Backroom

A backroom, also called a dark room or playroom, is a dimly lit space at the back of a nightclub, bar, bathhouse, or adult bookstore where patrons can engage in relatively discreet sexual activity. In North American and European gay culture, backrooms were common features of bars and clubs in the 1960s and 1970s, offering a space for anonymous encounters, usually without patrons undressing. The AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, along with public-health concerns and new regulations, led many cities to close backrooms and other public sex venues. Some still operate today in sex clubs and certain bars. The term is also used loosely to describe any hidden or semi-private space used for cruising.