 11AM to 2AM, daily (683-6832). SALON 27 is something of a bargain spot among health spas in that it is the only place in town that offers a body shampoo and massage for $20 with a coupon regularly published in the local tabloid newspapers. There is a sauna and about a half dozen average to very attractive attendants available by choice. A small but friendly place trying hard to please.
• SUKI ORIENTAL HEALTH CLUB, 35 WEST 57th STREET, FIFTH FLOOR. Open 11AM to 2AM, daily (355-0257, 355-0250>. YOU have to know exactly where you’re going when you’re going to SUKI, as there is no identification whatsoever in or on this residential-business building. Like several other health clubs in good borhoods, SUKI keeps an ultra low profile on high toned 57th Street. A small antique elevator disgorges you into an apartment-style complex where $35 gets you use of the sauna, a body shampoo and massage from the girl of your choice. Unlike some health clubs, English is spoken fluently here, and the attitude of the some of whom are extremely attractive-is polite. They claim to have up to fifteen girls during peak business hours.
• UNSET ORIENTAL HEAL TH CLUB, 235 7th AVENUE AT 23rd STREET, THIRD FLOOR. Open 11AM to 2AM, daily (989-9392, 989-9393). The management at SUNSET has created an attractive ambience by having the sense to run gentle music through the darkly illuminated premises. The S30 entrance fee includes the use of a sauna and steamroom as well as a body shampoo and massage. By request, the patron may choose from about a half dozen attendants of average to above average looks who will respond to moderate tipping.
• 13th STREET HEAL TH CLUB, 33 WEST 13th STREET. Open 11 AM to 3AM, daily (242-8273, 255-5364). one of the staffed places, you may choose from among their crew of a least ten attendants only if you request it. A hour session, which includes use of the sauna, a body shampoo and massage, runs $30. The attitude is friendly and polite but there can be language problems as apparently some of their staff has just arrived in the States. However, in the universal language of money, the tipping is moderate.
• TOKYO STOP, 14 EST 53rd STREET, SIXTH FLOOR. Open 11AM to 2AM, daily (752-3986). TOKYO STOP resides anonymously on the most floor of a business building where often the elevator is not working; so be prepared to climb stairs. The $30 entrance fee is good for a body shampoo and shiatsu massage; there is no sauna. The facilities are limited and the premises are somewhat cramped, but the attitude is friendly and there are between two and six average to quite attractive girls to choose from.
• YOKO’S HEAL TH CLUB, 53 WEST 29th STREET AT 6th AVENUE, SECOND FLOOR. Open 1 0AM to 3AM, daily (889-8454>. Formally known as the 29th STREET HEAL TH CLUB, YOKO’S was the first of the Oriental clubs to solicit occidental patrons. They still maintain one of the larger staffs among the clubs -anywhere from ten to fifteen girls-from which you may choose an attendant if you request it. The $30 entrance fee includes a steamroom, sauna, body shampoo and decent shiatsu massage on the cozy, small but well run premises.

MASSAGE PARLORS
A direct offshoot of the so called “sexual revolution” and originally a west coast phenomenon, the massage parlor made its first New York appearance at the tail end of the 1960’s-specifically, at the corner of 14th Street and 3rd Avenue. called the Pink orchid, it was a successful operation, so successful that within a year other massage parlors were opening in droves all over town. In fact, during the parlor the early to mid ’70’s-there were at least twenty-five such places in Midtown Manhattan alone. The parlors ranged from two room “mom and pop” sized affairs to sprawling complexes employing dozens of girls and calling themselves leisure spas. But where the City has failed to curb other areas of commercial sexuality, they have been successful in driving the original massage parlors out of business by passing licensing and zoning statures and by pressuring parlor landlords. Well, almost successful. It is difficult anywhere, particul~rly in a liberal city like New York, to totally remove a freedom already granted. so today we have the Oriental health clubs and a few holdovers from the original massage parlor era. The holdover parlors can primarily be found in-where else?-Times square. The last thing you will get in a 1980’s “massage parlor” is a massage. But you might get your shoes shined. Even in Times Square commercial sex enterprises must be discreet, and police-evasion ploys take many forms-most of them bizarre. Take the case of the Delicate Touch shoeshine parlor, formerly of west 42nd street. Ten bucks gained the patron admittance to a curtained-off shoeshine cubicle where, indeed, a girl did shine his shoes. But if the patron wanted her to take a shine to anything else, it cost _ considerably more, and the service took place inside the cubicle-somehow. Today the Delicate Touch is out of business, but other ments offering the · basic “massage parlor” service still exist, posing as everything from tanning salons to chess and checker studios. A few words of caution about the new “massage parlors.” These are bottom line places that operate on volume and offer a ‘minimum of quality at a minimal price. consequently, the health, honesty and perhaps even the sanity of the employees is questionable. Precautions should be taken in every respect.

The “massage parlors”:

• LE WORLD, 251 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES, THIRD FLOOR. (NO phonel A S2.99 admittance charge gains you entrance to the complex where ally one of about a half dozen a pathetic girls perform striptease on a small stage. When the girls are not dancing-which is most of the time-they are hustling the clientele to join them in a depressing room for a “private show” at S15. A moderate to substantial tip is required to make the “private show” a duet.
• TANFASTIC, 251 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES, FOURTH FLOOR. And assembly line sort of place posing for some reason as a tanning salon. The main burn here will occur in your wallet as the S17 admission charge gets you a choice from among five to ten mostly black and hispanic girls. The girls of your choice will lead you to a room so stark it makes the rooms downstairs at LE WORLD look like suites at the Plaza. once settled in the room, a moderate tip takes you the rest of the way. Goo·d luck.
• CUPID’S RETREAT, 210 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUE, SECOND FLOOR. CUPID’S RETREAT touts itself as a chess and checker parlor, and sure enough behind a plexiglass shield resides a huge chess board and two chairs. Behind the board reside three to six typical Times Square girls-tired looking women who seem to be on hiatus from the streets. “Chess lessons” here run S25 for 20 minutes-a rate for which you might expect to be instructed by Boris Spassky or Bobby Fisher. Instead, you can choose one of the girls who will lead you to a seriously depressing room where a moderate tip will complete the fee for your “instruction.”
• ROXY BURLESK, 244 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES, SECOND FLOOR. The S4 admisssion charge allows you into a theatre where at sporadic intervals live sex or strip acts take place. Rooms bordering the theatre are available with a girl for an additional S15 but nothing happens unless you give the girl a large tip. Be forewarned that the girls here are aggressive-even by 42nd street standards.
• NEW PARIS THEATRE, 1551 BROADWAY BETWEEN 46th & 47th STREETS. (NO phone) The S7 admission charge gets you into the complex, which at . first glance looks a lot like the HARMONY, New York’s only remaining legitimate burlesk house. But while the girls do take turns stripping on a stage, their main angle is to circulate through the audience soliciting patrons for the ever-popular “private show” in a small room at S15. A substantial tip is required once in the room. The girls here are a bit healthier looking than their 42nd street colleagues, and their prices reflect th is.
• 49th STREET PLAYHOUSE, 216 WEST 49th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY & 8th AVENUE. (NO phonel The S3 admission gains the patron entrance into a small, unkempt theatre showing ancient porn films or a live strip show. While you are viewing whatever is showing, you will be solicited by one of about a half dozen girls-again, healthier looking than those working on 42nd street-for a “private show” at the usual S15. A large to huge tip is required thereafter.
• 200 EAST 14th STREET, AT 3rd AVENUE, SECOND FLOOR. (NO phonel occupying the premises of what was the PINK ORCHID, the original New York massage parlor, 200 EAST 14th gets S15 to enter and choose among a half dozen rather tired looking but basically tame and well behaved women. The girl will lead you to a stark room where a moderate tip is required before anything further occurs.

EROTIC BOUTIQUES
The following stores purvey adult toys in all their varied forms-a ying-yang ment of nipple creams and nipple clips, lingerie and Whips, dildos and dirty movies, etc. The stores attract a coed clientele; in fact, if anything, some of the boutiques are geared towards women, who, ably, are leary of entering Times Square porn stores for their needs in sex aids. In any case, the ambiance within the erotic boutiques is appreciably better than that of any porn store we can think of.

The boutiques:

• THE PLEASURE CHEST, 156 7th AVENUE AT CHARLES STREET. Open noon to midnight, daily (242-2158). THE PLEASURE CHEST corporation, with branches in Philadelphia, L.A., Florida, Chicago and wash. o.c. has two stores in Manhattan, one on each side of town. The Westside store sells a wide variety of related items in a tasteful, low-key atmosphere. They carry creams, ointments and oils, about a mile of dildos and vibrators, lingerie, condoms, as well as greeting cards, books and video movies on both straight and gay themes. They also have a large selection of leatherware including masks, necklaces, cuffs harnesses and pants, most of which is manufactured in their Manhattan factory. They will even get you a genuine straight jacket on order for about $100-should you want one. They accept all major credit-cards except American Express. THE PLEASURE CHEST, 939 2nd AVENUE AT 49th STREET. Open noon to midnight, daily (371-4465>. The Eastside store is somewhat smaller than its Westside counterpart, but it carries a respectable selection of the same sex aids, including a dazzling array of lubricants and ointments such as “Orgy Butter,” “Joy Jelly,” “Elbow Grease” (for fistfucking, apparently>, and something called “Emotion which “Gets hot when you blow on it.” Moreover, they carry a selection of erotic prints and lithographs not available at the Westside store.
• PINK PUSSYCAT BOUTIQUE, 161 WEST 4th STREET OFF 6th AVENUE. Open 9AM to 2AM, daily (243-0077>. In direct contrast to the PLEASURE CHEST, the PINK PUSSYCAT sells its sex .aids with a great deal of razzmatazz. outside, a large neon sign proclaims you’re there; inside, splitting disco music plays over an extensive array of creams, ointments, massage oils, condoms, dildos and perhaps the largest assortment of powered vibrators in town. In addition, they stock lingerie, sexual novelties, a great deal of leatherware, inflatable rubber dolls, magazines, video movies and few 8mm loop films. They accept Mastercard and Visa.
• COME AGAIN EROTIC EMPORIUM, 246 EAST 51st STREET, BETWEEN 2nd & 3rd AVENUES. Operating for two years under this name, COME AGAIN is a smallish store packed with erotic goodies, including greeting cards, creams lotions and oils, dildos, vibrators, leatherware, whips and other S&M related items. Moreover, they carry a truly extensive selection of lingerie and one Of the largest collections of sexually-related books in the City-serious books, that is.
• THE NOOSE, 261 WEST 19th STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Tuesday to Saturday: 11AM to 10PM; Sunday: 1 PM to 10PM, closed Monday (807-1780>. Neat and to the point, the window display at THE NOOSE consists of a pink neon noose hanging against a background of black levelor blinds. Inside, there is the most extensive selection of S&M related leatherware in the_ City, most of it made by the owners on the premises. The quality is quite good and ranges from the usual S&M accoutrements to hand-made leather Levi’s-style jackets to custom-made pants. There is also a selection of ready-made leatherware, silver jewelry and accessories. The accent is on gay at THE NOOSE, bu anyone interested in s ware should check them They accept Ameri a …. Express.

Sw1Nc CLUBS
The concept of the premises sex club had its origin around 1974 in the bowels of the Kenmore Hotel on west 23rd Street. It was there that PLATO’S RETREAT had its modest beginning-at the Paradise Health Club within the Kenmore. Previously, local swingers Loni Sanders were confined to meeting at several Manhattan bars from where they would organize parties to take place in private residences or hotel rooms. In short, PLATO’S on-premises swinging concept was an idea whose time was long overdue, and their success was such that they soon moved up to much larger premises at the Ansonia Hotel, attracting national media attention and a number of imitators. Since then, Plato’s has again moved to even larger facilities, and about a half dozen other swing clubs continue to operate around town. In New York there are two types of swing clubs: those that require you bring your own women and those that don’t. The former clubs such as PLATO’S and LE TRAPEZE-admit only couples and single women except on specified nights. They do not care where you find your women, but they do keep track of her once you in other words, when your lady leaves, so must you: period. The other type of swing club-places such as AOUIESCE-admit single men as well as couples and single women. The management hires girls to entertain the single men. While couples and single women attend AOUIESCE, the majority Of people on any given night will be single men and hired help. Because they provide female companionship, they tend to charge more than the couples-only clubs. All of the swing clubs require that you take out a membership your first visit, which la anywhere from a month year and which involv_es a slight additional charge. Lately, with the herpes scare attendance has been down at the on-premises sex clubs both here in New York and across the rest of the nation. Even national swingers organizations concede that the number of swingers has dropped about 25% over the past several years. But as we know, the mating urge takes a backseat only to eating and breathing as a human drive, and so the swing clubs persevere. Besides, germs don’t attack healthy people, right? Right. The clubs vary in size, services and variety of facilities. some serve liquor and others don’t, some clubs cater to a specialized clientele such as S&M’ers, while others attract a more generalized crowd. But between all of the swing clubs, the visiting swinger should be able to find a New York scene that suits his or her needs.

The on-premises sex clubs:

• AOUIESCE Open Monday 4 to 11 PM, Tuesday to Thursday 6PM to 2AM, Friday & Saturday 8PM to 4AM (644-1020, 838-5206>. Call for address and reservation. AOUIESCE is oriented towards the single male and is located in an Eastside duplex set up to resemble a private swing party. Facilities on the first floor include a free bar with unlimited liquor, a good buffet, a checkroom for clothes, showers and a small dance floor. A jaunt up a spiral staircase leads to a small sauna and two swing one being limited to couples only, while the other larger room features porn videos and is open to all. AOUIESCE attracts a number of ples, the premises are clean, and there is a reasonable ance in the ratio of men to women. The admission for single males is $85, which drops to $75 if you choose to return within a month. couples are charged $40, which drops to S35 within a month, and the fee for single females is $10.
• CLUB OAT FANTASY MANOR, 31 WEST 21st STREET BETWEEN 5th & 6th AVENUES. Open Wednesday and Thursday · from 8PM to 1:30AM, Friday and Saturday from 9PM to 3AM (620-0807, 439-4583). The second largest swing club after PLATO’S RETREAT, CLUB 0 features a disco floor, Jacuzzi, sauna, a game room, a large orgy room, several private rooms, lockers, showers and a modest buffet. The decor and emphasis here is heavily slanted towards S&M-female sand male M. A large mural on one wall depicts dominatrixes putting several hogtied men through the mill. This characterizes CLUB o. Though couples do attend, the mainstay of the clientele are single male submissives who vie for the attentions of dominatrixes whom they far outnumber. swinging couples gravitate towards the spa area of the club while the male submissives wander through the rest of the premises looking for a Mistress to call their own. CLUB o is an S&M matriarchy, owned and staffed by females. If sexual submission is your bag, then this is your place. on Wednesdays and Thursdays admission is S20 for couples and $15 for single males plus a S5 monthly membership fee. on Friday and Saturday nights there is a flat S25 fee for everyone, which includes monthly membership.
• HELLFIRE CLUB, 28 9th AVENUE BETWEEN 13th & 14th STREETS. Open 10PM to 9AM (no phone>. Since they are not too fond of tourists, there is no identification other than a number hanging outside the HELLFIRE, which has been for several years New York’s main s &M-fetish ist’s n itecl u b. Located in the gay “meat rack” section of Greenwish Village, the HELLFIRE is predominately gay S&M except on Wednesday and Friday through Sunday nights when it attracts an mixed bag of clientele. Housed in a dark and ominous looking cellar, it features several bars, a “golden shower” room much larger than its cubicle-like coed toilet, the usual array of S&M hardware, and a maze-like series of doorless cubicles that smell heavily of stale sex. In short, the HELLFIRE is not one of the garden spots of the western world. But it is a scene, where beginning around midnight random sexual vignettes routinely take place, and where much of New York’s fetish-oriented society hangs out. The club is open all night and rarely hits full stride before 2 or 3AM. It is a private membership club charging $10 admittance fee to members who pay an annual fee, and $15 for members· guests. However, they will admit non-members if they do not look too square.
• LE TRAPEZE, 17 EAST 27th STREET BETWEEN MADISON AND 5th AVENUES. Open 9PM to SAM (532-0298>. In terms of layout, decor and maintenance, LE TRAPEZE is a very spiffy place. This darkly illuminated, wood-beamed and fully carpeted club offers a sizable dance floor with DJ, eleven private rooms, a large open-swing area, a video movie area, a very large whirlpool spa, lockers, showers and the best buffet of any swing club in town. Though not nearly as large as PLATO’S RETREAT, LE TRAPEZE packs a lot into its space and draws a loyal contingent of attractive couples. A masseur is regularly available to provide free massage for women and occasionally there is a masseuse for men. LE TRAPEZE is a strict only club and they expect couples to enter and leave together. They serve soft drinks only. The admission is $35 per couple from Monday through Thursday, $45 on ·Friday and Saturday with a $15 Three-month membership charge in effect at all times.
• PLATO’S RETREAT, 509 WEST 34th STREET BETWEEN 10th & 11th AVENUES. Open 9PM to SAM (947-0111, 627-1959>. From its gallon-sized jugs of mouthwash in the restrooms to its two porn video viewing rooms, PLATO’S with 24,000 square feet of space, is the big daddy Of swing clubs. The facilities are large enough to accommodate hundreds of couples, and include besides the two video viewing rooms, a decent-sized swimming pool, hot tub, Jacuzzi, a sized disco floor with DJ, a “mat room” large enough to hold a hundred writhing bodies, thirty-two private rooms, a game room, a buffet and lockers where showers and towels are provided. PLATO’S is a couples-only club except on Monday and Tuesday nights when they feature various live shows such as strippers, S&M, “foxy boxing” and mud wrestling. on these two nights single males are admitted and they can be found in droves; wearing towels and erections, they stalk the premises in search of single females and couples-who are very much in the minority. Before the recent herpes scare PLATO’S attracted larger crowds, but on Wednesday through Sunday nights they still draw anywhere from fifty to upwards of one hundred average to highly attractive couples, with Friday and Saturday generally being the busiest nights. PLATO’S charges single males $35 on Monday and Tuesday nights. The rest of the week, time couples are charged S75, which includes a six-week membership; return visits are then $35 except on Friday and Saturday, when the admission fee is S45. The admission fee for single women is S10 except on Monday or Tuesday nights when they are admitted for free.

CABLE TV
Once upon a time, you could switch on certain cable TV stations here in New York and find shows which featured hardcore sexuality, i.e., uncensored fucking and sucking. But then-and isn’t it always the way-elements within the community complained, and the shows have been toned down, somewhat. Where there was once genital penetration on the air, there is now a conspicuous black dot covering the critical portion of the screen. Oh well. Besides Channel J which is listed below, the major cable networks in New York, HBO and MAX, feature unexpurgated films, occasionally including “soft X” productions. CHANNEL J, beginning in the late evening after 11PM, runs a number of sex-related programs.

The main programs are as follows:

• MIDNIGHT BLUE The original and not-so-venerable sexual variety show, produced in conjunction with SCREW Magazine. When MIDNIGHT BLUE first came on the air it featured a no holds barred hardcore format. They have been obliged to tone this down a bit, but they are still the best sex show on cable. Topics run the gamut, including everything from wet t-shirt contests, to tours of nudist churches, S&M clubs, sexual personalities and events, and somewhat expurgated clips from current porn films.
• ROBIN BIRD, LIVE A campy, sometimes funny, sometimes hot, usually disorganized phone-in interview show hosted by ex porn actress turned “cable personality” Miss Bird.
• INTERLUDES AFTER MIDNIGHT Another interview show, in this case with the interviewers and the interviewees in the nude. The trouble is that neither of the interviewers are physically attractive, and this often applies to their guests. What’s more the interviews are usually inane and stupid. Occasionally worth watching for a hot sequence or two, but in general, you view this show at the risk of succumbing to terminal boredom. –

PHONE SEX COMPANIES
In existence for about a decade, the phone sex services have become quite popular within the past several years. The deal is this: After you pay them anywhere from S30 to $40-over the phone via your credit card numbers-they will have a female call you back for “fantasy talk,” often collect. Most, in fact all of the phone sex companies claim they can fill requests as to the type of audio sex object you desire-blonde, brunette, leggy, busty, dominant, submissive, etc. Of course, you only have the girl’s word for it that she is blonde, busty, or even a female for that matter. on the other hand, phone sex is certainly herpes-free and being only a phone call away. All the companies claim that there is no time limit on the conversations, but generally, the girls start getting antsy after 15 or 20 minutes, spouting their hottest lines to get you to come. some of the services use several different names and numbers but offer the same brood of girls.

The phone sex companies:

• JODI, 245-6222 $39 payable by mastercard or visa. The girl calls you back collect from the Metropolitan area. Available 24 hours, daily.
• LORI, 245-6222 $40 payable by mastercard or visa. same as above but the girl calls you back direct for the S1 additional charge. LIVE WIRES, 741-0971 $39 payable by mastercard or visa. The girl calls back collect. Available 24 hours daily.
• MISTRESS MORGAN, 582-8181 S39 payable by mastercard or visa. same outfit as Jodi and Lori but advertising for submissive clientele. The girl calls you back collect unless you demand a direct callback. Available 24 hours, daily.
• NEW YORK’S SEXY PHONE AFFAIRS,. 741-0216 $39 payable by mastercard or visa. one of the oldest outfits in the New York area. The girl will call back direct. Available 24 hours daily.
• PRIVATE LINES, 807-8123 $39 payable by mastercard or visa. The girl calls back collect. Available 24 hours, daily.
• SUPER LIVE, 529-3154 $30 payable by mastercard or visa. The callback is collect. Available 24 !}_ours, daily.

GAY LISTINGS
In terms of sheer size, New York is the gay capital of the United States, boasting more bars, baths, theatres, cruising areas, restaurants and gay residents than any other city in the Land. Further, along with San Francisco, New York offers America ·s most hospitable atmosphere for the homosexual lifestyle. Manhattan, in short, is one big candy store for the gay person on the prowl. While the main purpose of this guide is the listing of heterosexual adult ment, in the following pages we have compiled some of the most popular or worthy places of gay action and’ entertainment in New York. Unlike our “straight” listings, this section by no means attempts to be comprehensive <that would require an entire guide by itselfl, but rather, it is a selective sampling of gay entertainment. GAY THEATRES If competition for the hetero porn movie goers dollar is fierce, then competition for the movie dollar is positively rabid. The Big Apple appropriately houses a wide spectrum of gay movie houses offering everything from first-run premium quality porn through live sex shows and burlesque to elaborate cruising rooms and such added fillips as free buffets and jockstraps as inducements to its clientele.

The theatres:

• THE ADONIS, 8th AVENUE AT 50th STREET. (CIS-3920> Big by any standard, the ADONIS is the largest gay theatre in New York. They show first-run, quality films and shorts in a very cruisy atomosphere, which attracts a mixed crowd in terms of age, race and preferences. The theatre has a balcony and is moderate to heavily action oriented. Admission is S5, S6 on weekends.
• THE BIG TOP CINEMA, 1604 BROADWAY AT £I.9th STREET, SECOND FLOOR. Another large theatre with tons of cruising room. They show first-run films, usually their own productions, and they attract a youngish or older crowd with little in between. There is a large orgy room, boutique and snack bar. Being located in Times Square, some of the patrons have slippery fingers, so better watch your wallet. Open 24 hours. Admission is $6, or $5 to members.
• BIJOU CINEMA, 3RD. AVE. TWEEN 12th. & 13th. STREETS. Open 10AM to midnight, till 2AM Fri day & satu rday. Renamed from the JEWEL, and given a much-needed renovation. Features 2 second run films, several cruising areas and free soft drinks. Admission $4.00 EROS I, 738 8th AVENUE NEAR 46th STREET (581-5894). A small, narrow theatre not particularly clean or conducive to cruising. They feature live shows as well as second-run films. The shows stop at 11PM at which time the admission price drops from S6 to S5.
• 55th STREET PLAYHOUSE, 154 WEST 55th STREET. Open 10AM to 2AM (245-8929l. A smallish theatre that continually offers first-rate, first-run porn features and shorts. Attracts a mixed crowd and is moderately action oriented but with limited cruising areas. Admission is S5.
• GAIETY BURLESK, 201 WEST 46th STREET AT BROADWAY. (221-8868, 391-9806> Open 10AM to 2AM. On their cabaret-style stage, which extends into the audience, the GAIETY generally offers the best looking and most energetic strippers on the New York circuit. They also feature second-run porn films and offer several cruising rooms and “free ments” on weekends. A middling to older steady clientele. Admission is S5.
• KINGS CINEMA, 236 WEST 50th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY AND 8th AVENUE. (974-9021> Open 10AM to 2AM. A small resolutely sleazy place that tends to attract an older crowd. usually showing three or four hours of second-run to ancient porn. Admission is $5.
• NEW DAVID CINEMA, 236 WEST 54th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY & 8th AVENUE. (974-9362) Open 10AM to 2AM. Another smallish theatre moderately action oriented and offering two second-run porn features. The NEW DAVID has two backrooms and a cruIsIng lounge, but frequently the major action takes place in the bathroom.
• OMEGA I & II, 777 8th AVENUE AT 47th STREET. <664-9104, 664-9129> An elevator ride up from the street deposits you at these twin theatres, which are open 24 hours a day. The crowd varies from Times Square flotsam and jetsam to tourists, and the two moderately action oriented theatres show two second-run to ancient porn films. There is a snack bar, game room, boutique, glory holes, cubby holes, alcoves, sling, lockers, in and out privileges and their own jackoff club. Admission is S4 to either theatre or cut-rate for both.
• PARK-MILLER THEATRE 7th AVENUE BETWEEN 48th & 49th STREETS. Open 10AM to 12:30 weekdays, till 2AM on the weekends. (997-9643> new at presstime, The PARK-MILLER Offers a mixed program of live sex shows and one first run hardcore film. Admission is S7.
• 78-80 CHRISTOPHER STREET, NEAR BLEEKER STREET. <924-5067> A book store upstairs and a none-too-clean maze of catacomb-like tunnels downstairs, which form a heavily action oriented cruising scene. The cellar also features a video projection system. Admission to the complex is S3.50.
• SHOW PALACE, 670 8th AVENUE BETWEEN 42nd & 43rd STREETS. (391-9412) A relatively new and clean place featuring live sex act shows-with second-rate performers, short video films, a large book and sex aid store, and an O.K. corral set-up for cruising. Because of their location and flashy exterior, they attract a lot of tourists, and in general, a mixed crowd covering all age ranges. Admission is S6.
• TOMCAT CINEMA, 207 WEST 48th STREET NEAR BROADWAY. <586-0578> Open Sunday through Thursday 10AM to 4AM, Friday and Saturday 10AM to 8AM. A small theatre showing second-run to ancient porn films. There is moderate action upstairs in the lounge with a crowd that tends to be middling or older. They also offer a peepshow store. Admission is $6.
• WESTWORLD, 355 WEST STREET FACING THE RIVER. (929-8783) A small, clean and enthusiastically well-run theatre known for heavy action. To encourage the action they offer free jockstraps to all who check their clothes on weekends, as well as in and out privileges. WESTWORLD Offers three second-run films with the emphasis usually on S&M. A busy place with a mixed crowd. Admission is $5.

GAY BATHS
There is a rumor circulating around the city that someone once entered a gay house to actually bathe. But is is only a rumor … In New York the baths range in size from large to enormous. They are primarily “private membership,” a device used to weed out the misguided, street transients and those looking to sweat out a drunk. But some places use the “members only” angle to discriminate against gay patrons by age or appearance. Here we will attempt to define each place by its age mix as well as facilities and ambience.

The baths:

• ANSONIA 73, ANSONIA HOTEL, 73rd STREET & BROADWAY. <874-7900> Attracts. a fair age mix with an emphasis on the older patron. Offering a gym, sauna, steamroom and a very large pool. No great shakes in terms of cleanliness but there are worse. Lockers are $6.75 rooms S9.75.
• BEACON BATHS, 227 EAST 45th STREET BETWEEN 2nd & 3rd AVENUES. An old reliable place with an old reliable clientele. Moderately large and moderately clean with steam and sauna. Lockers are S7.25 and rooms $10.75 until 4PM, after which hour the prices are S8 and S11.75.
• BROADWAY ARMS BATHS, 218 WEST 49th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY & 8th AVENUE. <541-5697> very much action oriented, it is the hottest bathhouse in the Times Square area. A large place offering many private rooms, orgy rooms, fantasy rooms, hot tub, weight room, dance floor, corral room, glory hole room and leather slings. Though there is a wide age mix, the BROADWAY ARMS tends to get a transient crowd of young men needing a place to stay. Lockers are S8 and rooms $11 including a $1 membership charge.
• CLUB BATHS, 24 1st AVENUE BETWEEN 1st & 2nd STREETS. (673-3283) The flagship Of the CLUB BATHS chain. They tend to encourage a younger crowd and get it. Clean, well designed and executed, with carousel sh0wers, Jacuzzi, lounge with video, orgy rooms and indoor garden. A huge place even by New York standards. on weekdays lockers are $6. 75 and rooms S10.75; on weekends the prices are a dollar more.
• EASTSIDE SAUNA, 227 EAST 56th STREET BETWEEN 2nd AND 3rd AVENUES. Attracts an ultra-mixed bag of clientele with a casual, clean and relaxed atmosphere. Steamroom, sauna and what they call “special deluxe rooms” that can be reserved in advance. Prices start at S7 for lockers and s10 for regular rooms, S1 additional on weekends. Four hour specials available for S7 noon to midnight Sunday through Thursday and noon to 7PM on Friday.
• EVERARD BATHS, 28 WEST 28th STREET OFF 5th AVENUE. One of the oldest and clearly one of the best-named houses in the City. Remodeled after a fire in the late ’70’s resulted in several deaths. some local gay activists denounce the EVERARD as not having corrected the problems that led to the tragic fire. In any case, the EVERARD attracts a very mixed and action oriented crowd. With sauna, large pool and steamroom. on weekdays lockers are $6.50, -rooms S10.50, on weekends lockers are $8.50 and rooms $12.50.
• NEW SAINT MARKS BATHS, 6 ST. MARKS PLACE, OFF 3rd AVENUE. (473-7929> A sprawling, splashy-looking place that is among the best bathhouses in the City. Attracts a relatively young action and posing oriented crowd. However, the general clientele tends to be quite attractive regardless of age. The three floors include a dormitory, pool, steamroom, sauna and hot tub. on weekdays lockers are $5.75, rooms $10.50; slightly more on weekends.
• SAUNA BATHS, 300 WEST 58th STREET AT 8th AVENUE. <307-1147> A small but action oriented bath with an older but still rambunctious clientele who fill the place during lunch hour and after work. Lockers are S7. 75, rooms s11. 75.
• THE NEW BARRACKS, 226 WEST 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th AND 8th AVENUES. (221-3250> Attracting a primarily black clientele and located right in the center of the 42nd Street flim-flam zone. Outbursts of violence are not uncommon here, and, in fact, there are 24-hour security guards posted at the door. A small dingy place where because of the prospect of a rip-off, the patron must mix vigilance with sex. A $35 annual membership fee. Lockers are $6.50, rooms S10, and a $5 Key .deposit. WALL STREET SAUNA, 1 MAIDEN LANE, 11th FLOOR. <233-8900> Strictly a daytime liaison place where Wall street types drop in for lunch. Small but action oriented. Opens at 11AM, closes at 9PM. Lockers are $6 and rooms $10 up to 6PM; thereafter lockers are S3.75 and rooms S6.

GAY BARS
There are literally hundreds of gay bars, disco’s and clubs in New York City. we list just a few of the currently popular or noteworthy places. While the heading is “Bars” we have included discos and clubs, as the idea here is to present a cross section of gathering places regardless of emphasis. we may have missed a hot spot or two, but again, this is intended to be just a selective sampling.

• THE ANVIL, 500 WEST 14th STREET AT 10th AVENUE. (924-8528) THE ANVIL wins no awards for cleanliness or safety, but the ultra mixed crowd-everthing from business suits to nightgowns to jockstraps-includes the City’s most exhibitionistic people on the dance floor and the most action oriented men in their cellar. A huge disco upstairs, porn films and grope rooms in the cellar. Starts cooking after midnight. watch your wallet.
• THE BADLANDS, 388 WEST STREET AT CHRISTOPHER. <741-9236> Little or no action inside, but a good, sturdy bar located at the gay street corner of the City. It is usually jammed and in warm weather there is at least as much cruising outside as in. An ultra wide mix and reasonably priced drinks.
• BETTER DAYS, 319 WEST 49th STREET OFF 8th AVENUE. <246-8976> A Times square area disco with two dance floors. Attracts a heavily interracial crowd as well as some women and straights.
• BOOTS & SADDLES, 76 CHRISTOPHER STREET. A busy, sit-down and talk place and the first bar west of Sheridan Square on Christopher. The window seat is at a premium as it faces the crowds marching up and down Christopher. Attracts a cruisy Levi /western/ butch crowd with a wide age mix.
• CHAPS, 1558 3rd AVENUE AT 87th STREET. (860-9829) western bar, naturally. Popular, with a decent mix; young to medium young emphasis. Friendly, tasteful neither over decorated nor overpriced.
• COMPANY, 365 3rd AVENUE BETWEEN 26th & 27th STREETS. (532-5222) The bar is a hopping place during the happy hour; the food is good. An attractive mix of cruisy men all night.
• DAKOTA, 550 3rd AVENUE AT 36th STREET. (725-9853) western oriented heavy cruising bar in the Eastside Midtown area, with bartenders who seem to actually like people and a free buffet on Fridays and Saturdays.
• ICE PALACE, 57 WEST 57th STREET. (838-8557) very popular, very much dance oriented disco, but cruisy with a youngish crowd.
• MANHOLE, 28 9th AVENUE BETWEEN 13th & 14th STREETS. (NO phone> An hours membership club predominantly gay during the week and predominantly straight S&M’ers on ends. But is a homogenous mix as the straights are.a bit crooked. A full service bar, watersports room and a maze of cubbyholes.
• THE MINESHAFT, 832 WASHINGTON STREET AT LITTLE WEST 12th STREET. <243-9506> A very popular after hours action club in the “meat packing” district. Anything goes here except preppy wear, suits or cologne. Bring a macho image or don’t go. Three tubs in the golden shower room, a pool table used strictly for “dirty pool,” corral, orgy room, slings, two bars. Entirely action oriented, age range from 18 to 118; jammed after midnight.
• NICKEL BAR, 127 WEST 72nd STREET BETWEEN COLUMBUS & AMSTERDAM AVENUES. <874-9858> Disco, occasionally a little rough around the edges due to an infusion of street people among the otherwise mixed interracial crowd.
• O’NEILL’S BACKYARD, 232 WEST 48th STREET BETWEEN BROADWAY AND 8th AVENUE. <245-9521 > comfortable, youth oriented, but with a tendency towards extremes in the mix. Behind the front room bar is an enclosed patio with pool table and seating.
• PHOENIX, 73 8th AVENUE BETWEEN 13th & 14th STREETS. New, large level place with a very young crowd. Often runs dance and go-go contests.
• RAMROD, 394 WEST STREET. <929-9718> Forms a tandem with the BADLANDS as the dual waterfront cruise bars. Nice, friendly western/ er bar. But don’t show up in a Lacoste shirt.
• THE SAINT, 105 2nd AVENUE AT 6th STREET. <674-8541 > The hottest disco in the East if not in the country_ The largest as well, with a dance floor that can accommodate thousands and a truly spectacular light show. They have to like your looks if you’re not a member, member-sponsored, or a celebrity.
• UNCLE CHARLIE’S DOWNTOWN, 54-58 GREENWICH AVENUE AT PERRY STREET. (255-8787) Popular drinking and cruising bar. Video projection and always a large widely mixed crowd.
• UNCLE CHARLIE’S SOUTH, 581 3rd AVENUE AT 38th STREET. <684-6400> Friendly, neighborhood bar, many regulars but with a wide mix of clientele. And, like the other branches of this chain, quite popular.
• UNCLE CHARLIE’S NORTH, 1049 LEXINGTON AVENUE AT 74th STREET. (861-6123) The upper Eastside branch, also friendly, regular, recently renovated and cruisy.
• THE WILDWOOD, 308 COLUMBUS AVENUE AT 74th STREET. (874-8325) Perennially popular upper Westside cruise bar. In fact, the most popular bar in the area, with a wide mix.

CRUISING AREAS ‘
Tis been said that the entire island of Manhattan is a gay cruising zone. While this is basically true, some places are better than others. Here are a few of the most popular cruisy places around town.

• WEST STREET AT CHRISTOPHER STREET. starting at this corner and working north and south along the docks, this is the place in terms of sheer numbers and humpy numbers. After dark, by car or foot, the docks are hot and stay hot until dawn.
• SHERIDAN SQUARE: 7th AVENUE AT CHRISTOPHER STREET. Basically the starting point of the Christopher street gay scene. A good starting point from which you can check out the human traffic heading down to west street from the east.
• GRAND CENTRAL & PENN STATIONS. The men’s rooms with their long lines of cubicles at both of these train stations are active around the clock.
• CENTRAL PARK, 59th STREET ENTRANCE. Heavy al fresco action off the beaten paths here. In warm weather the Bethesda Fountain area is extremely cruisy.
• 53rd & 54th STREET BETWEEN 2nd & 3rd AVENUES. Strictly, well almost strictly, trade. Young hustlers loiter in doorways and stroll in these streets for tricks who arrive in cars, on foot and possibly by pogo stick.
• 42nd STREET BETWEEN 7th & 8th AVENUES. Strictly trade here, and rough trade at that. The young hustlers can be found in the game arcades and standing in front of the porn stores. A felonious looking crew; buyer beware.
• BLOOMINGDALES, 3rd AVENUE AND 59th STREET. Try the men’s department of this department store in the afternoon, particularly Saturday afternoon.
• METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, 84th STREET & 5th AVENUE. Afternoons, any afternoon, but particularly weekend afternoons.
• LINCOLN CENTER. Culture lovers-into all cruise the central mall in abundance on weekends.
• RIVERSIDE DRIVE PARK BETWEEN 72nd & 78th STREET. Heavily cruisy all week on foot or select a bench.
• CENTRAL PARK WEST BETWEEN 72nd & 78th STREETS. Where dog owner meets dog owner, and a place where you can discover which trendy breeds are currently popular among members of the gay community.

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