Instead of harsh LED lighting and sparsely decorated rooms, the city’s newest clubs offer an homage to long-gone eras of
conspicuous indulgence, with amenities like fur-upholstered
furniture, chandeliers, fireplaces, and less dance-floor square footage than their predecessors. In fact, these new venues look less like big-box clubs and more like, well, bars.

Harlot, the latest venture from club promoters–turned–
restaurateurs Martel and Nabiel (Sushi Groove and Oola),
Robert Nunez of Dolce, and designer and architect Jacek Ostoya, is a tribute to the Barbary Coast–era bordello. Housed in a building from 1906, the club’s heavy curtains, patterned wallpaper, and oversize artwork evoke an even earlier era, but the all-white mezzanine and tables covered with photos of sexpots are very 2007. A few big-name DJs are on the roster, but Harlot hopes to cultivate a loyal following for the club itself—a wise idea, as there’s not much room to dance anyway.

Harlot
46 Minna St., S.F., 415-777-1077
11:41 p.m.

The Crowd
A marketer’s dream demographic of 25-to-35-year-old upwardly mobile urban professionals with style and money to burn.
The Outfit
Cocktail dresses and button-down shirts, closer to late-night
dinner dress than hoochie clubwear.
The Timing
Wines by the glass or bottle and appetizers from the adjacent
restaurant, Salt House, make Harlot popular during happy hour, too.
The Pour
To avoid spillage when the club gets busy, patrons opt for vodka drinks in tumblers rather than precarious martinis.
Overheard
“I really think this is more of a lounge than a club.”

Elsewhere
With its swinging 1950s Rat Pack–themed room, the only thing not positively swanky about the Ambassador is the crush of people waiting to get in most nights of the week. 673 Geary St., S.F., 415-563-8192.

The proprietors of Element Lounge opened Etiquette Lounge on a gritty stretch of mid-Market. But there’s nothing low-end about the club’s padded leather accents and DJ and live music perfor­mances. 1108 Market St., S.F., 415-869-8779.

Speakeasy-themed Slide was San Francisco’s first retro-ultralounge, with no cover charge but a dress-to-impress policy and a bit more room to dance than the other spots. 430 Mason St., S.F., 415-421-1916.