What Is A Muscle Bar?
A muscle bar is a type of themed bar where the servers are burly people. They often accompany their service with poses and tricks, such as doing push ups over visitors, squashing fruits with their bare hands, or even slapping customers who ask for it. They also regularly exercise around the place.
Are Muscle Bars Different in Tokyo?
There are very few Muscle Bars in Tokyo – seven that we could find, as it is still a pretty new concept here. Compared to muscle bars in other countries, they usually involve less physical contact between servers and customers, which matches with Japanese culture and customs (especially when it comes to interactions between men and women).
A New Concept - Muscle Girls Bar!
In June 2020, in Ikebukuro, the first ever Muscle Girls Bar in the world opened! The concept is the same, except that the servers are all muscular women. Its introduction: “The muscle girls bar is a Muscle paradise where trainees and muscle lovers come from all around the world.”
The staff, made up of 25 rotating servers at the time of writing this article, is quite varied in nationality, looks (some even sport piercings and tattoos, which is rather rare in Japan), and “buffness”. They all wear a training outfit uniform, consisting of a crop top/training bra with “Muscle Girls” written on it in Japanese, skin-tight shorts, and sneakers (although they usually wear their own exercise clothing).
The interior of the bar is not very big, overwhelmingly pink, and has long blue LED bar counters. It features exercising machines and a pole for pole dancing. There is a big screen on one wall that plays videos of the staff and concept. Lots of promotional and motivational posters adorn the rest of the wall surfaces, and there are balloons and decorations absolutely everywhere. The place is decorated more like a birthday party than a bar, but that definitely adds to the unique atmosphere!
The drinks are served in jumbo glasses, which you can request to be half, three-quarters, or fully filled.
How Does It Work?
At Muscle Girls Bar, it is recommended to make a reservation in advance, as the bar may be booked out on the day. The basic course is a 30-minute all-you-can-drink for ¥1500, plus 20% tax. There is also an 80-minute course which includes all-you-can-drink, as well as a fruit squeezing performance, and a muscle performance for a tax-inclusive ¥5000 per person, tax included.
Once inside, you can also purchase “muscle dollars”, which cost ¥1000 for 10 muscle dollars. With this currency, which basically amounts to their tips, you can ask one of the performers to do a certain task, from posing for a photo, to giving you a slap, to lifting you, to giving you a shot poured from a syringe… The possibilities are (almost) endless!
What Do Customers Think?
One of the online reviews from a local guide declares that “Every single person working there is incredibly friendly and welcoming.” Indeed, it seems to be that Muscle Girls is very respectful of its employees, and focuses on female empowerment rather than objectification.
About the muscle dollar system, another guide writes: “Only thing you need to know is that if you want a slap, butt kick, get princess carried or a photo on stage, you need to pay an additional ¥1000, which can be pretty expensive real fast if you want to do everything! But definitely worth it to spend the extra money for some good memories!” According to these testimonies, it seems that the place can be thoroughly enjoyed with no extra spending, as there will always be something happening within your field of vision, and the girls are always serving no matter what.
Regarding drinks themselves, reviews are pretty mixed; if one patron wrote “the drinks were good”, another reviewer says that “the alcohol is not really the highlight of the place” Of course, this second review says it all: the purpose is the entertainment, not a fancy cocktail, which you certainly will not find there.
Should I Visit?
If you are into fitness yourself, or into buff women, or simply love unique outings with friends, a Muscle Girls Bar is a perfect fit for you! It is guaranteed that you will have a lot of fun and experience things you have never seen before.
However, be ready for overwhelming lights, music, and a ton of things happening all at once throughout the night. For some, the concept may also feel exploitative, so your mileage may vary, although the website itself as well as reviews explain that this is more about celebrating buff women than it is objectifying them.
Want To Know More?
The websites for Muscle Girls are a bit tricky to navigate, but essentially: if you have a Japanese phone number, you can make a simple booking through this website; if you want to book the special 80-minute course, open this link; finally, if you are a foreigner and want to enjoy the same 80-minute course, this is the link to visit.
Feel free to check out the article below to learn more about this unique experience!
Japan Gay Guide is not affiliated with or sponsored by Muscle Girls.
