I'm waiting for a report on this place from you-know-who.

I hope it ain't from me. I haven't been there in nearly a year and a half...

I passed through recently, but did not see anything, so kept going. Sorry I can't be of more help.

AB

SALTILLO:Here's what I found in Spanish (dated 2/2001)--sorry can't be bothered to translate it. You can find the page by doing the following search:
"zona roja" Saltillo museo
Por cincuenta pesos cualquier taxista lo puede llevar a la zona de tolerancia. Esta se encuentra a las orillas de la ciudad, por la avenida Vicente Guerrero, para ser exacto. Al llegar a la puerta del predio, dos amables policías lo reciben y lo esculcan minuciosamente para localizar armas de fuego, cuchillos, navajas, botellas, grandes hebillas, o cámaras fotográficas, como fue el caso de quien escribe. De manera inaudita explican su proceder y remiten a la comandancia los casos que ellos no pueden resolver. A un lado está la casa donde el comandante juega relajadamente dominó con sus compañeros y aceptan cuidar las pertenencias de valor que no pueden ingresar a la zona. La experiencia cora indica que siempre hay que llevar otra cámara.

Una calle principal divide a un pueblo pequeño que consiste en más de 35 antros divididos en cuatro bloques. Cantinas, taquerías, bares, tables, cabarets, cervecerías. Marquesinas con títulos notables como El Foco Rojo, La Estrella, Cariñosas, etc. Murmullos de música popular a tono con la noche y un fuerte olor a vida y pantaletas. Medio iluminada la calle, invita al sueño de la película que no se ha filmado. Menudas y regordetas luciérnagas deambulan de bar en bar. Fuman y piden cigarros... lo normal. No hay cover ni derecho de admisión, estando adentro de la zona roja mas organizada del país. La mas vigilada y recomendada por todos los noctámbulos norteños.

Nada como beber bebidas frías y platicar con mujeres que no conoces. Inigualable las notas de La cumbia de los pajaritos. Borrachera segura si bailas Chambacu. Desvelada a morir si en el momento culminante de la platica Las nieves de enero de Chalino Sánchez nos mojan. Noche de triunfos si los Barón de Apodaca nos acuchillan y nos señalan con Y por esa calle vive, la que a mi me abandonó.

Pero como no se puede cambiar de vida, cambiemos de bebida y de lugar. Cualquiera es bueno. En cualquiera seremos bien atendidos. No hay que salir de la zona de placer para encontrar lo que buscamos.

Pequeños cuartos al fondo de los bares donde por unos minutos puedes ser feliz. La sanidad te la aseguran las tarjetas que las muchachas muestran si la pides. Que pueden decir los sellos que no te ofrezcan ellas. Doscientos, trescientos, cuatrocientos y quinientos pesos. Veinticinco pesos la cerveza, treinta la cuba. Cuarenta el whisky... pero hay cosas que el dinero no puede comprar.

Si de nostalgia se trata, no hay como caminar por esta pequeña ciudad de perdición ordenada. Limpia y divertida. Dicen que si te pones loco, la policía no te retira. Habla contigo y si estás agresivo te sacan, pero si sigues de necio, te detienen. Pero de eso no hay, dice Don Juan.

Las muchachas te acompañan por un trago o dos. Pueden llevarte a conocer otros bares, sólo hay mas de treinta. Bailan y te piden una propina. Prefieren decirte que sí, a contarte su historia.

Si de plano tus necesidades son otras, hay oferta. Un grato equipo travestí tiene su lugar apuntalado. Si prefiere su casa de citas, la de Panchita es la que se impone. Uno pregunta y el taxi dispone. Por setenta pesos cualquiera te regresa, en perfecto orden a tus aposentos.

Via http://babelfish.altavista.com/ :

By fifty pesos any taxi driver can take it to the zone of tolerance. This is to the borders of the city, by the avenue Vicente Guerrero, to be exact. When arriving at the door of the estate, two amiable police receive it and they esculcan to locate it meticulously firearms, knives, knives, bottles, great clasps, or cameras, as it were the case of that writes. Of inaudita way they explain its behavior and they send to the command the cases that they cannot solve. To a side it is the house where the commander plays relaxed dominated with his companions and accept to take care of the value properties which they cannot enter to the zone. The cora experience indicates that always it is necessary to take another camera. A main street divides to a small town that consists of more than 35 divided caverns in four blocks. Bars, taquerías, bars, tables, cabarets, breweries. Marquees with remarkable titles like the Red Center, the Star, Affectionate, etc. Murmurs of pop music to tone with the night and a strong scent to life and pantaletas. Average illuminated the street, it invites to the dream of the film that has not been filmed. Slight and regordetas fireflies ramble of bar in bar. They smoke and they request cigarettes... the normal thing. It does not have to cover straight nor of admission, being inside of the red but organized zone of the country. But watched and recommended by all the northern noctámbulos. Nothing as to drink drinks you cold and to platicar with women who you do not know. Matchless the notes of cumbia of the pajaritos. Safe Borrachera if you dance Chambacu. Desvelada to die if at the culminating moment of the platica the snows of January of Chalino Sanchez dunk to us. Night of triumphs if Baron de Apodaca stabs to us and it indicates to us with and by that street it lives, the one that to my left to me. But as it is not possible to be changed of life, we change of drink and place. Anyone is good. In anyone well we will be taken care of. It is not necessary to leave the zone to please to find what we looked for. Small quarters to the bottom of the bars where by minutes you can be happy. The health assures you the cards that the girls show if you request it. That they can say the seals that do not offer they to you. Two hundred, three hundred, four hundred and five hundred pesos. Twenty-five pesos the beer, thirty Cuba. The forty whiskey... but are things that the money cannot buy. If nostalgia one is, it does not have like walking by this small city of ordered perdición. Clean and amused. They say that if you put crazy person, the police does not retire to you. Speech with you and if you are aggressive remove to you, but if you follow of fool, stops to you. But of that it does not have, says Don Juan. The girls accompany you by a drink or two. They can llevarte know other bars, only has but of thirty. They dance and they request a gratuity to you. They prefer decirte that yes, to contarte its history. If of plane your necessities are others, is supply. A pleasing travestí equipment has its propped up place. If it prefers his house of prostitution, the one of Panchita she is the one that prevails. One asks and the taxi arranges. By seventy pesos any it returns to you, in perfect order to your aposentos.

EmailKid

The above translation is so idiotic, I will summarize the page in Spanish: There's lots of action at the "zona de tolerancia" (boys' town) in Saltillo, the best organized and monitored in northern Mexico: 4 blocks, 35 joints with plenty of food, music, and women (they carry cards to assure you that they have recently been checked for AIDS).

Well,

that's a free web translation for you. If you don't speak Spanish, I figure it's better than nothing.

EmailKid

Plenty of cheap beer, but that's about the only worthwhile thing I would count on consistently there. There are tons of bars, but 90% of them are EMPTY, and I mean GHOST TOWNS. The strip club worth going to is called Cuero's, and there's a taxi dance place that's alright too, but the girls just wanna dance and go home in my experience and are not looking to turn tricks. There are street girls around, but they are old, fat and ugly. The Saltillo zona is NOT a pretty place.

The brothel mentioned at the very bottom of the article has about 4-5 women midweek and the girls are all para llevar. Standard quote is 800 pesos for 2 hours, though you may be able to haggle a little. If you're in town and bored it might be an option, but it's not at all worth a special trip. It is quite legendary, though, and everybody knows about it, especially taxi drivers like they said.

There were a series of articles in the local paper last week about some of the strip clubs on the outskirts of town (a couple notorious ones on the road to Monterrey, Blue Moon and El Conejo Loco). The muckraking journalists went in undercover to expose them as dens of SIN. Supposedly local ordinances say that the girls aren't supposed to dance topless, but of course they get butt naked. They also claim that prositution occurs there, and that the girls quote 300 DOLLARS to leave with customers. I guess they think that gravel parking lot has magically turned into CANCUN!

I haven't been there, but these places sound like the ripoff joints of Torreon that I have heard about. The state of Coahuila is very conservative, and this is the result. The Zone of Tolerance is a shithole, and the table dance clubs (as they are called) are big ripoffs. Some great advice: If you're in Saltillo and wanna buy some tail: GO TO MONTERREY!

Porker, as I told you in an e-mail, "El Conejo Loco" had some stunners there the last time I was there--summer of 2000...Those chicks were 8, 9, and 10s...Top of the line hotties

But are they really charging 300 bucks to leave the bar? That's outrageous. Half that is outrageous. Charging up to 6 bucks cover charge they BETTER be outstanding lookers, and I'll definitely take your word for it.

I'm waiting for a report on this place from you-know-who.

Still haven't been to the Ramos Arizpe clubs, but I have an amiga from Monterrey who's apparently wanting to work there. Poor thing needs a place to stay close by if she comes down to work for the evening too... Gee, wonder if we can work out a deal?

You must have been out of the area for a while. No reports of drinking too much and speed waddling from bar to bar had made this area (Monterrey-Saltillo) of the CH board quite boring.

I like Monterrey a lot. Exceptionally pretty girls and the prices are generally cheaper than you'd spend in Reynosa or Nuevo Laredo.

I still think you ought to make it up to Reynosa, especially since they have a new superhighway now and it's the same travel time to N. Laredo.

Inside "the walled-off area" if you like privados, (and I get the feeling you do) Stardust is the place. Although I think it's $8 USD per dance...But they don't shortchange on the song length...Open Wed-Sunday. Pussycat had some real stunners too, but charge $10 USD per song.

Nobody ever reports on Reynosa, a place that often has the new arrivals...

Here's an address for the Bar La Estacion, favorably reviewed on another website:
Abasolo 914 norte.
Girls to go for $80, according to the reviewer. But you can stay as long as you want and just enjoy the chicas' company, if you like, says he.
How about checking this place out for the globally-minded, Porker?

Interesting. It will probably take me a couple weeks, but I'll try and check it out.