The nearly negative degree weather in Iowa City might be numbing, but the moment bargoers step inside Studio 13, they are met with a special kind of warmth: community. But this community is not found in conformity. Groups of friends enter the doors, some with sharp, bright green eyeliner and wrapped in big fur coats, while others within the same group dress more casually, wearing a simple jacket and a pair of sweats.
Despite the smoke machine filling the room with clouds, Studio 13 feels like a place where everyone breathes a little easier and dresses how they want.
The first floor hums with movement. Met with streaks of electric, rainbow-colored lights and charged by Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” customers dance for hours.
The beloved and only LGBTQ+ nightclub in town is celebrating 25 years. But Studio 13 has never waited for a milestone. It celebrates pride and queer community every day. Starting in the new year, “Drag U” shows will return, giving newcomers a chance to try drag for the first time.
Lil Kimmie Blaque has been a drag performer at Studio 13 for about 10 years. In 2023, she was crowned Miss Iowa City Pride. Now, she hosts her own show called “Black Excellence,” and just finished her fifth season of Star Search with her co-host Beep Beep. Star Search is a competition for drag performers held on Sundays at 9 p.m. throughout the year.
“My drag aesthetic is ’90s video vixen meets mob wife, with a dash of camp. I like to do lots of rap and R&B, as well as funny mixes to camp it up a bit,” Blaque said.
Lauren Jackson, a fifth-year University of Iowa student, started attending events at Studio 13 after turning 19.
“It was my first time going out, and it was the best experience,” Jackson said. “It was my first time seeing drag queens, and I had also never been somewhere that had dancing and places where you could sit and hang out, too.”
One of Jackson’s favorite regular events is Star Search.
“It’s so beautiful just to watch and see everyone’s version of drag be presented,” Jackson said.
Many of the queens who participate in Star Search are local to the Iowa City area. However, some also come from farther away places, such as Des Moines, Jackson said.
Jackson appreciates Star Search and other similar events because of those events’ ability to provide spaces for people who perform in drag, particularly in smaller, community-oriented cities such as Iowa City.
“I’m really appreciative that we do have a space like that for our drag queens, for our dolls, and for anyone who is queer, just to be able to celebrate,” Jackson said. “I feel like Star Search is one of the best places to experience or even show your friends queer culture for the first time.”
The word doll refers to a transgender women and is meant as a term of endearment within drag communities.
For Jackson, as long as Studio 13 continues to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, she will keep returning.
She encourages audience members at drag performances to bring money to tip the queens.
“There is so much energy and time and money that goes into the craft, so give back,” Jackson said. “They’re giving you a show, so give them your all by giving them your cash.”
Drag shows and dancing aren’t all that Studio 13 has to offer. On the first Tuesday of every month, local poet and author Lilo B. hosts Pride Poetry, a unique blend of slam and open-mic poetry that is meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities and allows a safe space for people to gather and enjoy art.
Lilo B. is the stage name of Lilo Baurer, a UI fourth-year student who enjoys Studio 13’s audience and atmosphere.
“Everyone there is nonjudgmental in the poetry sense,” Baurer said. “I’ve already had people come up to me afterward saying, ‘I had so much fun, I can’t wait for next month.’”
For Baurer, knowing their poetry has touched the community has been deeply rewarding, allowing them to share the sense of belonging they first found at Studio 13 in 2021.
For Studio 13’s head DJ, Nathan Kelley, the club’s special events are home to some of the most impactful nights of the year.
“My favorite sets happen during three major celebrations: Iowa City Pride, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve,” he said. “All three share something powerful in common — they are nights when people show up ready to celebrate community, connection, and life.”
At every event, this sense of belonging is tangible to patrons.
A typical night at Studio 13 for Kelley would resemble the energy at any LGBTQ+ nightclub in Chicago. Chicago-style circuit dance music has influenced the DJ, but he certainly puts his own spin on it. Whether it be a twist on the iconic Whitney Houston or familiar 2000s hits, Kelley said the audience shapes the music.
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In Iowa, this urban dance and music scene might not be for everyone, especially those who prefer the over two-dozen bars in downtown Iowa City, but it certainly doesn’t stop crowds of people from attending each show.
Studio 13 offers inclusivity in both sexuality and age. Through its 19 years and older events, the bar provides access to the queer community for younger audiences who are unable to patronize the 21-only bars.
“You have to respond to the people on the dance floor — their energy, their mood, the way the room shifts and breathes,” Kelly said. “That’s what keeps the music alive.”
In an email to The Daily Iowan, Jason Zeman, Studio 13’s owner and chief executive officer, said he and other members of Studio 13’s leadership team have been proud of the club’s ability to change and grow over time. Throughout the years, Studio 13’s leadership has worked to take feedback from its customers in the community.
“Our current owners have not only helped solidify Studio 13’s place in Iowa City, hopefully for another 25 years, but have also been fortunate enough to take over the only LGBTQIA+ venues in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, preserving safe spaces throughout the corridor,” Zeman said.
Studio 13 opened a location in Waterloo, Iowa in August. Both the Waterloo club and the Iowa City location host similar events throughout the year.
Zeman has many memories of shows, performers, and customers who have visited Studio 13’s vibrant dance floor over the years but wrote that his best memory is one that he’s seen play out dozens of times and one that continues to occur from time to time – hearing the impact his club has on people’s lives.
A large portion of Studio 13’s audience members are college students, many of whom eventually move away. Upon returning to Iowa City, some of these former crowd members come up to him and express how much of a difference Studio 13 has made in their lives.
“It’s a place where they felt comfortable finally expressing their true self, the first place they were able to be ‘out,’ or encouraged to perform,” Zeman wrote.
That positive feeling and impression is felt by Studio 13 performers as well. Kelley has never taken his opportunity to DJ at Studio 13 for granted.
“I’ve had the honor of playing sets that helped people celebrate big moments, push through heartbreak, escape the stress of everyday life, and sometimes simply forget their problems for a few hours on the dance floor,” he said.
Drag is an art form, and being trusted to help bring those performances to life is something Kelley takes seriously. To him, Studio 13 is more than a club — it’s a creative partnership between the DJ, performers, and the dance floor.
As Studio celebrates 25 years, this partnership continues to grow.
Zeman said Studio 13 is constantly looking to improve upon its space and offerings. In 2026, the nightclub plans to increase fundraisers and community support.
The Cedar Rapids location, Basix, has recently added a food exchange and bimonthly community market. In the new year, Zeman is hoping to bring something similar to Iowa City.
As 2025 winds down, Studio 13’s space and unique atmosphere continues to be impactful for many visitors, including Jackson.
“Every time I go, I just have such a fun time, because I’m able to sit and chill and hang out with my friends. If I want to dance, I can dance,” Jackson said. “It’s such a freeing place to be. For me, it feels so much safer and homey. It’s the best place to be, where I can connect with my friends and my community.”
