A traditional bathhouse in Logan Circle
Whenever I’m in Washington, DC, or its environs, Auntie tries to make at least one visit to Crew Club DC — especially on a Tuesday night, one of the busiest nights of the week. I’m in the area about four times per year, so I consider myself pretty much a “regular.” It also happens to be managed by the same person who owns my home club, Club Philly. It’s like my “club away from home.”
Quick facts (tl;dr)
- Type: Traditional urban gay bathhouse
- Atmosphere: Mixed crowd, neighborhood regulars, visitors to Washington, DC
- Best known for: Long local history; huge maze-like steam room
- Accessibility: Fairly accessible (has an elevator); cruising spaces are on one level; wheelchair use might be challenging in narrow hallways and other spaces
- Open: 24/7/365
- Auntie’s vibe check: Mixed crowd of locals and visitors; quite busy on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights
How to find the club
Crew Club is at 1321 14th St. NW, in the heart of the LGBTQ-friendly Logan Circle neighborhood, only a few blocks from some very popular LGBTQ bars and clubs. The club is about a 5-minute walk from the McPherson Square (Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines) and Farragut North (Red Line) Metro stations.
What about parking?
- There is some street parking on the surrounding streets. Pay attention to the signs about how long you can leave your car in one spot, and how to pay.
- There are nearby garages and parking lots, and they can be quite expensive (like almost everything else in DC).
Auntie says…
Consider mass transit, a bike, or ride share to get to the club.
If you’re driving from a nearby town, consider a park-and-ride option using mass transit and the Metro. That’s way less stressful than dealing with DMV traffic.
Is the neighborhood safe?
Logan Circle is a highly gentrified, upscale DC neighborhood. The club is on a major street and surrounded by many restaurants and shops. Auntie has walked in the area at various times of day and night and felt quite safe.
As in any walkable major city, if you’re walking late at night, keep your wits about you and walk with purpose. You should be fine.
The amenities
Crew Club has two levels, and currently all the “fun places” are on the second floor. During Auntie’s last visit, they were doing some construction or refurbishing just beyond the check-in desk. There’s no chatter to indicate exactly what it might be, so stay tuned for more details!
Layout
- Street level (first floor)
- Check-in desk
- Safe-deposit boxes (one per room)
- Second floor
- Locker room
- Rooms
- Smoking balcony
- TV lounge
- Multiple dark spaces in the halls near the rooms
- Porn TV lounge with a wooden bench in the middle of the room area
- Large dark space with a slurp ramp
- Large wet area with
- Gang showers
- Sauna
- Huge steam room that’s like a maze
Important things to consider
- The club is open 24/7/365 (yes, that includes Christmas Day).
- If you rent a room, one of the safe-deposit boxes (the tiny boxes across from the check-in/checkout spot) is assigned to you. It’s smart to use that to store your wallet, cash, or other small valuables.
- Tuesdays are one of the busiest days at the club. The crowd starts to arrive mid-/late-afternoon and can still be going strong well after 1 or 2 AM.
- When the club is busy, there will be a line to get in. Yes, it can take a while for you to check in. It’s worth the wait.
- It’s an older building, and one end of the hall seems to leak every time it rains hard enough. If you see water dripping from the ceiling, report it to the desk so that they can do something about it.
- Yes, the steam room does seem to be out of service often. Yes, you can still have fun at the club when it’s not working.
- Speaking of the steam room, it’s the largest steam room that Auntie has seen anywhere — bathhouse or otherwise! While it’s ”like a maze,” you won’t get lost. Unless you want to.
- Crew Club has an elevator, and there are no extra steps throughout the facility. There’s also a ramp to enter from the street. It’s one of the most accessible bathhouses Auntie knows of.
What does it cost?
Right up front: Anyone 18-24 gets free admission and a free locker. All day, every day.
Locker and room weekday prices (8 AM Monday through 4 PM Friday)
- Lockers: $20
- Crew (regular) room: $28
- Captain’s (larger) room: $32
Locker and room weekend prices (4 PM Friday through 8 AM Monday)
- Lockers: $24
- Crew room: $32
- Captain’s room: $36
Fees
- Weekday day pass: $10 (for those who don’t have a membership)
- Weekend day pass: $14
- 90-day membership: $50
- 30-day membership: $25
Half-price specials
- Weekday “Business Special:” Rooms, 10 AM to 2 PM
- Tuesdays: Rooms all day
- Thursdays: Lockers, 4 PM to midnight
- Friday “Happy Hour:” Rooms (4-hour time limit), 4 PM to 7 PM
Important things to know about costs
- They accept cash, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay
- If you’re going to the club often enough, a membership is less expensive than paying for a day pass each time.
- “Half-price” only applies to the locker or room rental. You’ll still pay the regular fees.
- Regular prices are charged for event weekends like Mid-Atlantic Leather and Pride.
Events
Crew Club occasionally hosts special events. Check their website and socials for details.
Auntie’s thoughts about Crew Club
I like to visit Crew Club anytime I’m in DC or a nearby community. I arrive by Metro or ride share, and I take a ride share back to my hotel if it’s really late at night.
Since I’m usually in the area for business meetings, Tuesdays are my favorite night to be there. I’m sure that Tuesdays are popular because rooms are half-price all day. But there’s some other magic in the air on Tuesdays because it’s WAY busier than most weeknights at most bathhouses in the USA and Canada.
The crowd is usually pretty diverse: There’s almost always a wide array of body types, ages, and skin tones. The Tuesday evening crowd tends to include more folks who are 30 and under. Quite frequently, some trans people are showing up — and my observation is that they find plenty of folks to have fun with during their visit.
Club management keeps the facility pretty well-maintained, and the staff do a good job of cleaning. The steam room recently underwent some extensive renovations.
Auntie is always surprised that the dark room with the “stage”/slurp ramp is busy on the lower level, but only a few guys go up above to feed those who might be interested. Slurp ramps are Auntie’s specialty, so when I’m there, you’ll probably find me in the dark room.
The bench among the rooms with the two porn TVs gets more action than you might expect. If you’re not shy, it’s a fun place to play!
Important rules to keep in mind
Like all bathhouses, Crew Club has their rules. They are listed near check-in, and they mention several on their website:
- No outside food or drink allowed
- No alcohol and drugs on the premises
- The club is clothing-free: You can wear the towel that they give you around your waist, a jock, boxers, harness — or you can be like Auntie and just be naked most of the time
- Photography is not permitted in public areas
- When checking out, bring your key, towel, sheet, and pillowcase to the front desk
- Anyone participating in illegal activity, or racist or hostile actions will be forced to leave
Some notes about Crew Club’s history
Crew Club has been around for a while: It started in 1995 under the ownership/management of DC Allen and his husband Ken Flick. They actively participated and sponsored events in Washington’s LGBTQ+ community — so much so that the club still displays honors and awards that the community has given Allen over the years.
In 2020 Allen and Flick closed the business before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. They were planning to retire and had entered an agreement to sell the building to a developer, but that deal apparently fell through. In mid-2021 they announced that they had entered an agreement with some new partners to reopen the club.
Crew Club continues to operate 24/7/365 under the new management arrangement — serving the LGBTQ+ community for more than 30 years!
Auntie says…
Crew Club is a fun place to hang out, especially on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Try the steam room maze. It’s a-maze-ing!