THE SALSA ROOM

I have not been to this place since before COVID, when they were in a different location. First things first, I had a good time but not a great time. I went on a Saturday and they had two bachata classes, not salsa as they used to do before and what you would expect from a dancing establishment that calls itself 'The SALSA Room.' I don't know if they do it differently on other days of the week, so you may want to check on that. I stayed there for almost three hours and I heard only 5 salsa songs; most of the music was modern, urban Latin beats. I would say that 70% of the songs were in that genre, the rest being bachata and a couple of merengue songs. I would have understood that if the crowd was mostly young people, but it wasn't. Yes, it was a very diverse crowd in terms of age, but that's the usual in clubs that cater to people who like to dance to tropical Latin music. What united us is a love for social partner dancing — the kind where you connect with someone, move together to the music, and create something beautiful in the moment. That's what salsa and bachata are about, and that style of dancing calls for a certain kind of rhythm and feel. The modern, urban Latin music is welcome in small doses, but that's not what you would expect to dance to in a venue with that name. Like I said, I had fun, but it's not what I was expecting, and I'm not inclined to go back or recommend the place. It is a shame because the facilities are first class, the staff was courteous and professional, and the prices are reasonable (cover $20.00).

For about 45min to an hour the music turned into jumpy-jumpy non-salsa, non-bachata. I have heard it used to be a lot better for dancing before the pandemic. The crowd is mixed level-dancers from very beginner to advanced dancers. Ladies get in free before 11pm which is great because the drinks start at $7 for a bottle of water and $20 for a mixed drink.

My experience is based around Friday night lessons. We came to celebrate a friend for her birthday. Arrived at 8pm. Free for ladies, $20 cover for me. We ended up talking to the host to get seating which at that time came with no cost. The mentioned lessons around 820 but people slowly came to the dance floor for warm up around 840. Beginners lessons were first after warm up. You get in a big circle and pair up. The choice is yours to switch partners which can be an advantage with different styles of leads and follows. You also can stay more on the outskirts with your partner if you don't want to switch. More people come the later it gets so more attended the intermediate class. It transitions well into open floor dancing. I enjoyed the energy and can be easy to dance the night away. At midnight they do birthday circle where those celebrating their birthday dance with multiple people for 30 seconds each. Ordered the BBQ chicken quesadilla which was pretty tasty. We ended up leaving around 1245. It's a good place to try.

My favorite salsa club for years. A lot of space and older people, no underaged, a lot of great security, never saw any incidents or fights. Security constantly circles around and is very attentive. The music is great, they have two floors and free salsa and bachata classes starting at 9. Ladies enter for free until 11. Enough parking around, there is a parking lot in the back. People are nice and friendly, we all come there to dance and have fun. The hookah is bad, tried it multiple times, and the service is slow, so I usually order at the bar, they have enough bartenders and two bars, so no long waits, you will be served quickly with delicious drinks. The bartenders are very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend this place, love it!

I was at TSL on Friday and witnessed an incident that could have been entirely avoided with proper de-escalation. A patron was sold a drink moments before security began enforcing a “no drinking” directive. When the issue was brought up, security initially handled it reasonably by allowing him to finish the drink immediately. While the patron was understandably frustrated, he was not aggressive, threatening, or physical. The situation escalated when a security guard who was not directly engaged became visibly agitated. As the patron attempted to move away to speak with friends, this guard interpreted it as “pushing,” which further increased tension instead of calming the situation. Despite the patron ultimately complying and finishing the drink, he was later taken down forcefully and removed. Outside the venue, while I was recording from a distance without interfering, my phone was struck by security — twice — despite no engagement or instruction to stop recording. This interaction occurred outside the bar. The entire incident appeared driven by poor communication and unnecessary escalation rather than any real threat. This reflects a serious lapse in crowd management and de-escalation training. I hope management reviews their security footage and policies, as this was not handled appropriately and creates liability for the venue. I’m sharing this to provide honest feedback, not to provoke — this could and should have been handled better.

I like this place but the security guards are awfully rude and has a terrible attitude . They made guests do push ups for not bringing their ID , sometimes taking 20 if u dotnt bring ID and sometimes just rude in general. Atleast 5-6 ppl have told me this. Just keep an eye on them and create some hospitable climate. Ppl drive far to get there, don’t harass them. And people who go there are not gangsters so u don’t need to show that extra attitude.

The atmosphere was cool. Good music. People dancing really fun time. The only thing I would say is that the bartenders they double charge. I got charged over $100 for two drinks because they charged me twice.

We went out to eat dinner with friends on a Friday night and ended up going to the Salsa room after dinner. It was our first time there, admission was free for ladies:). Good atmosphere, they teach you some steps, you dont need to bring a partner, it looked random people just partnered up and it was fun! About 45 minutes to show you steps and simple dance, and then it turns into a night club where you dance salsa, bachata, and etc. We enjoyed, definitely recommend this place to go for a drink, to get some steps in, or just spend your Friday night outing.

So much fun! Love the mix of salsa, merengue and bachata. Mojitos were yummy. Looking forward to the next time!

Pre-pandemic: The former Salsa Room on Columbia Pike in Arlington was more authentic. Well, I mean back in the day. I was raised in Arlington so I watched the Salsa Room evolve over time from fun and casual to a too stuffy for my liking, then it closed and re-opened in Tysons/McLean area. Post-pandemic: The current Salsa Room in Tysons/McLean took over the former Palladium nightclub. Palladium was garbage back in the day for so many reasons, like oh, I don't dont know... maybe the prostitutes, the creepy men lurking, and the cugars!! And here we are today...Salsa Room meets the Palladium. Salsa Room and Palladium joint ownership... I've been here 4 times since they moved to Tysons and I am alwasy left with a very underwhelmed....ehhh feeling. What I noticed, there are a lot of guys just standing around, watching, looking, on their cell phones, not dancing or don't know how to dance. The old Salsa Room, the guys would ask you to dance constantly, like til your feet were tired. I just don't see that here. The old Palladium men watched the prostitute women and they did not dance. So here we are with a very weird mash-up. The vibe here is odd. You have a lot of beginners that want to learn bachata, salsa, then you have men just standing and staring, not dancing, ladies out on girls night dancing with themselves in big circles, and people that truly want to dance. The vibes are off. The other things which are troublesome, you have to pay to sit. The tables and chairs are reserved only. So you dance a few songs and you have to stand or pay to sit. Also, the water is like $5 a bottle. That's criminal. They should have a big gatorade cooler so you can drink ice water after dancing a few songs. Salsa is turns, twists, a lot of footwork, movement, it's a workout. So it would be nice to get a cup of ice water after dancing a few songs. Most places that have couple dancing also offer complimentary water and open sitting. Not a bad principle at all! The former Salsa Room I would give 4 stars. Since they moved, it's different, only 1-2 stars. I've been here on different nights and something is just off. I think it's great if someone is new and coming for a few lessons. They definitely cater to beginners. That's about it. Do not recommend.

This is THE place to Latin dance in DC! Classy, club-like atmosphere. Friendly staff and customers. I came solo but felt relatively safe and comfortable. There were ZERO creeps. Everyone was just there to dance which was awesome. Even the beginner bachata lesson was challenging so no one got bored. Got packed early on a Friday night. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is because, yeah, it's NoVa, but still a little expensive. Dudes have to pay a $20 cover. A quesadilla and two drinks ran me $55!! 20% gratuity is automatically added, even for drinks.

This place is absolutely terrible, and discriminatory. We waited 30 minutes for entry because my date had kaki shorts on. The security guard stated they don't allow shorts for men, and he needed to send a picture to his manager for approval. But women can wear whatever they want. While we waited the same security guard allowed individuals with shorts, ripped jeans, and all sorts of undressed attire into the venue. I believe the security guard and establishment are bias and colorist towards black people. We asked to speak with a manager whose name was apparently "Chris" and he was extremely rude, unprofessional, and told me to "shush". That's the furthest thing from having good customer service. Considering we were coming there to patronize their business and have a good time. I checked their website and no where on it stated a " no shorts" policy for men. It's the middle of July. The place was empty too, they should have been begging people to come in. On top of the poor customer service and racist staff, The Salsa Room is in an awful location in Tyson's. I will never return here and I encourage others to do this same.

During the winter months, we came here plenty of times with no issue. Today, the hottest day of the year, my wife and I was denied entry because I (a male) had the audacity to wear shorts. The bouncer was nice enough to let the woman behind us in because her booty shorts was the right length. Makes sense why there's only 10 cars in the parking lot. They must have reached the shorts maximum. The owners are even too embarrassed to claim this place. Also, they charging $4 for H2O.

Management treated me like complete trash and kicked me out on my birthday because they didn't believe I had just bought a table. I had just paid my waitress for a table shortly after 10pm but the short hispanic looking & inadequate Manager with a ponytail that was pulled back proceeded to tell me he would make sure I never came back and to leave, used hand motions and all while the other Managers looked on. The cashier, and waitress were shocked that their so called Manager would behave that way. I cried for a portion of the night over the mistreatment. Eventually, we were seated at my table but the experience was nothing short of horrific. Luckily we are the party everywhere we go. They sucked for treating me like that without being able to do their jobs. Management Sucks here!!! Ive Managed events for years and honestly I am appalled and disgusted! They rather throw you out then fix an issue they prejudged.

I went here with a group of gay women for a bachata lesson. It was fantastic. I already loved the music, so I was in heaven with that. The people were all friendly. The lesson started at 8:30 pm. Don't be late because if you miss the lesson you will be lost! For women, it is free to go except for drinks and coat check. It's a comfortable place for singles--you will not feel weird going without a partner. Everyone will first practice the steps solo and then practice together in a large circle, changing partners after each short round of the dance. And, although it definitely is geared towards heterosexuals, my friends and I didn't encounter any problems. I don't drink so I can't speak to the drinks. Parking was fine though better if you come early. I will definitely be back, it's a fantastic club.

There's 20 dollar entry fee. Shots are about 20 bucks and comes in the small plastic shot glass from like party city. Gratuity is already included on the tabs. This isn't an all that "club" to be charging so much almost more then most clubs/bar in DC. Smells strongly like fabuloso. However, the bathrooms are very clean! Highly just recommended going out to any other club that doesn't do a entry fee.

Incredibly rude management and bar staff. Take your hard earned money to an establishment that respects its customers.

EXTREMELY RUDE MANAGEMENT. I dropped my key in the bathroom prior to departing and returned just after closing to ask if I could retrieve it. I couldn't go back in, but the staff looked for it and said they couldn't find it. I returned the next night at opening to ask to check the bathroom stall for the key. The manager, John, wouldn't let me in, noting that they'd cleaned twice, found nothing, so what didn't I understand. Within 30 seconds, he ordered me to leave the premises. Highly unprofessional and instantly rude for a reasonable request. If you go there, don't drop or lose anything, because you won't get it back.

You guys need to do better advertising special events. I drove down from Silver Spring only to find you had a private event that was not advertised on your Facebook page or any other page. Doesn't make sense that you ignore your customers' needs to cater to the few in your events. Arrived for Salsa lessons and told you aren't open until 1030, 2 hours later. So basically, your media folks ruined our evening. DO BETTER!!