Taboo Is Back

[Jake]

I have to admit I was quite skeptical reading all of the reports about Taboo over the past few weeks. But now I can definitely say without a doubt that Taboo is back. Not only is it back I would say it's probably better than I've ever seen it. My expectations were pretty low after my last few visits, my expectations were low to say the least.

 

We started out the night at campus. My buddy and I had an ongoing game where we had to buy a round of drinks if we could predict which guys would still be dancing. It's been almost a year since our last visit. I went two for two. Campus, as usual, had mostly younger guys working in the afternoon shift. That's pretty much our type. Usually I remembered seeing about 20 to 30 dancers circulating in the evening hours, But last night I would say there were probably 12 to 15 at the most. Then again it was a weeknight. There were probably two or three guys I would consider hot. After an hour or two, we made our way to JP. We usually skip Stock - just not our type of dancers.

 

JP was definitely a step up in terms of the quality of the dancers. Plus there were no awkward gaps between performances like there were at Campus. Nothing is as lame and uncomfortable than an empty strip club. Only annoying thing was their AC seemed to be out or on really low. Again, not alot of customers in the place. But again we chalked it up to being a weeknight. There were several hot guys dancing... and I still really like the layout of theplace. I wish they had couches instead of chairs, but otherwise I love the intimacy to the stage dancers.

 

Last but definitely not least, we had to see if the new Taboo was really coming back to life. We were rooting for it no doubt, but after our last few visits prior to it closing, it seemed like it was over for Taboo.

 

Hell to the no!

 

The second we walked in, I was blown away by how busy it was. It was like a time warp. It was a crowd size I remember seeing during the weekends in its better days years ago. I lost track of how many hot guys there were. Sure there was the occasional dud or two, but by and large, they found the best twinks of the bunch. There were some familiar faces from Adonis and the old Taboo... but lots of new ones too.

 

There was a sign next to the stage that erased any doubt about the cost of private dances - they're $10. And they definitely made some nice improvements to the back. Feels far more private than the old back rooms - but still there was some transparency. The curtains were thin and some booths didn't have a curtain at all. But for $10 a dance, psh, no brainer.

 

I really liked the variety of the dancers at Taboo too. There was a little bit of everything. Some muscle, some tall, some short, some skateboarder types, some college jock types... had a friggin blast! If you like 'em beefy and hairy though, it's not for you. I don't think I remember seeing any dancer over maybe 25 or so.

 

I'll get some names and descriptions tonight... last night, the flying all day and drinking all night did a number on my memory.

[corndog]

I'm glad you could confirm my assessment... I wondered a little if I was crazy. But, yes, it's the best its been in years. Thanks for the report.

[+ newatthis]

Hey Jake -- thanks so much! I'm really happy that the stirrings of a Taboo revival I sensed in March were correct. Waiting for the sequel...

[jerryskater]

Thanks Jake. Looking forward to hearing more.

[Jake]

Night #2... another dominant win for Taboo!

Stop 1: Campus, C+

We did the same rounds as night 1. We started at Campus in the early evening. There were a few cute guys we didn't see Thursday night. Mike was a cute thin dark haired twink. Great moves on stage, although not sure if his choice of accessories, an I love boobies bracelet, scores points. lol One guy who caught my eye was a tall thin tattoo'd up cute bad boy type. Never got his name, but google Machine gun Kelley... that's who he reminded me of. Tats have always been a turnoff to me until recently... for some reason I like them on tall thin guys like him.** The only downside to Campus was an incredibly rude server they hired. His name I think was Sammy. Arrogant beyond words and when he kind of pushed me off my stool a bit to reach over the bar, I was annoyed... but I assumed he didn't realize he was doing it. Then about a half hour later, he literally, without so much as an "excuse me" pushed my friend off his stool so he could get something from the bartender. It was unreal. I'm not a violent guy, but I was getting really irritated. We left soon after.

 

Stop #2: Stock (N/A)

I will say of all the clubs, Stock had the best air conditioning last night. There, I said something positive. OK, gotta again throw out the disclaimer - we don't really go for the muscle heads. So Stock is rarely on our to do list. We dropped in apparently far too early - it was about 8:30 and the place was a ghost town. A bartender or two and maybe 1 or 2 customers. No dancers to be seen except smoking on the street. We were gone within 30 seconds.

Stop #3: Apsara Massage

I've had fun at this place every visit, but now they make you go through obstacles to gain entrance. First night, it looked as if it had closed. We saw a sign on the door buzzer saying "No Massage." Door at street level was locked so we just moved on. Last night we wondered if that was the downstairs tenant putting the sign on their buzzer so customers would push the other instead. This time the door was unlocked at street level. Theyve done some remodeling of the stairway and the door to Apsara on the 2nd level was locked and there was no buzzer. We went back to the street looked up and the "ouvert" neon sign was on, but it just didn't seem worth the hassle... we moved on down St. Catherine.

Stop #4: JP (B-)

Again, little to no air conditioning. Don't know if they're trying to cut costs and trying to sell more drinks. If so, bad move. Makes your visits short. Mostly the same lineup as the first night. Saw "Zack" from previous trips... little older now and a little bigger... he's a straight'ish skater boy type. Used to have longer hair, usually wears a baseball cap sideways. The hot twink of the place is named James. Not unique, but smooth, cute, dark hair, late teens maybe 20. And there was a dark haired, dark eyed guy who was sexy on stage... probably 20-22ish, a little more exotic looking... great moves on stage when he'd lock eyes with you. Definitely works out, but not overly buff. Really sensual. My buddy took him back and the twink. Both he said were good not great.

Stop #5: Taboo (A)

Just like on night 1, Taboo was the uncontested winner of the clubs. I'm still so surprised to see how this place did such a 180. I've never introduced myself to a club manager as the guy who posts to these boards. I like annonymity. But I had to tell the guy running the show how well they were doing. And he was beyond grateful. He sat with us a couple times over the course of the night and you can tell he's going to go above and beyond to make this place work. He's redone lighting, is still redoing the back room to get more privacy, and the dancer roster is solid.

 

I also think the $10 dances are a game changer. Now, when we've gone to other clubs, all we think when we take a guy to the back is that we're paying 2x what we'd pay at Taboo. And is it really worth it? Although in actuality, I've pretty much tipped enough to probably pay the dancers the typical $20/song rate. lol... one guy I took back last night was concerned when the 2nd song started, I chuckled... I think I can swing another $10... I ended up giving him $40 for 2 songs (very long songs it was the end of the night) and he was smiling profusely in appreciation. But yeah, with a little more privacy already in place and apparently more back room improvements to come, it's going to be hard to justify doing private dances at other clubs.

 

Usually a club has at least 4 or 5 of those "how did he get a job here" types... this place doesn't. Even the guys who weren't so much my type... you know they're someone's perfect find. Most of the dancers interact well too... they're not as standoff'ish as Johnnys in Fort Lauderdale. I tried to take good notes on my iPhone to assign names... because my memory sucks, especially when alcohol's in the mix!

 

Leo: not model gorgeous, but a tall, blond slender guy, probably 22 or 23. But super sweet. Really awesome personality... a wild and fun dude. My buddy took him to the back and raved about him... was the best backroom experience he'd had all trip.

 

Tyler: a long time fixture on the scene... often a drag queen, wears tiny daisy duke denim shorts on stage... too effeminate for me, but a sweet guy.

 

Samuel: energy beyond words... even at 2:30am and was dancing rave style around the club. Fortunately I don't have to describe him. He's here: http://tour.videoboys.com/videoboys.php?id=753

 

Sebastian: I remember this guy from L'Adonis as the guy who would suck himself on stage. Was always so jealous. lol Kind of quirky looking... punk style, early 20s, a little pudgy now.

 

Lucky: haven't talked to this one yet on the trip, but holy hell is he hot. He has worn white sweat pants both nights so far. Only thing is he doesn't engage much with customers. And I'm not the chase down type... if I shoot you a look, take the hint or you don't get paid. Seems nice though... just not aggressive enough. Facially he resembles Matt Hardy from pro wrestling. I did some looking around on the Canadian porn sites and found him here: http://tour.videoboys.com/videoboys.php?id=702

 

Joshua: I may be off on the name, but simply stunning body. Rock solid, early 20s... maybe 6'1 and about 140-150lbs. He's a roofer during the day. He is chiseled and defined and a great smile - his personality is amazing too. Both nights he spent almost all night with one table. I just hope they compensated him appropriately!

 

Zoa: a dark eyed, dark haired cute little guy. Wears a black winter cap... not overly talkative, but does a hot Shakira style hips dance that was nice. Probably 19ish.

 

Maxime or Simone (can't remember, but I know it was one of the 2): 18 years old, model gorgeous face, tall, smooth, dark hair... total twink lovers dream guy. Very sweet and a great smile.

 

Just a great trip so far... it's nice strolling down St. Catherine this time of year... not too hot yet. Lots of great people watching, from hotties to nutjobs... you see it all! Plus there are lots of hippy types protesting education cuts or something... they walk around the city banging pots and pans.

[corndog]

Stop #3: Apsara Massage

I've had fun at this place every visit, but now they make you go through obstacles to gain entrance. First night, it looked as if it had closed. We saw a sign on the door buzzer saying "No Massage." Door at street level was locked so we just moved on. Last night we wondered if that was the downstairs tenant putting the sign on their buzzer so customers would push the other instead. This time the door was unlocked at street level. Theyve done some remodeling of the stairway and the door to Apsara on the 2nd level was locked and there was no buzzer. We went back to the street looked up and the "ouvert" neon sign was on, but it just didn't seem worth the hassle... we moved on down St. Catherine.

 

The entrance to Apsara is confusing. The door you tried, which is the obvious one seems to be for the suite on the second level, not Apsara. Just to the right of that is another door that is sort of inside the adjoining bar, "Saloon", I think. So, it feels like you have to go a little bit into the bar to find your way to the door that leads to a long staircase to the third level.

[jerryskater]

Jake - Once again thanks for you great reports. Have you contacted Nathan/Brian19 that we posted about last week?

[Jake]

Jake - Once again thanks for you great reports. Have you contacted Nathan/Brian19 that we posted about last week?

 

Never heard back - I emailed him about a week ago, no reply. And I don't think he left a phone number on his ad and the link I bookmarked for his ad no longer works.

 

It's 3am.. we just got back to our hotel room. Dude. F'n WILD night again at Taboo. It's too late to do a recap right now, but I'll post tomorrow. But in short, it's been a clean sweep this weekend for Taboo. JP is dying. Campus will survive nuclear wars, but nothing amazing there. There were twice as many people when we went to Stock (that means 4 instead of 2 customers).

[Jake]

The entrance to Apsara is confusing. The door you tried, which is the obvious one seems to be for the suite on the second level, not Apsara. Just to the right of that is another door that is sort of inside the adjoining bar, "Saloon", I think. So, it feels like you have to go a little bit into the bar to find your way to the door that leads to a long staircase to the third level.

 

Thx for the tip... I'd been up there like 4 or 5 times, so I'm surprised I didn't notice this!

 

We did walk up today but there were only 2 or 3 guys in the lobby. None looked particularly exciting so we moved on.

[Jake]

Night #3... same itinerary. Same results. We pre-gamed at Campus... and for a Saturday night, it was amazing how unexciting it was. There were only 2 dancers that caught my eye... a dark haired twinky guy I'd noticed earlier this weekend and a muscle twink with blond hair and a great smile. The muscle twink was chatting up an Asian guy for most of the hour we spent and the other just wasn't special enough to keep me interested. He was cute and all, but not in a way that dozens of others would be cuter at Taboo.

 

Next, Stock. Again, we were way too early. We wandered in around 9 and it was a ghost town again. There was at least a dancer on stage, but there were maybe 2 tables with customers at them.

 

Off to JP. Again for a Saturday night, it was odd to us to see it so dead. There were 2 girls sitting at oneo f the stage tables with enough alcohol to knock me on my ass and I'm a big dude. Don't know if they were dancer girlfriends or what... they were dressed to the 9s and keeping themselves amused in between visits from the straight dancers. There was one beefy guy who just couldn't imagine why we weren't salivating over him. During his 4th attempt to get business from us, he decided the best course of action was to take his cell phone out and show us video of his penis. Classy. Anyway, the dark eyes/hair sensual guy (who I noticed goes as Shaun on VideoBoys.com: http://tour.videoboys.com/videoboys.php?id=741) was exchanging numbers with some girls. There were a couple other cute guys that were there previous nights... but the emptiness of the place and gaps between dancers was getting us antsy to move on so we did.

 

Sure enough the rest of the night was spent again at Taboo... we walked in and just like the last few nights, it's clear why the other clubs were empty. They were all at Taboo. Not really any new characters to tell about... same cast of guys... from former and future drag queens, to the roofer, to the just turned 18'ers. There were a few "why are they here" types I mentioned yesterday though - a guy named Alex with Jason Priestly 1990s style sideburns and a 41 year old who must've downed about 23 Red Bulls... or found some other form of stimulant. But generally, lots of great looking younger guys with good variety in personality and body types.

 

There were some "you had to be there" stories I just can't put into words here. Just suffice it to say we never thought for more than 20 seconds about walking around to the other clubs for a breather. There was a parrot, broken glasses, and a dancer who reminded me of Mr. Peepers from Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately I didn't have an apple to give him.

 

The walk back down St. Catherine at 3am is always a fun one. There's the mix of drunken cute guys stumbling out of the clubs, we saw a hit and run and subsequent police chase, about 8 bouncers tackling a guy outside the straight club near Campus... ahhh alcohol.

 

I'm still around for one more night, but my buddy is heading home so I may take it easy. We'll see.

[LurkerSpeaks]

thanks for the great reports, Jake. They definitely make me want to get back to Montreal soon. Did you, by chance, get any pictures of any of the boys on your visit? If so, I am pretty sure I speak for all involved, that we would love to see some of the pics. Thanks for taking the time to find some of the boys on videoboys. I looked thru their archives and found a few boys I recognized from years past in Montreal. The other site I am familiar with that features Montreal boys is squirz.com

[Jake]

thanks for the great reports, Jake. They definitely make me want to get back to Montreal soon. Did you, by chance, get any pictures of any of the boys on your visit? If so, I am pretty sure I speak for all involved, that we would love to see some of the pics. Thanks for taking the time to find some of the boys on videoboys. I looked thru their archives and found a few boys I recognized from years past in Montreal. The other site I am familiar with that features Montreal boys is squirz.com

 

Nah not really I didn't take any boys home w/ me, so no pics. But I took some fun shots around the village today that I'll post when I get home.

 

PS, you mentioned Squirtz - here's another guy we saw at Taboo: http://www.squirtz.com/videos/1225

[corndog]

We did walk up today but there were only 2 or 3 guys in the lobby. None looked particularly exciting so we moved on.

 

Jake,

In your experience, how does it work at Apsara? The only time I've been there, I had an appointment for a therapeutic massage, and there was no one at all in the lobby except for the receptionist (it was early in the day). Is there normally a situation where there are a bunch of guys standing around and you point at the one you want and ask for a "full body" massage? The place seems to pass itself off as legit, and there is a sign that says "no sexual activity of any kind is permitted," but I get a different vibe.

[Jake]

Different circumstances each time I've gone... only been about 3 or 4 times. The first time I went I actually replied to an ad when Craigslist allowed massage/escort postings. This guy was great. His name was Cody... early 20s, blond, smooth, great technique and he did more than a traditional massage. Was very nice. After that I went up a couple times, asking if Cody still worked there (knowing full well he probably didn't)... the first time, they actually called him and he set up an appointment for the next day. He was on his own working independently at that point, but came in to Apsara do my massage. Then the last one I got, I did the same thing... went up and asked if he was still working there. They said no and this time didn't remember him, but there were several guys in the lobby area... probably 5 or 6 I'd guess. There was one clear standout... a British twinky blond guy named Jake. He was far more traditional than Cody, but it was enjoyable.

[LurkerSpeaks]

I have been there several times as well. The best thing to do is call before you go. Talk with Ton, the owner.. explain to him what you are looking for--the type of guy, what type of massage. Do not hesitate to let him know if you want therapeutic or more of a full service, erotic massage. He can steer you towards the right guy.. If you call in advance with some open window of time, he can hopefully match you up with a compatible guy.. Last time I was there, I did the "lobby casting call" and chose a nice, blond twink guy. Massage was very good.. He was ready for "penetration" but did not have condoms so a word of advice is to follow the boy scout mantra of "Always be prepared"..

[Jake]

Well my last night here was pretty low key. My buddy left earlier today and after 3 nights of boozin' it up hard, I took it easy both with the alcohol and the boys. No private dances... did the rounds again and nothing new to report... Campus was sort of busy but blah in terms of the roster of dancers. JP and Stock were ghost towns, but then again it's not a holiday Sunday night here in Canada. And sure enough, even though I really had been there and done that by spending the majority of the past 3 nights there, I ended up spending another night at Taboo. It's just not even a competition. Taboo owns this town now - unless you're into muscle. Then Campus and Stock probably duke it out on various nights.

[Karl-G]

Thank You

 

Jake,

 

Thank you very much for the three daily reports which are so thorough and specific on Taboo and the other bars in Montreal. Your efforts are much appreciated. The news is welcomed and enjoyed.

 

Karl

[Jake]

Jake,

 

Thank you very much for the three daily reports which are so thorough and specific on Taboo and the other bars in Montreal. Your efforts are much appreciated. The news is welcomed and enjoyed.

 

Karl

 

Glad to do it man! I live vicariously through all of you when I'm back at home too when I read your posts! Going to spend a few more hours people watching in the Village, then it's off to the airport this afternoon. I'll post some random pics I took around the city this week!

[Jake]

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-02.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-03.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-05.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-06.jpg

[Jake]

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-07.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-08.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-09.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-10.jpg

[Jake]

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-11.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-12.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-13.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-14.jpg

[Jake]

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-15.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-16.jpg

http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/sumblinkgreen/Montreal/MontrealMemorialDayWeekend2012-17.jpg

[+ newatthis]

Great pictures!

[Jake]

Great pictures!

 

Thx

 

My caption for the pic outside Unity... "He looked like a twink at the club but daylight can be harsh!"

[eeyore]

Thanks for your colorful report. It's great to hear that Taboo is making a comeback. Your photos of the village and url links to some of the boys are great!