Girls only bar opens in Newcastle

Aug 17 2008 by Sara Nichol, Sunday Sun

A BATTLE of the sexes is set to erupt as a North city unveils its newest bar... which has banned men!

Bosses claim The Sugar Lounge in Newcastle will not be a female equivalent to raunchy men’s clubs such as Blue Velvet and For Your Eyes Only.

But the only men allowed will be scantily clad male waiters delivering table service to fairer sex customers. The bar, in the city’s Sports Cafe complex, is decked out boudoir style with plush curtains and cushions, a heart-shaped double bed and a picture of David Beckham on the wall.

It is already open to the public but is set to have an official launch at the end of this month, when a saucy schedule of Ann Summers parties and pole dancing lessons is set to be unveiled. Aside from the topless waiters, there are strictly no men allowed.

Rachel Haslam, sales manager at the Sports Cafe, said: “There’s a few venues for men only around Newcastle and, although we’re not the female rivals of those places, we thought the city needed somewhere for ladies to even things out a bit.

“There is strictly no men allowed in the Sugar Lounge . . . they can go in other parts of the Sports Cafe but not in there.

“We don’t know of any legal issues yet that say we can’t ban men from coming in.

“We have weekly pole dancing lessons and Ann Summers parties and we hope to introduce new events as well such as burlesque dancing.

“We thought some pictures on the wall of famous men and waiters without their shirts on would provide some eye candy. It’s proving very popular with hen parties.”

The owners of the Sports Cafe came up with the idea of the Sugar Lounge after realising 80 per cent of the bar’s clientele were men and they needed to do something to attract the fairer sex.

But the move has been met with objections.

South Heaton Labour councillor Geraldine Ormonde, who campaigned against the opening of Newcastle’s first table dancing club For Your Eyes Only, said: “In principal, I’m against anything to do with the sex industry and this is just another part of it with the Ann Summers parties, pole dancing lessons and topless male waiters.”

She added: “We do not want to sell Newcastle on places such as this.”