Peppermint Lounge, Dance club in Times Square, Manhattan, United States.
The Peppermint Lounge was a nightclub at 128 West 45th Street in Manhattan with a mahogany bar, mirrored walls, and space for 178 people on the dance floor. The room had a low ceiling and the stage sat right next to the entrance, putting musicians and audience close together.
The club opened in 1958 as a simple bar and became the center of the Twist movement in the United States between 1961 and 1962. After closing in 1965, a new lounge with the same name opened on 5th Avenue in 1980 and operated until 1985.
Dancers performed the Twist on the small stage while guests sat at tables right next to the dance floor. Stars from film and television often arrived unannounced through the 45th Street entrance to join the action after midnight.
The lounge sat near Times Square in a ground-floor building with street access. The space was small and filled up quickly, especially on weekends and after theater performances in the neighborhood.
Joey Dee and the Starliters often played until two in the morning while the audience danced along on the floor. The song Peppermint Twist sold over a million copies and brought the dance to households across the country.
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