Best grope-free dance nightspots for girls

Groping and having to fend off unwanted attention can take your night from high to dry. Ladies who want to rock it without bothersome partypoopers in a club should hit up these hotspots:

Go indie

Because sleazos aren’t cool enough to appreciate Home Club’s (cover $12- $15; Tue-Thu 9pm-3am; Fri & Sat 10pm-6am; Sun closed except for the last Sun of every month) chill underground culture, ladies will be on safe grounds. Indie artists, bands and DJs spin everything, from dubstep to electro tunes to techno. Let loose within the funky, grungy walls that house the perennial hip factor of Home.

Girls only

One of the more popular clubs for the young LGBT crowd, revellers are fans of hit R&B songs booming through the speakers one after another. At Play, (cover $15; Wed-Fri 9pm-3am; Sat & Sun 9pm-4am), Thursdays are Lesbian Nights – not that you’ll be hit on. Ladies are extremely respectful of one another. There might be no ladies’ night benefits, but drinks are cheap at $8 for a shot of tequila.

Let’s hear it for the boys

Hello hotstuff! Bodwatch parties in Taboo (cover $20 with one standard drink; Wed & Thu 8pm-2am, Fri 10pm-3am; Sat 10pm-4am) serve up eye-candy to the mainly gay male clientele, but this doesn’t mean chicks have to avert their eyes. Keep those peepers open: midway through the party, a parade of chiselled abs, tight buns and cute mugs storm the dance floor wearing nothing but their drawers. Further up – or down – is Tantric Bar (Sun-Fri 8pm-3am; Sat & eve of public holidays 8pm-4am). This venue may be a ‘bar’ but that doesn’t mean the beats aren’t sick enough to get you boppin’. If you like it cosy and non-intrusive, this is the place to be, although everyone needs a breather – the courtyard has its own bar so you can rehydrate and refuel. Look out for the occasional themed party night. 

Party on Sundays

Frequent party-goers know Zirca (cover $18 inclusive of one standard drink; Sun 10pm-4am) as a hot clubbing spot. Now imagine it without the groping and number chasing – that’s local DJ George Leong’s gay-friendly Superstar party every Sunday. Avalon (cover free for first 200, then $18 inclusive of one standard drink; Sun 10pm-4am) also has gay nights on Sundays. Glamorous interiors match the slick beats pumped out by international DJs. Go ahead, take that Monday MC. 

This story first appeared as 'Freedom to dance' (Dec 2011).