Intimate Experience

Las Vegas is packed with nightclubs, all of which fill every conceivable niche of clientele, music and atmosphere.

But even amid this diversity, there's one thing that the city's clubs have in common: "Intimate" isn't necessarily a word that would be ascribed to any of them.

Except, perhaps for ROK Vegas at New York-New York, 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South, which is as cozy as a lakeside cottage, at least by nightclub standards.

The mission was simple, says managing partner Ethan Asch: "We really wanted to create a really inviting, comfortable atmosphere where people could come in and enjoy good music" and, basically, a "less intense type of environment" than most clubs.

ROK Vegas resides in a ovalish room, heavy on the red and black hues and blessedly free of the alcoves and side spaces that are supposed to create intimacy but usually turn out to be merely claustrophobic.

It's a "very warm room" in which patrons can see each other, Asch says, and "it's all one level, so you're not lost when you walk in the club."

A 36-foot bar runs the length of the room, and there's a stage for performances by visiting artists and celebs. Outdoors, a 2,000-square-foot patio area offers a killer view of the Strip and a chance to catch some air.

Booths are luxurious and even contain alcoves for patrons' belongings, and, in a further customer-friendly vein, ROK Vegas offers half-bottle service, with prices starting at about $150.

"We wanted to create an environment where people can come in, have a cocktail and enjoy themselves and not spend a fortune," Asch says.

The music is a mix of mashup, contemporary, classic rock, Top 40 and hip-hop. And, because the visual is as vital as the aural, ROK Vegas boasts, in addition to a DJ, a VJ who handles the lights, the lasers and the array of images -- animation, concert footage, even live images from inside the club -- that appear on screens that circle the perimeter of the club.

ROK Vegas opened in August, and Asch admits that this probably is "not a great time to be opening up a nightclub in Las Vegas."

But, he says, "for going against what we have to go against with the economy right now, we have an unbelievable turnout."

ROK Vegas seats about 800 and is open from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Cover charges vary, but local women are always admitted free, nonlocal women for $20, and men, local or not, for $30. For more information, call 740-6765.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.