PageRank Checking Icon

easyJet Holidays Paris City Break Expert

Over 300 pastry shops for just $4.99!

About Secrets of Paris

American-born travel journalist and guidebook author Heather Stimmler-Hall created the Secrets of Paris in 1999 to share the hidden side of the City of Light. Discover what you've been missing:

* Private Customized Tours
* Free Paris Resource Guide
* Calendar of interesting Paris events
* Opinionated Hotel Reviews
* Monthly Secrets of Paris newsletter
* Secrets of Paris Videos

Read more about the Secrets of Paris here

Calendar of Paris Events

June 2-3
This weekend is the Portes Ouvertes at Les Frigos! Check out the artist studios in one of the most famous former squats in Paris. In the 13th (near the Bibliothèque Mitterrand, just off Rue de Tolbiac), ree entry, Saturday (2-10pm) and Sunday (2-8pm).

June 8-10
Nearly 6,000 feathered and sequinned costumes, designed and made in the workshops of the Folies Bergère, one of the world’s most prestigious music-halls, are going on auction at the Palais de la Bourse (Place de la Bourse, 2nd) over three sessions (two catalogued sales on Saturday 9th at 6pm and Sunday 10th at 4pm, one non-catalogued sale of costumes, accessories, notions and supplies). To this magnificent set of lots will be added a hundred posters and programmes recounting a century of revues, original musical scores composed for Folies Bergère revues and drawings by famous fashion illustrator Erté. Public exhibition of the collection from 2-6pm on Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturday, 10am-3pm on Sunday.

June 17
It's time yet again to don your most fashionable hat and a picnic basket and head up to Chantilly for the annual Prix de Diane at the Chantilly Hippodrome. It's Ladies' Day at the races, and the fashions might overshadown the horses, but overall it's a fabulous day out for free (well, if you can get out there by train or car or helicopter). Check out one of my posts from the 2010 event with photos.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL CALENDAR

Heather's Lady's Guide to the Sexy City

 Sign-up to the Secrets of Paris newsletter and get "Heather's Top Ten Tips for a Stress-Free Visit to Versailles"

Secrets of Paris gives 10% of all tour fees
to the French food bank, Les Restos du Coeur

« French Love, aka Christine's | Main | Flûte Etoile Champagne Bar »
Saturday
Sep272008

VIP Room

VIP Room "Famous Theatre"
Bar, Restaurant, Club
188 Rue de Rivoli, 1st
M° Tuileries
www.viproom.fr



Don't even think about trying to talk your way past these guys.

Last night the whole city seemed to be lined up outside 188 Rue de Rivoli, with scantily-clad ladies in their mini-dresses and stilettos pressing at the velvet ropes and a whole fleet of black SUVs blocking traffic. It was the official opening night of the new VIP Room, which closed its old location on the Champs Elysées earlier this year to move into the old premises of La Scala. Last time I went to La Scala was for an Elvis Tribute party. It was an old club on two levels with a lot of carpeting. It looks nothing like that anymore. In fact, it looks just like the old VIP Room, with the same exact tables and oversized LED panels, super sexy bar staff and a steady stream of Champagne bottles with sparklers making the rounds.

The DJ warms up the dance floor (before the masses arrived).

Amazingly, only 24 hours earlier the club still looked like a construction site. The walls and ceilings were covered in a shiny, plastic looking material that looked solid unless you touched it. The glass railings keeping people from falling off the upper level onto the dance floor below were still slightly wobbly. The restaurant is not yet open. The floors were still unfinished and a strong scent of fresh paint welcomed the crowd that began piling in around 11:30pm. By 12:30am, it was already standing room only, and the crowd outside was twice as large as the one inside – maybe 1200 people?

Meow...

The DJ, with a futuristic silver curtain behind him, played mostly Madonna mixes. The female bartenders wore sexy black leather masks while the men wore black leather kilts and driving gloves. I stayed long enough to chat with friends, have a drink, and spot a few “famous in France” VIPS, before heading back out. Or at least trying to. Compared to the quick entry, it was almost impossible to get out without climbing over people still trying to get in. The club certainly started off with a bang.

Zee fashion pipole.

A server waiting for his tables to fill up (which they all do, i about ten minutes flat).

If you’d like to get a peek at the new digs, you won’t have to wait long. The gentlemen of www.Urban-nights.com will be hosting one of their after-works parties at the VIP Room sometime in October, stay tuned!

"Lord Brett" of Urban Nights et moi.

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

Reader Comments (2)

nice!)
October 1, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKsenia
went on thursday for the chris brown after party event and it was wonderful, perhaps my favorite club in paris. But, all the tables were taken. Any idea what bottle service starts at?
thanks!
February 1, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterWilliam

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.