Nightclubs
XS |
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XS Details
- Hours of operation: Friday - Monday, 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
- Cover price: Men, $30; Women, $20.
- Payment information: Cash and all major credit cards.
- Location: At Encore Las Vegas.
- Music: Top 40, hip-hop, '80s.
- Resident DJs: Manufactured Superstars, DJ Feed Me, Steve Aoki, Alex Dreamz, Big Dee, Fabian, G-Squared, Kris Nilsson, Pizzo, Warren Peace and deadmau5.
- Clientele/Age Group: 21 and older.
- Attire: Fashionable nightlife attire, dress code strictly enforced.
- Occupancy: 1,300 inside.
- Parking: Self-park and valet available at Encore.
- Reservations: Yes, call (702) 770-0097.
- Seating: Yes.
- Handicapped accessible: Yes.
- ATM: Available in Encore.
- Special events:
- Monday: Industry night.
- Feb. 6: XS three-year anniversary with Skrillex.
- Feb. 10: R3hab.
- Feb. 11: Calvin Harris.
- Feb. 12: Morten Breum.
- Feb. 13: Diplo - Fashion Week Kickoff Party.
- Feb. 14: Creative Rec / Hudson Jeans.
- Feb. 17: Rony Seikaly.
- Feb. 18: Afrojack.
- Feb. 20: Steve Aoki - Dim Mak Mondays.
- Feb. 24: Chris Lake.
- Feb. 25: John Dahlback.
- Feb. 26: Manufactured Superstars.
- Feb. 27: Max Vangeli.
- March 26: Steve Aoki - Dim Mak Mondays.
XS Review
The name XS isn't handed out to clubs that skimp on the décor or use fake gold. Nor is it given to clubs who boast only a few hundred guests and a drink menu that resembles the liquor aisle at the grocery store.
Clubs that don't go the extra mile get names like Sparse or Meager.
But when you walk into XS at the Encore you don't have to be worry about being in inadequate surroundings. This club, after all, didn't come with a $100 million price tag because they went bargain shopping at Wal-Mart.
Steve Wynn and nightclub impresario Victor Drai spared no expense in building the priciest nightclub ever conceived. You get the sense that your salary pales in comparison to what was spent on this club from the moment you traverse the glitter-laden tile staircase at the entrance where a gold-plated mold of naked women (all of which were employees of XS) stretches out more than 15 feet.
The gold-plating doesn't end there. There is also a gold-plated, 10-foot rotating chandelier that hovers over the main dance floor and three more gold-plated molds of a former sexy cocktail waitress that serve as decoration behind one of the club's four bars. Wynn has nabbed electronic superstar and best-seller deadmau5 for a year-long DJ residency at XS in 2012. Where an average nightclub might sign an up-and-coming DJ and make a big story of it, XS manages to have a proven international sensation spinning throughout the year.
The dance floor itself is likely bigger than your apartment at almost 1,100-square feet. The VIP booths that surround the dance floor are not your run-of-the-mill variety either. They are made with gold-embossed crocodile skin. (The one we stopped by played host to Leonardo DiCaprio just three weeks prior).
If you're lucky enough to spring for bottle service at XS, you can experience the ultimate in luxury and order XS's signature drink, the Ono. The cocktail itself screams opulence with a mixture of Dom Peringon Oenothèque champagne and Louis XIII de Remy Martin Black Pearl cognac, which is a limited edition cognac that sold out within two months of being offered. But XS doesn't stop there. This drink is paired with men's sterling silver cufflinks embossed with a stingray and a raised XS logo and a women's 18K white-gold chain with a black pearl pendant and XS logo.
Amazingly, this $10,000 drink is sold twice a month on average.
Beyond the 13,000-square foot indoor area, XS opens up to a 27,000-square foot pool area reserved for hotel guests during the day and at night gives the club space for an additional 26 cabanas where bottle service is available.
On Sunday nights during the summer, the inside of the club shuts down and the action moves outside for a decadent swim party. At 10 p.m. guests can find themselves in swimwear dancing the night away or even taking part in one of the table games at the outdoor casino.
With the staggering amount of people that visit XS -- 8,000 nightly, you will be hard-pressed to get in the club without springing for bottle service or being on the guest list. Lines often extend down to the Le Rêve theater, which is at least a football field and a half away. Also, don't bother waiting in the hallway outside the club to mooch off your friends or try and catch the eye of someone else already enjoying bottle service. Security won't go for it and will usher you along if you stop just for a second.
Even if you don't live of your life in excess, you should treat yourself to one night during your Vegas trip and experience XS. After all, what would Vegas be without a little XS?
-- Review by Justin Lawson
