Mel Gordon - Voluptuous Panic - The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin

Atmosphere:Hot, weird, loud. The Bubikopfed maître d’, who greets the guests, is attired in male/female garb: a man’s blue sportscoat, which reveals her breasts, an officer’s leather tie, and provocative short skirt.

Clientele:Chic lesbians—mostly blonde, elegant Garçonnes wearing high male collars and ties. Foreign tourists and their hired Nuttes .

Decor:Permanent “Japanese Cherry Blossom” theme—artificial snowballs affixed to overhanging cherry-tree branches. Dim Japanese paper lanterns and table lamps. Red sofas and cushions line the walls, which feature crude erotic cartoons drawn in green and black.

Entertainment:Upbeat, contemporary dance music played on piano by eccentric former Russian prince. A female lead-dancer performs solo pieces.

Men:Yes. Many voyeurs.

Unusual:Taking in the action are carloads of Japanese and Chinese tourists, who sit silently with high-heeled German Nuttes in the “Tokyo” section.

Area:BERLIN WEST. South of the Memorial Church.

Atmosphere:“The Intimate Bar of the West.” Sensuous, hard. A smoky pick-up bar, resembling that of straight men. Specialty aphrodisiac drink is called “Cherry Cobbler.”

Clientele:Exquisite, wealthy Sharpers (many in tuxedo/short skirt combinations). (This is their haunt.) Lots of jewelry and expensive perfume. Slim-hipped Mädis in shiny silk hose—always a few feigning shock by the same-sex surroundings. Parties of head-turning Gamines on the weekends. Dodos and some straight men.

Decor:Bar area completely illuminated in red light. Double rows of champagne-filled tables. The tiny spaces between the tables provide a shadowy area for seductive foxtrots and anonymous touches.

Entertainment:“Hot American jazz” on piano. Later in the evening, Romanian singer, Jonescu, leads a “Gypsy Band.” “Naked” dancers from Eastern European troupes perform at midnight.

Gertie, the brunette hostess in a sleek tuxedo, helps establish the lush mood by dancing with patrons and then pairing off horny Sharpers and Dodos with sweet-faced Mädis .

Men:Plentiful in the late evening but willfully ignored by Domino regulars.

Unusual:On the nearby Tauentzienstrasse corner, an old Jew advertises Domino’s evening theme—like “Sapphic Nights” or “Japanese Flower Festival”—on a hand-drawn sandwich board. Intrigued male clients, many just recovering mentally from nearby Boot-Girl sessions, are frequent habitués of the midnight shows.

Area:BERLIN WEST. West of the POTSDAMER Train Station.

Atmosphere:Usually very hot. Loud, airy. Advertised as “The Intimate Nexus of the Ladies-World.”

Clientele:Mostly lesbian couples, especially fun-driven Garçonne pairs. On special occasions, like Wednesday “Sado-Masochist Nights,” transvestites of both genders are welcomed. (“Gentlemen” are required to pay twice the admission.)

Decor:Artistic café interior in front. Real flowers on the tables. In backroom, cheap but elaborate silken drapery, Japanese paper lanterns, beads, veils, palm trees.

Entertainment:Live tango music and an annoying male violinist who goes table to table, hovering around until he receives a tip.

Food:Good Viennese kitchen.

Men:Rambunctious gay men (organizations of Bad Boys ) reserve the spacious backroom for private parties on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. [Curiously, both lesbian and gay clubgoers come dressed in similar leather blouses/shirts and fetishistic sailor costumes.]

Unusual:An imposing, humorless doorman makes certain that patrons have come to the correct lesbian or gay function. Friday nights are billed as “Elite-Women’s Day”; weekday lesbian evenings have themes like “Wild Night,” “Bavarian Alpine Feast,” “Rhineland Wine-Growers Holiday,” or “Three Days in the Wild West.”

Area:BERLIN WEST END. Near NOLLENDORFPLATZ.

Atmosphere:Loud laughter, but creepy, empty inside. Imitation Parisian café. Flirtatious lesbian waitresses in French maid outfits add some sparkle.

Clientele:As many straight men looking for a cheap thrill as hard-drinking Girl-Friends, Tauentziengirls, and Hot Whores.

Decor:Filthy windowpanes and generally messy tables.

Entertainment:Banal chansons play on scratchy phonographic disks.

Unusual:A special corner for Salvation Army Girls and Tauentziengirls. The mother-and-daughter teams are on the vigil for interested pedestrians and pass the time stealing each other’s schnapps before braving the streets.

Area:BERLIN WEST. Near NOLLENDORFPLATZ.

Atmosphere:Easygoing, somewhat faded. Formerly known as the HOHENZOFFERN HALL (then the “H-LOUNGE”), this is the oldest established lesbian café in Berlin.

Clientele:Downhome “married” lesbian couples. The Bubis wear neckties, collars, and conservative men’s jackets and converse heartily with other another. The Sweet Mommies quietly sit between their “men” and engage in small talk with other Mädis as they nurse cups of coffee.

Decor:Blacked picture windows to hide the interior room. Large restaurant-style booths and padded chairs.

Entertainment:Occasional box-step, social dances. Pop music performed by a gay duo on violin and piano (or accordion).

Men:Tolerated.

Unusual:Sometimes straight men dance with attractive Mädis —always first requesting permission from their respective Daddies .

Area:BERLIN WEST. East of WITTENBERG PLATZ.

Atmosphere:Exclusive. Brazenly lesbian. Always packed. Fixed sign on entrance: “CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY.” At the front desk are two identically dressed, oversized Bubis , who wear noticeably huge diamond rings and thickly applied eyeshadow. On their laps are two lissome Gamines in translucent silk blouses. Both Bubis methodically rub the giggling girls’ nipples while one Bubi dutifully checks the reservation list. (An enduring and memorable image for all first-time male guests.)