ABOVE: Matt Colunga (L) at Johnsons Tampa. Photo by Joe Wynn.
TAMPA | Johnsons, the speakeasy which has provided live, male entertainment in Fort Lauderdale for more than five years, has officially launched its new location in Tampa Bay.
Owner Matt Colunga opened Johnsons Tampa Sept. 2 and has welcomed patrons to the two-story structure formerly known as Cristoph’s ever since. The entrepreneur set its official grand opening for Oct. 14 following extensive renovations to the former LGBTQ hotspot.
“Johnsons is a neighborhood bar that happens to have male dancers,” he explains the concept. “You go in and it’s like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name. You’re welcome right away, you don’t feel like an outsider. You feel like part of the family.”
Colunga has a decades-long history in the industry. Also a competitive bodybuilder, he has worked in and operated multiple adult establishments throughout the country over the years. At 23, he became general manager of Swinging Richards, Georgia’s infamous all-male, all-nude bar that closed last year.
The establishment was featured in “All Male, All Nude,” a series of documentaries which journey “into the world of male strippers at America’s only all-nude gay strip club located n the heart of the Bible Belt.” They also highlight Johnsons and Colunga himself, calling him “the man at the epicenter of it all.”
Johnsons “is a niche that hasn’t been filled in Tampa in a long time – and honestly, a lot of cities don’t have the vision I have because I’ve worked in so many strip clubs,” Colunga says. “In the gay scene we have GoGo Boys, a side attraction for a bar, and all I’ve done is turn it into the main attraction.”
Colunga currently employs 20 dancers. He hopes to ultimately feature 35-40 men on weekends and 20-25 on weekdays.
The lounge is currently open Thursdays-Sundays from 5 p.m.-3 a.m. with a $5-10 cover, dependent on the day and time of entry. October will also introduce no-cover Wednesdays to the 21+ space, which requires female customers be accompanied by a male. IDs are utilized to establish each patron’s gender.
Renovations to the space are ongoing, but thus far include new floors, air conditioning, updated lighting, sound and more. Colunga says patrons should expect to have a good time. View a gallery of from the space below, courtesy of Colunga.
“We pride ourselves in making sure every customer leaves happy,” he explains. He also notes that “we sell fantasies, we don’t sell sex.”
“The curtains on the VIP rooms don’t close all the way,” Colunga explains. “I want people to have a good time and they’re allowed to touch the dancers, but I want my boys to walk out that door with their head up high; to use this for a couple of years to make some money, save up and fulfill their dreams.”
Colunga also hopes to change the perception people may have about similar spaces. He says Johnsons will be heavily involved in the local community, participating in charity events and more.
“We’re not a place where people won’t want to be seen,” he says. “This is a beautiful, beautiful club and there’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
Learn more about the grand opening below.
Johnsons Tampa is located at 2606 N. Armenia Ave. in Tampa. For more information, call 813-450-3877 and visit Facebook.com/JohnsonsTampa.
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