Doc here, a man who some say knows the value of Nick Tahou's Hots, with the return of senior LJ scribe and excellent dresser, Dry Clean Only!
DCO swung by the Sunshine State of Florida in late 2019, and has filed an impressive report on two of Tampa's best: Tres Equis (Hi Monique!), and Fantasyland I and II.
This is some tasty reading, so I suggest you settle in with a nice chicken parm sandwich and a Fresca (Hi Gemini!) and hunker down with that International Man of Mystery himself, Dry Clean Only!
Let's go!
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Salutations good Doctor,
Now that the holidays are behind us, I took some time to finish up an overdue field report on my recent Tampa Tour.
The trip started with the usual trappings of my travels; business meetings, team building, customer dinners…plus all the work that needs to be done when I’m back at the con. But I managed to get a few hours to myself on a couple nights, and I decided to check out the Tampa scene.
On my first night out I was able to introduce myself to none other than Monique (aka @TPAUnicorn) and her partner in crime. When I pulled into her outpost (she manages Tres Equis), I was shocked at the number of cars in the lot. Turns out, the cars were there for the main attraction at the front of the building, the Tampa Gold Club - a strip club, steakhouse, nightclub kind of place.
When I got to Tres Equis, Monique hadn’t arrived yet, so I checked the place out. It has a well-maintained retail section up front stocked with clothes, movies, toys, and the like. The theater has sofas and armchairs around the perimeter of a 25’x25’ room with a projector screen. There are two rooms off the main theater room where one CD entertained a few people and there seemed to be a large glory hole between the two rooms.
Back out into the retail section is the entrance to the arcade. It was fairly quiet in there and I honestly forget whether or not there were glory holes. But hey, it’s Florida, so safe to assume there were. Also accessible from the retail section are two hallways leading to several small rooms, each with TV’ and furniture for a half-dozen people or so (some of which are lockable). While there was a steady stream of traffic, the couples only seemed interested in retail shopping.
The undeniable highlight of the evening was making fast friends with Monique and her partner. Really great people! Any friend of the Journal who makes it to Tampa should make a point of reaching out to her. She’s a gem and thoroughly knows the Tampa adult scene (like the unicorn that she is). She shared with me that the day before my visit (of course), several couples were in for their playtime. It’s always hit and miss in this thing of ours.
The next night I decided to head over to FantasyLand I & II. I’ve been to both several times over the past few years and have reported on some hot times. But the last few trips haven’t been terribly newsworthy. As is normally the case…patience, an open mind, and low expectations are the mantra, and tonight they paid off.