Geisha Club: A Japanese-inspired Apartment
By Angela Ye
The newest addition to Shanghai nightlight held their grand opening party this past Saturday. If you've visited The Apartment, you'll already have a feel for what The Geisha is like: lounge style, chic venue, but the same old Shanghai clubbing vibes.
A three-story establishment, the party happens on the second floor and the chillin' happens on the third floor. True to its name, The Geisha is a Japanese-influenced venue with cherry blossom branches cropping up in the middle of the second floor bar, and tea cups lining the wall in the third floor bar.
The second floor boasts a typical lounge set up, with large cushioned couches and tables along the walls and a decently-sized dance floor at one end. DJ Sonic was spinnin' beats in the corner of the dance floor, next to a stage where the uninhibited can take to the spotlight, let down their hair, and bust out some moves for the crowd. Music from around 10-11:30 pm was 90's rap (whaaat...?) but as more people arrived they switched it up to mainstream pop more conducive to drunken stage dancing.
The central bar has LCD screens lining one wall, making the bar visually appealing and colorful, like tiles of glass. Regardless of the aesthetics, avoid this area unless you like multiple elbows to the rib cage. It was crammed with patrons shoving for their complimentary mystery cocktails and spilling drinks on each other.
The third floor is much more relaxed, with a modest bar and booths. The lighting drops from the hot pinks and purples to burgundy and maroon. A sushi bar/sake lounge, this floor extends out to an intimate patio furnished with yet another bar and more seating. This late into October though, the patio was already getting too cold for much traffic. Such a shame, it was an intimate area with lots of foliage littered throughout.
The most interesting part of the night was the Geisha show in the bathtub stage on the second floor. Everyone anticipated this moment, crowding around the bathtub as a spotlight flicked onto a Geisha wearing and unbelievably short kimono (really just a glorified satin bathrobe). She danced just long enough for people to stay interested. There was also a kind of Asian-a-fied Dance (striptease?) of the Seven Veils, which by the end came down to pasties.
Like many lounge/bar/club/restaurants, The Geisha aims to be a one-stop night where you can get your fill of delicious gourmet food, get plastered, and dance the night away all in the same place (or meet with your business partners, which seemed to dominate the third floor.) They have all the right elements for a great time. Nice venue overall, but the party was somewhat lackluster. So if you ever want to go, better bring your own show.
The Geisha is open 9pm to late. Expect to pay 50-70 for cocktails and shots. Wednesdays are ladies night.
The Geisha // 390 Sha'anxi Nan Lu, near Fuxing Lu (陕西南路390号, 近复兴路)