Jumbo's Clown Room

Über uns

Red walls, a mirrored ceiling strung with little lights and a rock soundtrack turned up loud: Jumbo's Clown Room has held its corner of Hollywood Boulevard in East Hollywood since June 1970, first as a neighborhood bar and, from 1980, as a bikini cabaret. The dancers work the pole in bikinis, and the show leans toward athletic pole work, go-go and the odd contortion act rather than anything glossy.

Over five decades the room has pulled writers, musicians and filmmakers to both sides of the tip rail, and it still plays like a rock 'n' roll dive with a stage in the middle. No televisions compete for attention, the seating keeps clear sight lines, and the bar pours draft and bottled beer plus mixed cocktails. Women are as welcome as men, and tipping the dancers and the bartenders is simply part of the etiquette.

Doors open Wednesday through Sunday at 8 pm and the lights come up at 2 am.