Le Bain, the steamy Meatpacking District nightclub with the sexy roof bar perched atop the lusty Standard Hotel, is getting some very bad press today after a Brooklyn man was charged with sexually assaulting a woman in one of the bathrooms. According to investigators, Philip Manning, 34, met the unidentified 23-year-old woman at Le Bain early Monday morning, when he offered to buy her a drink. She claims he escorted her to a different part of the club, forced her into a bathroom, and refused to let her leave until she performed oral sex on him.
The woman complied and then, after fleeing, notified police. Police sources tell DNAinfo they arrested Manning at another party around 3:30 a.m. He's charged with aggravated sexual assault and forcible touching in connection with the attack. The Standard's publicist has not responded to a request for comment, but this is not the first such allegation at the hotel, which isn't shy about selling itself as a sort of sexual adult playground. In 2010, a maid accused a wealthy Australian businessman of raping her—he was later acquitted and sued the hotel. And with its floor-to-ceiling windows, exhibitionism comes standard with every room—whether High Line promenaders want it or not.
