Playmates Bar Show
Come If You Dare (Seriously, Look Both Ways)
Let's get this out of the way: the walk here will make you question your life choices. Centro Medellín after dark isn't exactly the backdrop of a romantic comedy. It's more "stay alert, walk fast, don't make eye contact with the guy selling phone chargers from a blanket." But you're not here for ambiance. You're here because someone told you about the bunny ears.
Playmates Bar Show—locals call it Conejita's—sits in a part of town that Google Maps politely labels "Centro" but your survival instincts label "maybe take an Uber to the door." The streets smell like empanadas and mild danger. Stray dogs have more street smarts than you. This is not Parque Lleras. This is where Parque Lleras goes when it wants to feel something real.
The bar itself opens at 2 PM. In the afternoon. While normal people are having lunch and pretending to be productive, Playmates is already serving cold Aguila to men who've given up on pretending. There's something almost beautiful about that commitment.
Inside, it's dark. Not sexy dark—more "the electricity bill is optional" dark. The neon signs have been flickering since the Escobar administration. The chairs have stories they'll never tell. The bathroom is an adventure you'll want to avoid. But you know what? The beer is 8,000 pesos, the women are friendly, and nobody here is trying to impress anybody.
The girls work in shifts like it's a factory job. Because it is. They'll sit with you, they'll drink with you, they won't pretend to be fascinated by your job in IT consulting. Lady drinks are 10,000 pesos. Nobody's pushing bottles. Nobody's running a hustle. It's almost aggressively honest.
Your Uber driver will know this place. He'll pretend not to. When you get dropped off, he'll look at you with a mix of concern and respect, like you just announced you're hiking Everest in sandals. "Cuidado," he'll say. What he means is "good luck, you magnificent idiot."
Is it dangerous? A little. Is it sketchy? Absolutely. Is it the most authentic dive bar strip club experience in Medellín? Also yes. Playmates is for the adventurous. The curious. The people who read "hidden gem" and understood the assignment.
Just maybe don't walk here alone at night. And definitely don't flash your phone around. And maybe text someone your location. You know what, just take an Uber both ways. But go. It's worth the story.
