If you haven’t visited Prague since October 2007, then you probably think that you’ve never visited Club Temple. 

But if I were to tell you that it’s the latest incarnation of one of the city’s best-known boy-hustler bars and that it used to be called Pinocchio, then I guess you’d know exactly the place that I’m talking about.   

In the past year the bar on Seifertova, just a ten minutes stroll from Prague’s main railway station (and what might you have been doing there, might I ask?) has gone through a major revamp that makes it well worth the visit.   Famous and much loved though it was, it must be admitted that the old Pinocchio had seen better times. 



It was clear that not a great deal of money had been spent on it in recent years and, if it hadn’t been for the gorgeous and very accommodating Czech boys who frequented it every night, it would hardly have been worth even taking a two minutes stroll to get there.  



In fact, though, even the boys had started deserting the place before last year’s revamp, thanks to the management’s short sighted lack of investment that was putting off customers.    A year ago, though, things began to change for the better. 



The catalyst was American Joe Brewster who bought the place because he could see the potential that it still had. He also suspected, rightly, that he could rely on the loyalty of old customers to start coming back once some major changes had been made. And he was prepared to put his money where his mouth was…  



As it turned out, Joe wasn’t a man to do things by halves! His changes were pretty dramatic and have dramatically – and successfully - transformed the club’s atmosphere. While it retains its old semi-subterranean premises, the whole interior has been completely ripped out and a major refit has made the interior space far more welcoming, attractive and comfortable. 



If you ever visited the old Pinocchio, you’ll know that there was something of a rabbit warren of dark passages leading off the main bar area into a series of dank cavernous spaces. But the redesigned space is now far more efficiently used and the whole place just feels bigger and brighter.   

 

Some features remain unchanged. You’re still handed a blank bill on arrival that gets gradually filled throughout the evening as you order more drinks (including, hopefully, one or two for the new friend you’ve just met!) and then you pay the whole thing as you leave. The bar – stocked with that great Czech beer and almost anything else you could ask for – is still in the same place and there’s still a stage for strippers or whatever.  The big lesbian taxi driver still waits by the door, too, ready to take you straight home if you’re too drunk to walk or if you just can’t wait long enough to get your hands on that new friend I’ve already mentioned…  



Mentioning new friends, you’ll be pleased to hear too that the boys are back! Many of them seem to follow an evening circuit of the bars (including Monty’s, just up the road) and that definitely includes sticking their heads around the door of Club Temple – so there’s rarely a night where there isn’t a boy on the premises to suit everybody’s taste. 



It’s certainly, I can say, proved a very productive source of willing models over the years for me and the HMBoys camera crew! You will be expected, of course, to give these poor young guys a little, ahem, gratuity… But just keep thinking about what they’re going to be giving you in exchange.  



By the way, if you’re looking for a place to stay in the centre of Prague, make sure that you check out the Club Temple Hotel situated right next door to the club itself. Joe has spent a great deal of money on improving its rooms and facilities to a high standard and that investment has certainly paid off. The hotel has, by the way, a coffee shop where, I’m told, it’s often possible to meet new friends during the daytime. And, if that’s not enough to keep you occupied, you’re literally just a minute away from Monty’s bar and (just for train spotters, of course) only that 10 minutes stroll from the main railway station.  



To see pictures of the new Club Temple, the Club Temple Hotel and all their facilities, check out www.clubtemple.net   And, next time you’re there, see, too, how many of your favourite HMBoys you can spot on the premises!



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