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Profiles by Daphne Carr, Justin Hampton, John Landers, Kerri Mason and Dennis Sebayan.
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Couchéz, Santa Barbara
This high-design lounge sets a sultry pace for the citizens of Santa Barbara, with its titanium pearlescent paint job, see-through go-go dancing stage and VIP area where the white leather beds are adorned with Versace buttons. Sayeth Dave Chesal, Martin Professional’s club kingpin who helped the Sound Stage Systems team with design: “It’s the sexiest venue I’ve ever done.” The 6,000-square-foot venue is broken into three areas with three 150-foot dancefloors each. With chill house and lounge music as the soundtrack and a runway-styled layout, it’s no wonder the venue attracts the beautiful crowd. –DS
www.clubcouchez.com |
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Ghostbar, Dallas
Situated at the top of the W Hotel, ghostbar gives Dallas a taste of the high life. Sure, the 11,000-square-foot, 495-capacity lounge hosts top-notch party DJs Steve Aeoki, WishFM and Graham Funke, playing ‘80s, mash-ups, rock and hip-hop on an Infinite Audio sound system. But that doesn’t mean there has to be a dancefloor: 34 tables crowd the space where it should be, all of which are sold out a month in advance on the weekends. That, plus celebrity regulars like Owen Wilson, Tony Romo and Cuba Gooding Jr., make this hotspot a place to be seen. –DS
www.n9negroup.com |
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Privé, Miami
Club World’s first-ever “Best Lounge” winner, Privé is just as vital four years later. The 8,600-square-foot hotspot is nestled within Opium Garden, and gets so packed during peak months that moving laterally is not an option…and that’s with one of the strictest ropes in the city. Rockster promoters Betty Ford take on Thursdays, Lapdance Tuesdays plant real live strippers on the bartops, and throughout it all, the flow of celebrities—hosting promotional events, making paid appearances, coasting in and out unannounced and wreaking fabulous havoc—is endless. –KLM
www.theopiumgroup.com |
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Slide, San Francisco
Everything old is new again, at least when Inner Circle Entertainment’s George Karpaty decides to take a one-time Prohibition-era speakeasy and transform it into a state-of-the-art 21st century restaurant, bar and DJ salon that acknowledges its past without living in it. Once you enter the club via the – you guessed it – custom-made slide, you step into an 1,800-square-foot hideaway complete with honey-onyx backlit bar, hardwood floors and 8,000 square feet of mahogany siding (designed by Pamela Pennington Studios, up for “Best Interior Design”). The club’s potent JK Sound-designed, Club World-nominated system is deftly camouflaged into the décor, proving that one doesn’t have to sacrifice power for timeless elegance. –JH
www.slidesf.com
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Tabú, Las Vegas
A three-time “Best Lounge” winner, Tabú may have broken the mold in the first place. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, there’s plenty to interact with at this stunning MGM Grand nightlife standard: from the models moonlighting as cocktail waitresses, to the ultra-chic décor layered with visual projection eye-candy. Not to mention the bevy of international DJs dropping in to play records, including Carl Cox himself. Plus, popular urban-hip party Super Slide Sundays features Melle Mel of the Furious Five, and Mr. Freeze from the Rock Steady Crew. Even with Vegas morphing all around it, Tabú is standing strong. –DS
www.mgmgrand.com
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