Club Review : Hot Moves at Men’s Room

The go-go dancer on the bar knows all the titillating moves. The masked figure sways, shimmies and spins to the fast-paced music. But this barely clad dancer represents a slight variation on the tradition: He’s a man.

So are most of the onlookers on Thursday night at the Men’s Room at Cosmos, a primarily gay dance club where $1 is your ticket to dance to your heart’s content.

Few clubs in town exude as much dancing pleasure as the Men’s Room. Although there’s barely enough room to shake your hips from side to side, and the heat can be oppressive, the determined bodies still manage to work their frenzied moves.

Patrons shake tambourines while twirling around the pool table. Others dance atop the bar to get more leg room. Nearly everybody seems to be smiling, and the music is largely responsible. Deejay Tony Powell lures the dancers out on the floor by spinning what he dubs “very erotic house,” a sensual blend of pulsing house music and techno, from selections by French vocalist Patricia Kaas to Club Ultimate’s “Carnival ’93.”

If you want to get into the swing, arrive early, because the club hits its 300 capacity each week soon after it opens, and few people bail out of the Men’s Room early.

* The Men’s Room at Cosmos on Thursdays, 1608 Cosmo St . , Hollywood, (213) 466-7800, $1 cover.