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Located just steps from Times Square, this club is fittingly all about the lights: LED panels in a shifting palette of colors surround the dance floor; roving aerial beams glint off the sleek purple and silver banquettes, and sodden, baby-faced guys gleefully tap the bar, which glows wherever touched. Many a party girl catches her heels on the steps leading up to the stage in the back of the space, which showcases occasional big-ticket live performances—Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray—mostly for private parties. Upstairs, the seating is plusher and the vibe more intimate; secluded nooks offer views of the street, while a floor-to-ceiling plate glass wall and balconies overlook the young, largely white crowd reveling to a predictable, effective D.J. mix (Justin Timberlake, Pat Benatar). Though Touch is isolated from the club crawls downtown, you can still expect a line at the tough door and slow coat check on weekends. — Julie Mehta

Touch hosts a regular gay night on Tuesdays with house music.