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City Cast Seattle

Sam J Leeds

Ashley Smith

This year the analog photobooth turns 100. There are only about 200 working booths remaining globally. Fortunately, the digital and analog co-exist throughout Seattle’s bars and events venues. City Cast Seattle spoke to one Seattleite who set out to take self portraits in every one of Seattle’s photobooths to get the inside scoop on where they are and which ones are worth seeking out.

Rheese Romero is a self-professed photobooth enthusiast. Their interest in photobooths started on a trip to Tokyo, which coincided with a time of personal transformation. They had recently had a major surgery and cut off their hair.

“I stumbled into a digital photobooth that was on a street in Tokyo and I was pretty captivated,” Rheese said. “It was the kind of photo strip with four frames. In the middle it says ‘take your memory.’”

When Rheese returned to Seattle they started research to create a list of every photobooth in Seattle. Armed with a list of 30 locations, they set out to take a series of self portraits in every photobooth across the city. For Rheese, it’s not just a fun side quest, it’s also a way to create a personal archive.

“As someone who is medically transitioning, it’s a fun way to document the changes that I see in myself,” they said. “That is a big part of it for me personally.”

Rheese told City Cast that bonding with people over a love of photobooths has been a source of joy this year and “if I can inspire even one person to get in a booth that would mean a lot to me.”

“Not just because it’s one of the only analog booths. The pictures just look better.” Rheese says the booth is located near the restroom and is operated by Autophoto.

“Great for a night out with friends and the photostrips have cowprint.”

“It’s dark in there so there are no light spots in the photos and it’s pretty goth.” Rheese says the photobooth is in the back near the restrooms.

Here’s the rest of Rheese’s list in no particular order:

 Rheese says the photobooth is Analog and operated by Autophoto

: Rheese says the photobooth is in the back near the restrooms

 Rheese says the photobooth is all the way in the corner near the entrance

: Rheese says the photobooth is by the cigarette vending machine and the bathrooms.

 Sam says this is in the corner near the entrance of the rink.

: Rheese says that this photobooth is sometimes broken

: Rheese says this one has two booths on the lowest level of Pike Place. “Take the stairs down at the magic shop. There’s one booth inside the store and one near the stairs.”

: Rheese says the photobooth is to the left of the stage by the bar

: Rheese says the photobooth is closest to the Cherry Pit entrance in the corner near the patio

: Rheese says the photobooth is at the back near the restrooms. It is cash only, but there is an ATM onsite.

: Rheese says the photobooth is in the lobby of the theater

A list of all the photobooths in the Seattle area from locals that know best.

Where to Find Every Photobooth in Seattle 

A Guide to Seattle’s Photobooths from a Local Enthusiast 

Seattle Guides

In recent years, small venues in Seattle have been shuttering and taking with them some of the art scene our city is known for. Just as City Cast Seattle launched, we reported on the 

. But, there are still many small and DIY venues for just about every kind of show. Here are just a few:

Home to the incredible drag show TUSH! and a whole range of music from lo-fi and dark wave to roadhouse and punk rock, this Beacon Hill bar and music venue is a gem. Also, it has amazing pizza thanks to Stevie’s Famous – which was the winner of the 2024 Seattle Times Pizza Smackdown.

I’m a huge fan of anything the Vera Project does, and Black Lodge is no exception. The venue closed during the start of the pandemic, but the Vera Project brought it back to life by combining the space with the former Lo-Fi Cafe (RIP). The new space sits in the back of 

 in SLU, which is where I found my copy of the Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Suzanne Ciani record Sunergy (synth nerds, I know you get it). It’s a great DIY venue that can hold about 150 people, perfect for discovering that new group you can’t wait to say you “knew when.”

This 15-year-old storefront performance venue in the Central District is a staple for that project your friend has been working on for years and is finally showing the world. They operate as a collective of independent artists – “primarily musicians, but also writers, dancers, theatre artists and other fellow travelers.” Because they are in a residential neighborhood, they have a much lower volume restriction than most venues, so this is the place to go for low-fi, acoustic or more contemplative shows.

I somehow didn’t know about The Rabbit Box until a friend of mine played a show there (shout out 

). Located right by Left Bank Books in Pike Place Market, the venue feels like traveling back in time. It has ornate wallpaper, chandeliers and vintage couches. The lighting is warm and low and the cocktails are served in vintage glassware. Unfortunately, 

the venue is currently seeking a new owner

. But hopefully it will continue to host shows in the meantime!

From Executive Producer Ashley Smith: I lived in a tiny studio apartment across from the Tractor Tavern in 2014. In the year that we were neighbors, I can say the venue only woke me up a couple of times and I couldn't even complain because I was basically getting to hear concerts for free! And I decided to live across the street from a music venue, so really what did I expect? My best Tractor memory is seeing the elusive Fiona Apple grace their stage with The Watkins Family Hour. I'll never forget seeing her perform 5 feet from me while I drank a Rainier at the bar and stumbled home (again, across the street) after. Long live the Tractor!

In the years I’ve lived in Queen Anne, the Bad Bar location has gone by many names, but their Twin-Peaks-inspired decor and side room venue for all things DIY remains a great space to see experimental noise shows, host your own DJ sets or just drop by for a drink next door.

Okay, so this isn’t exactly a small venue, but Abbey Arts puts on this concert series every year, featuring indie bands playing in the incredible acoustics of the St. Marks Episcopal Cathedral. This is the perfect space for fans of reverb-washed surrounds and picnics at a show – attendees can spread out blankets and pillows on the floor or choose seating on chairs or the pews. Especially in the winter, these shows are really a balm for the soul.

As promised, the list is long. And there are still more. Here are some other beloved venues to add to your weekend plans: 

 (owned by Ryan Granger who still plays in rock bands around Seattle), 

Your Guide To Seattle's Small Music Venues

What To Do

Lovers of smaller bands, comedy acts, and offbeat cinematic gems you can’t see anywhere else in Seattle will now be without two places to do so, as the 

Staff at the Crocodile confirmed to City Cast Seattle that they were emailed by management last Monday about an all-hands meeting on Tuesday where the upcoming closures were then announced. The date for the closure is potentially as early as mid-December, though the calendars on the respective venues’ ticketing websites had shows until 2026 remaining up as of Monday morning.

In response to an inquiry from City Cast Seattle, management declined to comment.

The news represents a significant setback for what was supposed to be a period of vibrant new life for the Crocodile. In 2020 they 

announced they had hosted their last show at their original home in Belltown

, the location where iconic local bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam once graced the stage. The venue 

 with a main 750-capacity showroom upstairs, the 300-capacity downstairs venue Madame Lou's, as well as the 100-seat theater and comedy club Here-After. Dropping the theater and comedy club is a considerable downsizing that will leave yet another gap in the arts for a city still trying to bounce back from the pandemic.

Leigh Bezezekoff, the Co-Director of the 

Washington Nightlife Music Association (WANMA)

, a trade organization for the state’s live music, performance and nightlife venue workers, told City Cast in an interview that losing these spaces hurts working musicians and audiences alike.

“It’s absolutely devastating. We were really excited about them opening and taking that leap to open a bigger space because it offered more diversity,” Bezezekoff said. “It’s heartbreaking when any music ecosystem loses their small rooms because that is a building ground for so many artists of all genres to work out, get experience on stages, connect with fans and build their fanbase.”

As much as this is a story of losing venues, it’s also part of 

to the first statewide music census released this month by WANMA

, Washington’s musicians only earn 29% of their income from music, with nearly half of the state’s artists considering relocation due to housing costs. This is despite the music sector directly contributing $6.4 billion annually to the state’s GDP, which is nearly six times what’s contributed by spectator sports at $1.2 billion. Bezezekoff said this is but one data point of many capturing the perilous state of the industry.

arts & entertainment

A Guide to Seattle’s Photobooths from a Local Enthusiast

Your Guide To Seattle's Small Music Venues

Madame Lou’s and Here-After are closing

Latest articles

A Guide to Seattle’s Photobooths from a Local Enthusiast

Your Guide To Seattle's Small Music Venues

Madame Lou’s and Here-After are closing