Christina Doran
Google
I had a mixed experience at Club Space. I have wanted to check this out for a while, and so was pretty psyched to pop in.Overall cool vibes, good door service, but a weird experience at the bar and a sticky and packed dance floor.
The door guy was super super kind and friendly, made conversation with my sister and I and let us in early/ allowed us to essentially cut the line despite us having $60 incorrect event tickets. (We stupidly came a day early, a total oversight which we genuinely did not realize until we were about to enter. The door guy sympathized and was a bro about it! For people who bought tickets in advance, getting in was not bad at the time that we went (Friday at 9:30pm). There were people trying to buy tickets on the spot, and they were having a harder time and being quoted large amounts. I also think many folks who would typically be at the club were at Ultra, and we left the festival a bit early to intentionally avoid this crowd. It was great to be able to get in so quickly with our tickets (albeit the incorrect ones!)
The ambiance inside was really trippy and cool, and the music was awesome-- we went specifically during MMW to see a particular DJ, and the audio and set did not disappoint! The club is large and beautiful. It looks a bit underwhelming on the outside, but inside is unique-- vibrant colors, a space theme, rooms with textured mirrors, and a really cool mainstage setup. It was dimly lit but you could still clearly see around.
Despite there being no line at the time we came, the dance floor was packed to the point where you could barely move-- bodies squished in everywhere. It was hot and sticky and a bit smelly, and when a couple kind of creepy guys started talking to my sister, it was difficult to navigate away from them because people were packed in there so tightly. I understand that this is par for the course during MMW, but stating for the purposes of accurately recapping my experience.
Service at the bar was a letdown. My sister an I were totally sober upon entering, and wanted to grab a couple drinks. We waited at one bar counter for over 10 min without getting any service, and the bar was not busy-- no one acknowledged us. The bartender was chatting with a friend and restacking cups while we waited patiently and silently. He looked over at us a few times and said nothing. I went to another bar, an ordered a basic drink-- it was $20 and about 80% ice with a couple splashes of alcohol-- despite this, I tipped over 20%. I asked the same bartender politely if I could get a glass of water for my sister as well, and the bartender pretended not to hear me. My sister politely repeated the ask the next time he came around, and he ignored us again. About 5 minutes later, my sister typed out in her notes app "Hi there! Sorry, but can I please have a glass of water?" and put her phone on the bar, thinking that perhaps the bartender could not hear us. The bartender yelled at us to go away and dramatically flailed his hands. A man nearby witnessed this, and asked the bartender what was wrong with him. I was shocked-- it was a very rude interaction, and I have honestly never experienced anything like this. My sister is 29, I am 30, and we were not being rowdy or rude-- just asking a basic question. It was embarrassing and strange. I live in Los Angeles and work out of NYC often and am accustomed to going to large venues and busy clubs frequently for work events, and for fun. I pride myself in being patient and polite, having bartended and waitressed myself before and knowing how stressful the job can be. My sister is even more meek and timid than me.
I was truly mystified by this-- I read online that the club has a policy about paying for water, which is a bit silly imo, but whatever-- we would have paid for the water if he had explained that to us. After that encounter, we walked around the packed club a bit, but he killed our vibe a bit.
I would probably go back to Space to see a DJ I like play, but will pregame it before to fully avoid interacting with the rude bartenders.