27 Years Ago Today in Lansing: America’s Last Playboy Club Closed

I never got to go to the Playboy Club. When I was a kid sneaking peeks at my uncle's collection, I always imagined what it would have been like to party there.

The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room, and a Club Room. Members and their guests were served food and drinks by Playboy Bunnies, some of whom were featured in Playboy magazine. The clubs offered name entertainers and comedians in the Club Rooms, and local musicians and the occasional close-up magician in the Living Rooms. Click here to learn more about the clubs.

The final Playboy Club to close it's doors was right here in Lansing, 7/31/88. By 1991, the Playboy Clubs were all defunct.

You had to have a rabbit headed Playboy key to gain entrance. Only 21% of all key holders ever went to a club. Membership was $25 per year and for most years, there was a strict dress code to get in as well.

The club used to be located in the Hilton Hotel, now the Ramada Lansing Hotel and Conference Center. 

Get up with Deb and Joey weekdays 6-10 am. Email Joey your old Playboy Club pictures: joey.pants@townsquaremedia.com. Find Joey on Facebook here.