London is home to more private members’ clubs than anywhere else in the world. Whether you want to unwind, network or spend quality time with your family, there is an exclusive membership waiting for you.
Things have come a long way since the stale wood panelled members’ clubs of old. Today’s exclusive sanctuaries offering cultural and culinary menus to satisfy your every whim. Expect next-level luxury, refined hospitality and access to an elite network of influential contacts. Ready to join up? Here are five shaking up the way high-net-worth individuals work and socialise.
For Glamorous Networking: The Ivy Club, Covent Garden
This iconic address offers one of the most coveted memberships in town. Nestled above the world-famous The Original Ivy restaurant, here guests can savour a discreet retreat seeped in history as well as modern luxury. Paying tribute to The Ivy’s heritage, membership is carefully curated to span art, fashion, music, film, and business. Those who make the grade can enjoy three floors of next-level drinks, and dining and cultural programming. That’s along with access to The Ivy’s growing network of reciprocal clubs worldwide. Micheal Parkinson once proclaimed that the closer you sit to the front of The Ivy, the more successful you are. Make it upstairs and you know you have really made it.
Individual membership costs £1,350 per year with a £500 joining fee. www.the-ivyclub.co.uk
For Families: Cloud Twelve, Notting Hill
Alternatively, if you are looking for a private members’ club to enrich family life, this chic wellness and lifestyle club may be a contender. Perfectly entwining the needs of parents and children, smaller members can look forward to imaginative activities, qualified staff and fun by the bucket load. Grownups, meanwhile, can indulge in a world-renowned spa, stylish salon, and holistic wellness clinic. Loved by Vogue and home to some of the best massages in London, convincing little ones to leave the interactive play and learn zone may well be your only challenge.
The Kids Club membership starts at £2,650 per year with a £550 joining fee. www.cloudtwelve.co.uk
For Work and Wellness: Maslow’s Kensington, Kensington
Looking for a sophisticated way to refine your workspace? The capital’s newest members’ club – Maslow’s Kensington – leads the way. The latest venture from the group behind Mortimer House and 1 Warwick, this progressive club is housed within the prestigious Kensington Building and built on the belief that when space works well, people do, too. Perfectly encapsulating London’s shifting take on what a private members’ club should be; members have access to a modern and integrated approach to work and wellness built on science of neuroaesthetics. Think high-end workspaces and private studies, along with a high-spec gym, and beautifully created dishes in the members-only café.
Resident membership starts from £1,100 per month. www.maslows.com
For Creatives: Shoreditch Arts Club, Shoreditch
On the other hand, if you prefer a destination with art and creativity at its heart, this residence is sure to inspire. Previously a loading bay, the property now welcomes a private layer of artists, curators and creative practitioners. The membership is considered and selective, but the socialising is never staid. Benefits include an ever-rotating mix of artistic showcases, live creation and performances, all spread across three enticing floors. Along with a bijou 24-seat cinema and cutting-edge lounges and meeting rooms. Many of the capital’s most talked about cultural moments start here, so it is no surprise that the membership reads like the who’s who of arts.
The Curator membership starts at £750 per year. www.shoreditchartsclub.com
For Dog Lovers: Wagworks Fulham and Islington
And finally, for affluent canine companions in need of Crufts-level networking, consider the UK’s first private membership club for dogs, Wagworks. London’s finest hound hubs, everything has been designed to make life easier for urban dog owners and better for their discerning dogs. Offering healthcare, training, and daycare, members can make use of spa-inspired grooming and enrichment activities, along with preventative health care, plus indoor parks with scent dens. Your dog will agree that high-class facilities like this are not to be sniffed at.
Ultimate membership starts at £925 per month. wwww.wagworks.co.uk
