In the mood for nude?

From ladies nights to happy hours, bars and clubs in the District are merciless in their efforts to get you in the door. But on a recent Wednesday night Adams Morgan restaurant-lounge Saki went for the gold in glorious fashion. A $5 cover got patrons a hopping dancespot and an open bar from 10-11 p.m., not to mention two ladies wearing only a few strategically placed nigiri and maki rolls.

By 9 p.m., customers are already mingling around the sushi-alcohol bar upstairs, watching the aptly named chef Zoro take a blowtorch to a salmon skin roll. However, as soon as the red rope is lifted at 10, the crowd heads down to the lounge. Saki has been open since 2002, but the trendy interior, with its classy white modern design and glowing walls, still looks relatively fresh. Both bars downstairs are packed, offering free beer and rail drinks, but everyone is eyeing the cloth covered table at the center of the main room. Bordered with strawberries, a bottle of champagne and two velvet pillows, Saki regulars know what’s to come.

The stars of the evening (not counting the sushi) have since arrived and are getting ready for the show. While Camille and Emily have modeled around the area, neither has done naked sushi before, nor received any training other than “stay still.” When I ask what preparation they’ve done, Camille pulls open her robe to show me the only things covering her modesty are some latex glue and two single leaves, “I got these from my yard this afternoon,” she says. “We’re going for a natural motif.” No doubt.

Partygoers patiently dance to the Top 40 beats provided by the surprisingly friendly DJ Hostility. But after a brief delay (that latex glue can be tricky), the models return around 11:30, trays of sushi and large bouncers in tow. As the girls disrobe and hop on to the table, the crowds and cell phone cameras come out. For the sake of health codes, banana leaves are placed on the bare skin, but eager customers can still get an eyeful. As Zoro places sushi on each model, Emily tells me it doesn’t feel too weird, just “okay.” Luckily, neither model is overly ticklish.

A few brave souls reach over for a taste (hands only, people; let's avoid the poking or potential splinters of chopsticks), while some pose for a future Facebook picture, but plenty of the crowd is content to just stare in hypnotic awe at the undressed buffet before them. One female observer, who no doubt took advantage of the free bar, tells me that nude sushi “represents the beauty of humankind.” Another decidedly male onlooker simply nods and approves with a “Yeah…” The spectacle doesn’t last too long, however; before twenty minutes passes the chefs clean up the leftover sushi so the models can get up and get dressed. Partiers are quick to fill in the space with their inebriated dance moves, as if there hadn’t been two naked strangers there moments before.

A firm believer in the “too much of a good thing” policy, Saki only hosts naked sushi once every couple months (and typically on the more expected Friday or Saturday). However, marketing director Joanna Gozales says that they do offer the service on-demand—a popular order for bachelor parties, birthday celebrations, even corporate events. Now that’s a great way to celebrate a job well done.