Finally, the M2 Ultra Lounge is ready to reopen after being shut down for indoor smoking violations. Having been out of commission for more than half a year, this New York hotspot has hopefully learned its lesson. If they didn't and smoking drama goes down again, our guess is that the club will most likely be shut down for good.
Most venues know to send their smoking clientele outdoors, but in January, M2 Ultra Lounge was busted along with a few others during an undercover raid by the Health Department. Inspectors said they found dozens of smokers puffing away in plain sight and, in addition, bathroom attendants were selling individual cigarettes for $2 a piece.
Now, in order to reenter the nightlife scene, M2 Ultra Lounge must pay $7,500 in fines and submit a plan to the city detailing how it will stop patrons from lighting up. "Our main goal was to get M2 to take their obligations under the law seriously, and we achieved that," Health Department spokeswoman, Erin Brady, said yesterday.
The Chelsea club is clearly cooperating, and doesn’t want to be shunned from its throne in Chelsea forever, but we’re not sure how apologetic they actually are. Richard Emery, lawyer for M2 Ultra Lounge, called the deal "a tolerable result based on exaggerated charges, only a couple of which had any merit whatsoever."
Either way, the majestic mansion-themed club will be reopening (yay!), and will hopefully adhere to the law from now own. We still don’t know the exact date of M2’s resurrection, but we’ll be sure to post the info once we get word.
