First pop-up lesbian bar debuts in St. Pete
LickHer Lounge is St. Pete’s first-ever lesbian pop-up bar. Last year, the concept launched at The Saint, a speakeasy hidden away in the Grand Central District of St. Pete | The Saint
St. Petersburg is widely known for welcoming and embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and a local entrepreneur wants to further elevate the scene by introducing the first-ever lesbian pop-up bar experience.
"I've always had this longing desire to create a space for the lesbian-identifying community," said LGBT travel blogger and comedian Rachel Covello. "You need the right people to open a lesbian bar in downtown St. Pete. There are lots of risks with overhead costs. By having pop-ups, we can still bring this experience."
Through her pop-up bar venture, LickHer Lounge, Covello is working with restaurateurs and venue operators to secure brick-and-mortar space on select evenings.
Rachel Covello is the Founder of LickHer Lounge, LGBT travel blogger, and comedian | Rachel Covello
She held a soft launch of the concept last year at The Saint speakeasy bar owned by David Fischer, a longtime businessman who's established several LGBT destinations such as the Cocktail St. Pete nightclub and The Wet Spot pool bar.
"David agreed The Saint was the perfect upscale sexy space we needed. He put together the customized drink menu, we switched out some of the decor, and had two burlesque dancers," Covello said.
Roughly 150 women attended the first event, which was followed by a second event in December.
"The biggest feedback we got from women is that they wanted a bigger space to dance in," Covello said.
Covello is now working with the Hunger Thirst Group, a hospitality company that owns a handful of innovative restaurants and downtown bars, including the 70s-themed Lost and Found bar, Asian-fusion restaurant Good Fortune, and the Dirty Laundry speakeasy.
Covello plans to host her third LickHer Lounge pop-up event on Feb. 4th at Hunger Thirst’s latest culinary destination - Concrete Jungle, a Central American-inspired restaurant and bar at 475 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete.
LickHer Lounge’s next event, Jungle of Love, will take place in the basement of Concrete Jungle at 475 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete
The "Jungle of Love" event will run from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Concrete Jungle's basement, a space with a small stage formerly used to host Iberian Rooster's drag shows.
As with previous gatherings, all women, not just lesbians, are invited to attend the Jungle of Love event.
“This is a space created for anyone who identifies within the female spectrum, including lesbians, trans women, and non-binary friends,” said Covello.
A Valentine’s Day-themed drink menu will be offered as well as a menu of tapas-style food.
Tickets start at $10 online. There's a $20 cover charge at the door. Limited VIP packages, ranging from $50 to $300, are available for parties of two or groups of four to five people. The package includes a bottle of wine, a Valentine's Day-themed gift basket, and charcuterie board (for group packages).
To stay up to date on LickHer Lounge's events, follow the business via Facebook and Instagram.
The basement of Concrete Jungle is an oasis of lush faux plants, leather couches, and a separate bar | Veronica Brezina
Covello plans to have pop-ups every other month and not overlap with other LGBTQ+ events and hopes it will continue to be successful in the wake of nationwide lesbian bar closures.
In 2020, NBC News reported less than 20 lesbian bars remained open in the U.S.
Most recently, The Lady's Room - the sole lesbian bar in Florida located in Largo - closed its doors. The abrupt closure comes after owner Vicki Gibson launched a GoFundMe account to raise $100,000. According to the page, The Lady’s Room has raised $42,910.
Gibson was not immediately available to comment about the funds raised and future reopening plans.