From the early 1970s through the height of the 1980s, The Spike was one of New York’s most iconic leather bars — a raw, thundering West Side institution where the music was loud, the denim was worn, and the energy was unmistakably downtown. Located on West Street, just steps from the old piers, The Spike was part of a world where nightlife met rebellion, masculinity met fantasy, and queer men carved out their own space in the shadows of the waterfront.
Inside its dark rooms and crowded main bar, The Spike mixed bikers, leathermen, sailors, artists, and city nightcrawlers — a brotherhood built on sweat, music, and the electric freedom that defined pre-AIDS New York. It was gritty, unapologetic, and legendary, shaping an entire era of leather culture and the city’s queer identity.
