Spa, New York (CLOSED)

Spa - Spa is now closed. Plaid is opening in its place.

Steve Lewis never ceases to amaze. Life was life and Spa is definitely spa. Manhtattan hasn't seen such a stylized club since Centro-Fly. The influence is more THX-1138 than Clockwork Orange, hence the angular whiteness of the decor. Walking into Spa one feels that they are walking down a JFK jetty, onto a sleek flight bound for Barbados. The aqualine video projections give one the impression that the Carribean is just around the corner. But don't be fooled, Spa is not so much West Indian as well heeled. The old System venue really never worked and was essentially just another run of the mill B&T dance club. Spa can hardly be called run of the mill, the crowd that forms at its entrance is again reminiscent of Life in its infancy and harks further back to Studio 54. At Spa people take getting in very seriously and tempers can flare. Once inside and past the stringent security the atmosphere is at once very refreshing for a NY club. Gone is the black is beautiful philosophy, that so many clubs subscribe to. Instead, Spa has adapted a white is right approach and it definitely works. The main room, also known as the amber room has three bars. There is a main bar with its own seating area, a smaller bar off to the side with an enclosed waterfall behind it and a small carousel bar directly below the DJ booth on the mid-sized dance floor. The dance floor itself is surrounded by white leather seating and the walls are made up of square white panels that are lighted from behind. The dance floor is also surrounded by a series of fans which help to cool the patrons while they make the floor burn. The DJ both sits high up above the dance floor but with the large mike and prominent position it actually brings the DJ closer to the audience. Although sometimes seemingly more excrutiating than Chinese water torture to get into, Spa is actually still a very refreshing club experience, with a splash of the decadently beautiful Life.