111 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park
Northwest Corner of Garvey & Atlantic
(626) 282-4689
Sun - Sat: 7pm - 2am
Cover: $5 (see review) VISA/MC accepted. There is a $10 minimum on
credit/ATM cards and a 10-minute minimum dance charge.
Free parking.
Map
Last Review: 1/2003
The club is on the first level of the Omni Bank Building. As you
enter the security guard’s station where they collect the $5 admission
fee (waived that night… I’m not sure for how long) is on the left,
and beyond that down a short corridor to the left are the restrooms. At
the far end of the corridor it intersects with another corridor that
leads to a sizeable kitchen area. Apparently the place used to be a
restaurant. On the left was a room where I saw some people conducting
what appeared to be some type of meeting, but it may have been where
they were interviewing prospective hostesses. Before entering the club I
noticed a sign outside a door corresponding to where the outside of this
room would be that said, "Help wanted, now hiring."
To right of the guard’s station is the bar, which is also where the
cashier is. There is a rack for holding the cards of the girls who are
clocked in placed on the floor, leaning against a counter. Just beyond
the bar is the customer seating area, which consists of two rows of
about eight chairs each, similar to the ones at VIP. Directly across the
way is where the girls sit. The distance between girls and customers is
greater than at LAG, but less than at VIP. At the far end of the room
are some stairs that lead to a smoking area. There is a wall behind
where the girls sit, and behind that is the couples area. To get to it
you go to just before where the stairs are and make a left.
There is an aisle with several couches placed end to end on the right
and a row of four couches on the left. Beyond the last couch on the left
the room opens up into a larger seating area, with three or four rows of
about three or four couches each on the right and some couches placed
and an angle on the left. At the end of the aisle is the dance floor, a
small, rectangular room encased in Plexiglas similar to the one at VIP.
There are also some couches just outside the dance floor.
At the far end of the couples’ area are two so-called "VIP
rooms." They are just larger rooms with couches along the
perimeter. Each room has a door with windows and can accommodate several
couples. They are well lit and don’t offer much privacy. The lighting
in the main area is not terribly bright, but bright enough that everyone
can see everyone else in the room. There are two TVs mounted high up on
the wall in the front of the room.
Overall the place is very upscale looking, even plusher than the now
defunct Sugar Honey or Tropical Club downtown, with paintings on the
walls and the typical fake tropical plants, etc. Staff consisted of a
short, suited Asian guy with a shaved head who appeared to be the
manager, two middle aged Latina women (I wouldn’t exactly call them
"mamasans," but they did appear to be operating in some type
of managerial capacity, perhaps ala the long departed Linda at CF?), a
younger Asian guy in a tie who I’m guessing is the floor manager, a
waitress, and a bartender. The music appeared to be piped in, as I didn’t
see a DJ station. There were several LAG type customers, who appeared a
little out of place, along with the usual mix of mostly middle-aged
whites and Asians.
When I arrived there were around 12-15 girls seated, with an
undetermined number clocked in. I saw a couple of girls that I
recognized from CF, but the rest were new faces to me. Later in the
evening I checked the sign in sheet, which was lying on the bar counter,
and it showed 44 girls had signed in. My overall take on the club is
that it doesn’t seem to have much potential for mileage. The club is
small and doesn’t have many private areas. I did see some mild
grinding going on in the dance area. I looked for cameras and didn’t
see any, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
