Nightcrawler - Partying at Sutra does a Body good

The DJ at Sutra keeps asking where I’m from. Hailing from New Jersey, it’s not often that Atlanta DJs give my state a shout-out, so someone must have tipped him off. That or he read in some DJ how-to manual that the best way to get a crowd going is to yell cities and states at them: “New York! Put your hands up!” “Chicago! Put your hands up!” “Jersey, where you at?” Who knew ladies’ night at Sutra drew such a national crowd? Despite his fondness for geography, the DJ does seem to have a handle on what the crowd wants to hear, which seems to be mostly Atlanta rap and hip-hop. It’s around 12:30 when he spins Huey’s “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” and a circle clears on the dance floor for the boldest ladies to flaunt their goodies. A hottie grabs my friend’s arm and says “Hey, Snowbunny, get out there.” But it’s getting a little hot on the dance floor with all that booty-shaking, so we decide to explore the outdoor patio bar.

The female bartender is not pleased when the large group of girls I’m with asks for a row of eight shots – apparently ladies’ night doesn’t mean ladies will be nice – but the tab comes to 24 bucks, so at $3 a shot, at least the prices are nice even if the waitress is a little nasty. The back patio is a nice break from the sweaty clusterfuck that is the central dance floor. Soft green lights and huge ferns decorate the booths – this section is definitely the most “loungey” of all of Sutra Lounge. After sufficiently hydrating ourselves, we decide to explore the rest of the club.

The phrase “ladies’ night” seems to mean more to guys than girls, and it looks like the fellas outnumber us two-to-one as we weave our way through the crowd. By now the DJ has realized that, this being the beginning of May, the dance floor is filled with recent college grads (“If you’re graduated – put your hands up!”) and mixes in some Kool & the Gang – obviously the best choice for celebration music. Luckily, the crowd is along for the ride to disco town, but the ladies I’m with are looking to continue ladies’ night elsewhere. We climb the stairs out of the club to find a decent line of men still waiting to get in to party and we’re hit with a chorus of “Where are you ladies going? You can’t leave now!” But the truth is, cheap drinks or no, for any group of girls who bothered to put on their stilettos to match their freakum dress – every night is ladies’ night.

Drinking and Dancing Does a Body Good Thursdays. Every Thursday. Ladies in free till midnight. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. 1136 Crescent Ave. 404-607-1160. www.sutraloungeatl.com.