Man, oh, man! As Zen Ultra Lounge and DC10 before that, 940 Lincoln has seen its fair share of scantily clad club gals over the last few years — but not a lot of nearly naked guys. That will all change, though, when Hunks the Show celebrates its grand opening at the address, now renamed Denver Hunks the Show, on May 15.
Already, the Asian decor of Zen is making way for a look that will be more appealing to ladies — and put hunky male dancers front and center. "Our shows are very, very classy," says Hunks owner Bonnie King. "They're not considered strippers. It's an actual show where the women buy tickets and they sit down and they see a show. There could be a pirate act, and there's an act where it starts snowing inside the building. There are a whole bunch of different themes."
While hunks will strut their stuff on Fridays and Saturdays — ideal entertainment for bachelorette, sorority or divorce parties, King suggests — the venue will host Sex in the City cocktail parties from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursdays, when King plans to show episodes of Sex and the City and other chick flicks on the giant screen that had been installed for Zen.
Meanwhile, Bill Ward has revamped his two-year-old subterranean Below Bar (1422 Larimer Street), changing out some furniture, adding a lot of mirrors — and turning it into a gay bar at the request of some gay staffers and promoters. "Finally, this makes sense now," Ward says. "Downtown needs it. I don't think there's ever been a club in LoDo that's been gay. Actually, I know for a fact there hasn't been. If anything, there might have been a gay night, but not a gay club. Down on Larimer, we're in a prime location. We're in the heat of everything. To have something that the Denver gay men want to frequent down in Larimer is kind of rare. So hopefully we'll be able to bring a lot of people down here and have an option for these guys in the future."
Initially, the club will be open Thursdays through Saturdays; another night might be added in a month or so. Ward says that Rockstar Aaron will be the resident DJ on Thursdays, with rotating DJs on Fridays and possibly two well-known local DJs on Saturdays.
Club scout: Matt Black and Kitchy Ami recently launched Roller Disco, which will run the first Sunday of every month at La Rumba (99 West Ninth Avenue). Think Studio 54 with roller disco and a few modern twists, and while you can bring your own skates, they're not required; cover is $5. On the other Sundays, La Rumba will host Glamazon, with Black and Ami spinning disco, new wave, '70s glam rock and European electro-clash.
If you didn't get enough of Cinco de Mayo this week, El Camino (3628 West 32nd Avenue) will be throwing one last fiesta on Saturday, May 8. The first annual Cinco de Camino community backyard party will run from noon to 10 p.m. with a Margarita Pavillion, Mexican barbecue, face painters, fire breathers, music from Tito del Barrio Málaga from 3 to 6 p.m., and a DJ spinning barrio beats from 6 to 9 p.m.
