Best Burning Man-Esque Bar

Sublounge

Comments (0) Wednesday, May 19 2004

Best Burning ManEsque Bar

Maybe it's Sublounge's location, in the midst of Dogpatch's darkened warehouses and unclaimed condos, that gives the nightclub that Burning Man feel. There's an oasis vibe at work, as if this were the only civilization for miles. At the same time, that splendid isolation lends an outlaw attitude to the venue -- you just know John Law isn't going to be busting in on you anytime soon. And unlike at the Odeon Bar, the freaks don't wear their freakiness like royal finery, as if you're supposed to kiss their asses just because they hold pool cues with their sphincters. Sublounge is a dance bar, first and foremost, as befits a space run by members of revered Burning Man dance camps the Space Cowboys and Space Lounge. There's a cool variety of house, hip hop, and breaks nights, including the ridiculously bumping "Bikini Wax" monthly. Best of all, the upstairs bar is practically on the dance floor, so even the most reluctant wallflowers can make new friends. (With its airplane décor and cavernous environs, the downstairs space is a good hideaway.) And just like Burning Man these days, Sublounge plays host to a bizarre mix of costumed loonies, button-down meatheads, aging tweakers, slumming yuppies, and dedicated booty-bumpers. Lighting men on fire, however, is strictly forbidden.