One of the clubs that we checked out on our Shanghai trip was Bling.  Located at 66 Danshui Lu near Jinling Xi Lu, this cozy nightclub/lounge is apparently owned by a bunch of TAS (Taipei American School) folks  who all pitched in to create Bling.

Although I think the name of the nightclub is cheesy, the place is definitely nice.  There is this huge sign out front that screams BLING.  There was a Pommery Champagne promotion that night thrown by Severine and the folks at Riviera Events so they had this whole red carpet and billboard setup going on.  We took some obligatory photos, signed our name on the billboard, and proceeded inside.

I think we arrived around 10:30 which we found out was way too early as Shanghai clubbers apparently don’t show up until around Midnight.  I guess we are just used to the clubs in LA closing at 2am so we show up early.  Bottle prices were very reasonable.  I think it was around $200 for a bottle of Grey Goose.  Of course it isn’t Thailand prices but the eye candy in Shanghai is much better.

So about the club.  It’s two stories and not too big.  The first floor has a bar on the left and to the right is a DJ stage and tables for bottle service.  They have GOGO dancers on stage starting at midnight.  The six girls were not too hot except for one.  I think the GOGOs are overkill since they were dancing for such a small crowd (the dancefloor is tiny).  Most of the people were locals which puzzled me because I had heard that this was more of an “expat club” which means that there most likely would be more white people there and foreign born Asians.

The upstairs is off limits to everybody except ladies and “members”.  Members pay a monthly (i think) fee to gain access to the upstairs which is (i guess) a VIP style lounge.  Luckily my girl Debbie had the hookups so she got a couple of us hand stamps to go upstairs.  The  upstairs was a LOT different from the downstairs.  White people and English speaking Asians were all upstairs.  I felt like I had stepped into a different club.  It was mostly just bottle service tables up there but I felt like I was back in LA because most of the people were either from the States or spoke English.  Weird!

Overall, a pretty nice place.  I don’t know if I could go there every week though since it’s so small.  Plus there is no smoking patio so that is a big negative (even though I don’t smoke).  I would say that the “talent” there was pretty good when compared to a “local” club (which I will review on another post).  The overall vibe was pretty chill.  No wildness, no chicks puking in the corner, no massive crowds.  That can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your party style.