richard.kiddle

The Managers should give up-VILE.

I have only one thing to say. The smell in the Basement Club-which leaks upstairs to the bar & possibly to the hotel rooms is overpowering & disgusting. The smell is a mixture of urine and faeces. I noticed that Martin-the owner-criticised another reviewer for saying the place was rancid. Well I'm sorry but that is the only description for the foul smell that now overpowers these premises. It's an absolute disgrace. Not only that but on some nights punters are expected to pay £5 to £6 entry for the privelidge of being in a club that stinks to the high heavens,hasn't had a lick of paint in years & rarely has more than 15-20 people in it. I think it is worth pointing out to people considering staying here that the Basement club has hosted..to put this delicately..water sport nights in the basement for many years-twice a week. The stench from this is in the very fabric of the building,there is damp in some parts of the basement., fungus on walls-honestly it can make you gag. It is obvious to me that the owners have ZERO interest in the health,hygiene and decor of the Underground club and by implication the health and comfort of its customers. Shameful.

Amsterdam-Style bar for Blokes

My review refers to normal Mon-Thurs nights. This is a low-key and unpretentious bar attracting a mostly middle-aged crowd. Good music,friendly (& hot!) bar staff, porn on TV screens, a pool table and outside patio for smokers. Sometimes the bar is quiet, just the luck of the draw on the night. I'm not giving 5 stars because the dark-room area is a bit feeble & not very well thought out-just a couple of bits of camouflage netting. I realise the venue is restricted in what they can do with a small space that has to double as a dance floor but I think a little more imagination & thought could be put into making it a sexy space. As it is,guys tend to congregate in one small corner due to lack of privacy/anonymity and too much light in the rest of the room. Only in this respect does it not compare to other Eagle bars around the world which give a higher priority to the cruising space-here it feels like an afterthought.

Best mixed/gay club night in London.

Always a joy to visit this intimate and funky club night. Where else will you hear the likes of Donna Summer,Diana Ross and Divine being played to an appreciative diverse crowd? It's also one of the few gay venues that doesn't treat smokers like social outcasts,instead providing a large outdoor patio space -particularly enjoyable in the summer months. The club attracts a diverse crowd of bears,club kids,young and old although a mature cub/bear crowd dominate. There are always lots of sexy & interesting guys here but the emphasis is on fun rather than cruising, it is not (in my opinion) a pick-up joint and is all the better for that. There is a relaxed friendly vibe here which you won't find in Soho or most of the other Vauxhall venues. Bank Holiday Weekends are much much busier,hectic and more full-on. This gay prefers the normal Sunday nighter. Entrance is currently £6 and coat check is £1.50. A pint of lager cost me £4.50 and a double vodka & tonic was £6.30. Club closes at 3am and peak-time seems to be 11.30pm-2am. Go, you will have a blast!

Avoid!

You will probably find easy sex here easily,especially at weekends. What you won't find is any relaxation.good facilities,good customer service or value for money. It is also worth mentioning that there have been cases of rape here and at least 2 drug-related deaths-despite the Gestapo-like staff patrolling the damn place every 5 minutes with torches (including all the relaxation/sex rooms)-which is a total buzz-kill and over-the-top. Don't be fooled by Pleasuredrome's glossy marketing literature-this Sauna is run-down,dirty & more likely to be filled with drug-addled and drunk folk than the models in the advert. It is currently £15 to get in plus you need a £1 coin (refunded when you leave) for your locker. You will find one small sauna room, 2 steam-rooms which are always far too hot to sit in for long. There is a small dark-room and a nice large Jacuzzi, a massively over-priced bar and a so-called relaxation area. I say "So-called" because it consists of uncomfortable metal seats, wobbly bar stools and an area where you can lie down. The manky "leather" cushions on the seats and rest area are cracked, smelly & haven't been replaced in years. If you want a private room with an actual lock on the door where you can have fun in private you will have to pay £3 for 2 hours. Come on Pleasuredrome,this is a basic facility included in the entrance fee for all other saunas I can think of. The showers are often cold & soap dispensers often broken or empty. Pleasuredrome would do well to learn from some of the gay saunas in Europe & Asia-which actually have comfortable relaxation facilities and-shock horror-even play classical and chill-out music during the day instead of 24/7 rave. I would advise spending an extra £4 & go to Chariots Shoreditch for a proper sauna experience.

XXL has lost it's charm

Currently £15 entry-that's before you pay for coat check & drinks-this an expensive and (since XXL moved to Pulse) soulless experience. The club is vast with several rooms,bars & dance floors. You will certainly have plenty to look at! I preferred XXL at it's old venue, now it all feels very impersonal & harder to meet new friends. It has lost the sense of intimacy that the old club had. Seems Owner Mark Ames is all about milking the pink pound rather than the customer experience. The 2 lovely outside smoking areas of the previous venue has gone too,now you are just stood on the street outside & made to feel like a social lepor. Yes, smoking is a bad habit but the fact is lots of gay men do smoke. It's a free country & my choice to smoke-I don't need a supposedly inclusive gay club to make me feel like an outcast. The outside areas in the old venue were always busy & fostered lots of conversation. That vibe has gone. For this reason alone I will not be going back. The music on the main large dance floor is very unimaginative handbag-house-expect Kylie,Rihanna,Beyoncé & similar generic pop. They have been playing some of these songs for years now (Kylie's "The One" for example) and it's wearing thin, sadly what was once a nice friendly clubbing experience has become an impersonal,sterile and tedious one.