Most American cities dealt with adult businesses by pushing them apart — spacing rules, buffer zones, keeping them away from schools and churches. Boston did the opposite. On November 14, 1974, the Boston Zoning Commission approved an adult entertainment zone covering a two-block area on the edge of Chinatown, centered on Washington Street between Boylston and Kneeland. The idea was containment: since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling protected adult entertainment under the First Amendment, the city chose to concentrate it in one place rather than fight it everywhere. It was one of the first districts of its kind in the country, and the neighborhood already had a nickname — the Combat Zone.
At its height the Zone held strip clubs, peep shows, X-rated theaters and adult bookstores, with LaGrange Street between Washington and Tremont as one of its busiest stretches. Almost all of it is gone. The adult theaters and bookstores have closed, and the name itself has fallen out of use. What survives is two clubs standing next door to each other on LaGrange Street: Centerfolds and the Glass Slipper, described by Axios in 2025 as the last vestige of the old red-light district and as Boston’s two remaining fully nude clubs.
Even that may change. In June 2025, Boston’s Zoning Board of Appeal gave a first approval for work at 27-29 Stuart Street tied to a proposed “multi-story nightclub adult entertainment complex for 246 patrons.” An attorney for the applicant told the board it would be the relocation of an existing adult entertainment license about a block and a half away; which of the two clubs is involved was not disclosed. The Stuart Street site sits inside the city’s original adult entertainment district, which is part of why the move is possible at all. A city councilor objected on behalf of neighbors, and more hearings on the food, beverage and entertainment licenses are still to come. Both LaGrange Street clubs are listed as operating.
What state rules mean for your night out
Adult entertainment licensing in Massachusetts is handled locally — city and town licensing boards, with public hearings — which is why the rules and hours you encounter differ from one municipality to the next. The alcohol side, however, is set statewide by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, and 204 CMR 4.00 is a condition of every license to sell drinks for consumption on the premises. In practice that means:
- No happy hour. Licensees may not sell drinks below the price regularly charged during the same calendar week, and prices must hold for at least a full week.
- No free drinks, no open bar deals. Free drinks are prohibited, as is selling an unlimited number of drinks for a fixed price.
- No more than two drinks to one person at a time, and no pitchers except to two or more people.
- The house is responsible for conduct on the floor. Under 204 CMR 2.05(2), a licensee may not permit any disorder, disturbance or illegality on the premises, whether the owner is present or not.
Boston
- Centerfolds Boston — 12 LaGrange St, Boston
- Glass Slipper — 22 LaGrange St, Boston
- Aga’s Highland Tap — 2128 Washington St, Boston
- Ten’s Show Club — no street address is listed in this directory; call ahead or check the listing before travelling
Worcester
Worcester has the state’s second concentration of clubs, and it is a tight one: three of the four sit on or beside Southbridge Street and the Southwest Cutoff, within a short drive of each other.
- Riviera Show Club — 241 Southbridge St, Worcester
- Hurricane Betty’s — 350 Southbridge St, Worcester
- Centerfold’s — 229 SW Cutoff, Worcester 01604
- Lamplighter II — 187 SW Cutoff, Worcester 01604
North and south of Boston
The rest of the listings are suburban and roadside rather than downtown — several sit directly on major routes, with parking, which makes them easier to reach by car than the LaGrange Street pair.
- The Golden Banana — 151 Newbury St (Route 1), Peabody
- The Squire — 604 Squire Rd, Revere
- Mac’s Two Lounge — 176 Boston Rd, Billerica
- Club Alex — 584 Washington St, Stoughton
- Temptation Gentlemen’s Club — 161 Popes Island, New Bedford
What to check before you go
- Confirm the address is still current. At least one Boston adult entertainment licence is in the process of being moved, and relocations in this sector are approved building by building. Ring the club the same day rather than relying on a saved map pin.
- Ask what the venue is licensed for. Alcohol service and nude entertainment are separate permissions granted by separate local processes, so they do not always come together. What is on offer at one address may not be on offer at the next town over.
- Do not expect drink deals. State rules bar happy hour pricing, free drinks and fixed-price unlimited offers, and bar staff cannot hand you more than two drinks at once. Budget accordingly, and bring cash.