VIP Lounge in Tokyo is celebrating 20 years of history in the lively nightlife section of Shinjuku's Kabukicho district. While the club is certainly an adults-only location filled with girls and dancing, VIP Lounge is a lighthearted and refreshing experience with an air of luxury worthy of the establishment's name.
While many hostess clubs and the like come and go quickly, there is a reason the club has survived in the area for so long. The management, bartenders, and bouncers are incredibly friendly and outgoing and the club system is transparent and easy to understand which is not always true in the nightlife scene.
The premise of nightlife entertainment clubs in Japan is typically to have an hourly rate that starts upon arrival. While it sounds good in theory there are often a great number of hidden charges including entry fees, table charges, hostess charges, and more. Most clubs also have pretty steep charges for drinks and food. VIP Lounge works in a more simple format. Arrive before 9:00 pm and the cost will be 5,000 JPY for 80 minutes of service. The cost includes all-you-can-drink from a full bar menu including beer, wine, cocktails, and spirits. The drink service is extremely efficient and you will not spend any time waiting between drinks. Between the opening hours of 7:00 pm ~ 1:00 am there will be non-stop pole dance performances on the main stage to keep guests entertained and guests are given five free tip tickets upon arrival. Arrive after 9:00 pm and the price will be 7,000 JPY for 80 minutes. When purchasing drinks for the girls (completely optional) there is a fixed charge of 1,000 JPY per drink.
The interior is elegant and comfortable with soft furnishings and great views of the shows from all around. After being seated and getting your first drink order in the time will start to fly as the shows and the music create an exciting atmosphere of dance and sex appeal filled with happy customers and friendly staff. In addition to watching the stage shows, guests are treated to the company of the dancers who rotate from table to table. In general, if you are having a nice conversation and enjoying the company the girl will stay with you as long as you like. Otherwise, the girls will rotate so you can enjoy the company and conversations of a range of personalities. The stage area is bright, but the club atmosphere is dimmed down creating a perfect environment for a drink and conversation with friends. To be clear, though, this is a gentleman's club with all of the standard options and services.
The staff is all Japanese and many do speak a basic or conversational level of English so the club is fairly foreigner friendly. That being said, not many foreigners know about the location and most of the clientele is Japanese. This is nice as you can see a more authentic representation of how Japanese office workers let loose and relax after a long day of work. The girls are young, friendly and eager to entertain their guests. Guests can also purchase small bundles of fake money that the stage dancers will gladly accept and tuck away in their garments.
