The Members-Only Clubs Fashion Influencers Are Obsessed With

Soho House isn’t the only game in town anymore. While it still remains popular – and a personal favorite given how many locations they have around the globe – there’s a growing number of members-only clubs that have been attracting fashion influencers and celebrities by the busload.

If for whatever reason you’re not in a position to become a member, there are a few hacks.

Any members-only club that has a hotel as part of their club, usually has rooms open to the public which, when booked, grand you temporary member status. Similarly some have restaurants that are open to the public (you won’t be able to leave the eatery to explore the rest of the club, but it’s a start!). The same goes for spas, which are often open to the public – and remember that just because this isn’t the case at one location, doesn’t mean it’s not the case at another. For example non-members can’t go to the restaurant at Soho House in Manhattan, but they can in Brooklyn.

Another hack is to get to know a member since members are always allowed to bring a few guests.

Here’s a look at all the need-to-know-about hot spot members-only clubs that fashion influencers are loving.

The Club at The Ivy

Designer Martin Brudnizki has created a fresh and imaginative Art Deco oasis in the heart of the West End. About The Club. The Ivy Club is a private members’ club. Entrepreneur Mark Boardman has visited several times and said “It’s an exclusive invite only and very expensive”.

Café Royal

“The Club” at Cafe Royal, provides its members an exclusive haven in the heart of London.

Found just off Piccadilly Circus, at the bottom of Regent Street, Hotel Café Royal is home to The Club. Members can enjoy dining spaces, a spa and a calendar filled with opportunities to mingle, including artistic exhibitions, literary symposia and authentic musical entertainment. Annual membership fees cost anywhere between £800 and £1,200 per person, depending on age and corporate affiliation – but no joining fee.

Soho House

Soho House is the OG in the space, especially in New York where most of the fashion influencers reside. They now have locations (they call them “houses”) in a number of other cities like Miami and Los Angeles not to mention they have a huge presence internationally in cities as far reaching as Tel Aviv, Dubai and, of course, London where the members-only club originated. Besides doubling as a hotel, many of the locations have a pool, gym, a spa, events, restaurants and more. Soho House has become so popular in fact that they even have their own range of beauty products, called Cowshed.

Casa Cipriani

If you want to hang with the European glitterati in New York, Casa Cipriani is the place to go. The members-only club is sprawling with plenty of club-area space, a restaurant, a lounge area, a state-of-the-art gym that even includes red lights to optimize recovery and a huge event space that has been the space of choice for high profile events thrown by brands like Alexander McQueen. It’s also a hotel that features stunning rooms with water views and Loro Piana cashmere walls!

The House of St Barnabas

Uniquely serving as both a private members’ club and a homeless charity, The House of St Barnabas sits on the corner where Soho Square meets Greek Street. Boasting a rococo decorative scheme dating from 1754, the Grade I-listed building has previously served as a private residence, a base of operations for local authorities and a house of charity. It was during this phase that the Chapel of St Barnabas, which would later lend its name to the house, was built. Eventually, financial circumstances demanded that the building adapt its approach to social enterprise and the not-for-profit private members’ club was born, complete with its integrated ‘Employment Academy’, which strives to help homeless people back into work.

Zero Bond

Zero Bond comes our way from Scott Sartiano, a nightlife king who has been behind hugely popular spots over the years including Butter, 1OAK and Up & Down. His latest venture has already attracted the likes of Kim Kardashian and Tom Brady to its 20,000 square foot space. Inside the hush-hush venue members find comfortable workspaces and conference rooms, multiple restaurants and bars, a private event space and curated experiences.

Chapel Bar

Chapel Bar is located inside a historic landmark and former 19th-century chapel, which has been reimagined as a members-only space. It’s the result of a collaboration between photography hub Fotografiska New York and NeueHouse. Given the pedigree you can imagine that this is a hub for artistic types who want to gather in cool, dark settings. In addition to members-only cultural events, there’s a cocktail program, live events and performances.

SaksWorks by Convene

Though WeWork doesn’t exactly have the stellar reputation it once had, SaksWorks has not seemed to have been impacted by it. The members-only co-working space already has multiple locations with the flagship being in New York City where members have access to cafes, bars, fitness and stretching classes, wellness and beauty treatments, dry cleaning and even child care.

The Ned

Quo VadisLocated just across the road from Soho House, Quo Vadis is another opulent haunt on Dean Street. Formerly a brothel and a home to Karl Marx, the club has a joining fee of £150 and the five available membership options can be paid annually or monthly, while an alternative life membership option exists for a one-time fee of £5,000. Endorsements from two members of the club are needed for a membership application to be considered.

Chess Club

Opened in 2017 and dwelling in the depths of Mayfair, Chesterfield Street’s Chess Club offers members a lavishly fresh environment to enjoy food from the Jackson Boxer restaurant, with food available all day. There is a £200 joining fee for all memberships except the under 30 membership, while membership fees can be paid monthly or annually and vary from £25 to £45 per month, or £250 to £450 per year depending on the membership type.