Tom’s Bar

Tom’s Bar was a popular gay bar in the Schöneberg locality of Berlin, Germany.

Description and history

Tom’s Bar opened in April 1982 in the gay district of Berlin’s Schöneberg and, like Toms Saloon in Hamburg, initially operated predominantly as a leather bar, eventually adopting a less prescriptive dress code. The bar, which experienced marked changes following new ownership in 1993, was described as a “dark, sweaty and debauched men-only cruising establishment” with a “rough, manly atmosphere”. One of its slogans was “for successful cruising”. The space, on two floors, included a darkroom. Tom’s closed in late February 2024, replaced in March 2024 by the Berlin outlet of Joan Igual’s Barcelona/Madrid gay cruising bar enterprise Boyberry.

Reception

According to Berlin Tourismus and Kongress GmbH, the bar’s slogan “puts it in a nutshell, and it’s no exaggeration… People of all ages and from all walks of life get together here, especially when the night is getting on.” Similarly, Tom’s was called a “great place to finish off an evening” in The Rough Guide to Germany (2009). In Top 10 Berlin (2014), Juergen Scheunemann included Tom’s Bar as number five on a list of the best gay and lesbian attractions in the city. Scheunemann called the bar a “traditional pub” and a “well-known pick-up joint … not for those who are shy and timid”. Tom’s Bar was an iconic Berlin establishment; it was the gay place that tourists had heard of, though the space became unrecognisable from its “clone”-era days of leather manliness inspired by master erotic draughtsman Touko Laaksonen (1920-91), better known as Tom of Finland.

See also

Easter Berlin, Berlin’s annual leather and fetish event

Folsom Europe, Berlin’s annual BDSM and leather street festival

LGBT culture in Berlin

References

External links

Official website