Foundation Room

Review

It seems every family has that "cool" uncle. You know, the one that introduced a teenaged you to Playboy Magazine.

Odds are that uncle has had a number of girlfriends and maybe rocks some gold chains he's had since the '70s.

Well, it's time to finally pay him back for his years of wisdom and introduce him to a place you'll both dig.

The Foundation Room inside Mandalay Bay looks like a classic lounge where you might see a group of wise old men smoking cigars and sipping on cognac. But the resonating sounds of electronic and hip-hop music, combined with the sight of sexy go-go dancers clearly take Foundation Room beyond your average speakeasy.

Foundation Room doesn't try to woo you with elaborate décor. You won't find fire-breathing dragon statues, aerial shows or rows of plush leather seating. The ceiling is made up of tiles that look like they're straight out of a foreign country. Actually, they are and you'll also find handmade rugs, upholstered wood furniture and artifacts that were brought in from exotic places like Tibet and India without going over the top.

The main room is arranged to invite conversation with a mixture of sofas and chairs in lieu of leather booths spread around wood coffee tables. The bar lines the left side of the room with a walkway, which doubles as the dance floor, separating the bar from the indoor seating.  

When your uncle needs to hear something pre-Jay-Z the DJ booth is conveniently located on the floor to the right of the main room's entrance. A large private room is also the right of the entrance with its own TV screen that often displays graphics to accompany the music. Two additional private rooms are accessible from the main room and a slew of others are just around the corner down one of the corridors.

Foundation Room's passion for private rooms stems from its days as a members-only club. If you've ever ventured to one of its other locations in cities such as Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans and Los Angeles, among others, you know that you must be a member yourself to gain entry or be on a member's list.

The policy recently changed at Vegas' version but the private spaces have remained the same.

The view, though, is what sets Foundation Room apart from many other Las Vegas nightclubs. Because Mandalay Bay sits at the southern tip of the Las Vegas Strip, the outdoor patio provides unmatched views of one of the most famous skylines in the world. From here you can literally see from one end of the Strip to the next without much obstruction.

Additional seating is available on the patio and guests can stand along the edge to take in the view. A second DJ booth sits to the far left of the patio where a different genre of music is usually in spin.

By now you're probably thinking Foundation Room is eclectic. The word doesn't quite bring justice to this night spot and that "cool" uncle of yours will find his niche here just like anyone else who ventures to the top of Mandalay Bay.

-- Review by Justin Lawson