I am often asked where the best places to meet successful people are. Meanwhile every successful person is waking up and asking how do I avoid the poor? As the age-old adage would have it “The people who run Los Angeles belongs to The Jonathan Club; the people who own Los Angeles belong to The California Club.” People who are at the top of the food chain will do anything to stay up there and not have to deal with the rest of us. That is why they frequent Members-Only clubs, which have always been prominent in Los Angeles. The rich will pay a good fee to have the guards keep you and me far away from the gates.
However, say you are determined to rub elbow with the elite, then I am here to tell you that where there is a will there is a way. You can forget The Jonathan club and The California Club; their intense interview process and background check is there for a reason, so go with something more accessible. After all, the trend of private clubs is only getting heated as classification between old money and new money intensifies.
Presently, the appeal of modern clubs is at an all-time high. First up, we have the opening of the Soho House (a London based chain) in West Hollywood in 2010, which prompted young elites to contend to land its membership. Access to the Soho House is more attainable then many others, that is of course after you take care of the:
- The headshot you must submit (even Jesus and his disciples know you can’t walk without one in LA)
- The lifelong waiting list
- The recommendation from two active members
- An annual membership fee of $2,100 to access a single club and $3,200 to have access to all of the Soho Houses. Members under the age of 27 get a 50% discount. This is the club’s attempt to cater to young entrepreneurs, and
- Lastly the interview process
Your second option could be one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest investment known as Spring Place located in Beverly Hills. Built as a workspace for celebrities and famous professionals, this A-lister hotspot has annual membership fees that range from $1,000-$9,000 depending your income, age and membership status. Spring Place is a creative space focused on collaboration. You may start by investing the minimum requirement and see what the place offers, and if it is worth the hype, up the fee.
Option three is The H Club, which is another private club for creative entrepreneurs located in the old Rudbury hotel. If you are a tea lover like me, you enjoy comedy and live music, this is the spot for you. I cannot see myself investing in something just to meet someone. If the word investment is ever used in my presence, it better pay big. Membership fee is $1,500–$3,000/year. You are requested to provide all the links to your social media accounts for review to the membership committee to determine if you are H Club material. This place is known for its legendary rooftop parties, too.
Option Four is the San Vincente Bungalows owned by Jeff Klein, who stated “Private clubs are playing a more and more important role in our lives—I predict we will see many more of them in the next five years, as we have become so ‘connected’ through the internet and social media, that we are actually disconnected. Liking someone’s photo of an experience, whether it be their avocado toast or trip to South Africa, is not the same as sitting down with them in person and discussing the experience and their life. We need human interaction and the Internet and social media really prevent true interaction. Clubs provide a community for people—that is extremely powerful in today’s day and age.” And we could not agree more.
Along with submitting your headshot and the recommendation from a member, you are asked to answer these three magical questions. Ready?
- What would your autobiography be called?
- What is your favorite restaurant and why?
- What would your unique contribution to SVB be?
There are currently 7,000 people on the waiting list, but I am sure you and I can get to the front of it. After all we are not elite, that alone makes us fascinating to them. Of course, the club states it doesn’t matter if you have money, what matters is if you are interesting. Well, if you are a nutjob like me, it should help waive the application fee.
Here you have it. These four budget-friendly membership clubs allow you to run into successful professionals and Hollywood’s stars. It is not bad to give one of them a try and see if this is the right place for you. Or you can save that money and go on a nice trip abroad. The choice is yours. Just know that a great guy can be anywhere. Always keep an eye open, love is never that far.
