La Vie Complex
La Vie Complex is a slick club featuring two floors, a rooftop patio and bottle service. Located in the Entertainment District, it boasts celebrity clientele including Karrueche Tran ( model and host ), Chantelle Winnie ( America's Next Top Model contestant ) and Drake ( Norm Kelly's grandson ).
I visited La Vie late one Saturday night. The first floor of the club is located up a flight of stairs, which you enter after a pat-down and cover (it ranges from $10-20. The first floor is divided into two halves, with a big bar in the middle of one half and the dance floor with a DJ booth taking up the other.
There are a few bottle service booths and tables, and the walls are outfitted in sassy gold swirls. Upstairs, the second floor is absolutely packed. It's a bit smaller and is set up balcony-style, overlooking the first floor for maximum creepage. The second floor has even more bottle service booths and tables around the perimeter and the bar lines one side of the space.
A mirror behind the bar lists the seven deadly sins, though there was one I didn't recognize (avarice) but correctly guessed (greed) because it sounds like the name of a wealthy toddler who would immediately inform you of her lineage upon meeting ("Ava Rice, heiress to the vampire erotica fortune!").
As the DJ congratulated a birthday girl ("Shoutout to my girl Tanya!"), I made my way through the swarm of drinkers, dancers and head-bobbing dudes to the bar. I asked for the most popular drink, and was served a vodka soda ($7.50), which was good, refreshing, and not too expensive given the location.
Though the bar was mobbed, a lot of patrons opted for the bottle service option - almost all the bottle service booths were full, reserved by people who made better life choices than me.
As the night went on, the DJ continued his shoutouts ("Here's to all the students!") and the influx of dressed-to-the-nines patrons continued. A girl in a gold jumpsuit grinded to the music while a man in dress pants, an oxford and a pullover chatted up a lady.
A woman walked through the club like it was a runway in a black turtleneck dress, while two ladies in gorgeous full fur coats did shots at the bar. A girl in a lace shirt approached me and tried to convince me to dance with her and her friends (which is, honestly, the nicest someone has been to me on a non-blow dried hair day) while I explained that I was not in a dancing mood.
I waited a few seconds before choking out a guttural groan meant to sound like a friendly giggle and said haltingly, "I'm just...here to watch" with a half smile while she laughed uneasily and backed away.
As we left, the party was still going strong, though the DJ was starting to run out of things to say ("Shoutout to everyone!"). Though cover can be on the pricier side, La Vie's well-designed space, reasonable drinks, and fun vibe make it a solid choice for prospective Entertainment District clubbers.