The Powerhouse

The Powerhouse is the closest thing to a sex club as you’ll find in San Francisco (among places that serve alcohol, anyway). A nondescript hole-in-the-wall on Folsom Street, it’s decorated like an over-the-top porn shoot, from the yellow-and-black tape to the Crisco light fixtures to the back “patio”—a glorified staircase where shenanigans are afoot at all times. Fetish nights, guys in gear and uniforms, BDSM demonstrations and raffles for LGBT charities keep this place in business, because it’s by no means a casual spot for happy hour. The Powerhouse is a place to pick up or get picked up, and there’s bound to be someone for everyone—physically bound or not.