To find a place to start my investigation into the Russian gay scene and clubs in particular, I went to gay.ru where you have the option to view the pages in English. I was looking for the hot spots in the country and it soon became clear from my searches that there were two main places to go. Moscow, as you would expect, it being the capital city and Saint Petersburg.

You should check out the very informative pages at Gay.ru before you start to think about the club scene as here you can also read up on the background to gays and the law, history of he gay movement and other general subjects related to queerness in the country. Once you are armed with the background information you can start looking for the club scene.

Saint Petersburg is a Russian city located in the North-western Federal District of the country on the Neva river and is named after Peter the Great who founded it in 1703. I’m sure he wouldn’t know what to make of it these days though, especially if he were to call in at “Sinners” which boasts “Four floors, one dance floor, bars, splendid romantic view from the top of the roof. Full striptease all night long. Nude dancers mix with the crowd and occasionally offer paint and brushes to visitors to draw on their exposed bodies.” Sounds like fun to me!

There used to be another night club in the city called the 69 Club but word has it that this is now used by predominantly heterosexual teenagers so is probably best avoided. For other entertainments you could try the cafes, “Kabaret” – “Charming drag queen talk show. Cosy and relaxed atmosphere. Inexpensive bar, karaoke, large dance floor, huge darkroom. Fridays and Saturdays are overcrowded, many good looking cadets from the Navy Academy.” Sounds like even more fun! And the “Mono Club” which is considerably smaller and mixed.

There are also four saunas in this city and you can find the full details of all of these places here.

Moscow is the capital of Russia and so we expect it to be bigger, bolder and more liberal. Actually there were only three night clubs listed at Gay.ru when I looked. “Chance Club” is open every night and is now a revamped version of the oldest club in the city. The quality of the crowd varies but it is the biggest and most used of the clubs so you’re probably going to score if you go there for a night out!

The “Three Monkeys” club is also open all week and has several floors, internet access, drag shows, go-go boys and a ‘cinema’ room. Like all of the clubs there is a cover charge or an entrance fee and these vary from venue to venue but generally the entrance charges seem to be cheaper (sometimes even free) for men. Guys at Chance, for example, pay 150 Rubles to get in while women pay 300! That’s around $24.00 for a girl to access a night club in case you were wondering. The third listed club, “Propaganda”, hosts a gay/mixed tea dance on a Sunday where you get good value for money with cheaper drinks and no cover charge.

From my quick look at these places it seems that the country is more liberal and accepting than I first thought it would be. The write ups and reviews of these clubs make them sound like any club you might find in New York or London – though we know that the sexy Russian boys will be a different matter! Check Gay.ru as it’s one of the more informed sites about gay Russia and also lists saunas, cafes and other entertainments in various locations around the country. Also make sure you check out the ‘life in Russia’ section as this will tell you what to expect generally if and when you go and visit.