I recently took a visit to the Strip Club Photobooth Studio for its grand opening in Bucktown on Feb 6. It is located at 1702 N. Damen Avenue.
The studio specializes in vintage photobooths, with five analog photobooths and six digital vintage-inspired photobooths. It has one of the oldest operating photobooths in the country.
Each photobooth is $7 per machine and produces single or multiple photostrips depending on the machine. Options include black and white and color photo strips; color is only available for the digital photobooths.
I went to the photobooth studio with my close friend, Deisy Padilla. We went around 1 p.m and found it was a fast wait for the photobooths.
One of the owners, Andrea Vizzari, told us the wait for the oldest photobooth was the longest. My friend and I waited about 15 minutes for two people. Wait times differed depending on the number of people taking pictures.
The first photobooth Padilla and I tried was one of the photobooth’s more unique offerings—not a strip but a 4 x 6 photo with a heart shaped filter.
This filter caught my eye immediately and the photo remains one of my favorites from the studio.
The other photobooths were relatively similar but had their own quirks, such as a fast speed camera and one that produces three tearable strips.
My favorite was the oldest photobooth; it is referred to as “Lady” and was built in 1946. The photobooth produces a single strip that comes out of a spherical orb.
My friend and I made the unfortunate mistake of using the dark curtain rather than the white background. The camera makes darker colors appear very dark, so it may not be the best for capturing details on deep skin tones.
I did enjoy the “vintage” look of it though, it is one of the more unique film strips I’ve seen. It is longer and thinner than usual film strips you’d encounter, and comes out wet due to the film development process.
I will say, this studio is the type of place where you get in and get out rather than linger. It’s a smaller building and can easily get cramped with more people.
I was lucky to get in during a slow hour, but passed by later the same day and witnessed a line going out the door.
It does have many charms, including a vending machine with camera related trinkets and merch items inside. I bought a miniature keychain camera that has quickly become one of my prized possessions. Best of all—it is fully functional.
I had a wonderful time at the Strip Club Photobooth’s grand opening and highly recommend anyone interested in film and photobooths to take a visit.
It’s a fun trip for a girls night out or a date night. I recommend going earlier in the day for better wait times, especially for the oldest photobooth.