Inside the Aman Club, NYC’s most expensive private members’ club: it costs US$200,000 just to join, but you may find yourself rubbing shoulders with George Clooney, Bill Gates or the Kardashians
In an era where working from home is the overwhelming first choice in the US but where people still crave community, it’s no wonder many are reporting a rising interest in private members’ clubs.
These clubs are not a new phenomenon in the US. In New York alone, the first opened their doors in the Gilded Age. Unsurprisingly, members were often men with deep pockets.
Fast-forward to 2024, and most private members’ clubs in the city are gender-inclusive. But it still doesn’t hurt to have money.
Soho House and Zero Bond are among the most popular clubs in New York. Members are charged upwards of US$5,000 and US$3,000, respectively.
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But that’s nothing compared to what members pay to join the Aman Club – a private members’ club opened by the ultra-luxury hospitality resort chain of the same name in 2022.
Here’s a sneak peek inside.
The club is inside the Aman Hotel on Fifth Avenue
The Aman in NYC is in The Crown Building on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. The hotel is located inside a building that has long been a fixture in midtown Manhattan.
It’s over 100 years old, comprised of 26 storeys, and screams luxury with its golden ornamental facade.
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Besides the 83 suites and 22 private residences, two lounges are dedicated to club members.
You’ll need to pay US$200,000 just to get in the door …
Let’s not beat around the bush: ultra-luxury comes at a price. How much, you ask? Well, a representative of the Aman Club told Business Insider that the global membership includes annual dues of US$15,000 and an initiation fee of US$200,000.
If it’s any consolation, members can also “add up to four additional family members as registered members to enjoy the Aman Club membership benefits”, a representative told the New York Post.
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In 2019, Aman Resorts CEO Vlad Doronin told Bloomberg the membership grants access to two bars, restaurants, a private wine library, the cigar terrace, a subterranean jazz club and the wellness area.
Do the facilities justify the price tag?
Amenities include the 25,000-square-foot heated indoor swimming pool. Located within the three-story wellness centre. The pool is bordered by lounging areas and glass-covered fire pits.
Meanwhile upstairs, a 7,000 sq ft garden terrace with panoramic city views is only accessible to members, hotel guests and residents.
The expansive garden terrace has a retractable glass roof, meaning members, hotel guests and residents can relax and dine there year-round.
They can also enjoy drinks at the corner bar, which overlooks Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.
Suites at the hotel start at around US$3,200 a night
A representative for the club declined to share whether members receive a discount on hotel suites when asked.
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However Asian media have reported they have access to a “private office” – staff members available 24/7 to look after their personal and travel needs.
An Aman Club policy sheet we reviewed states that members can settle monthly bills from dining and drinking at the club through their “House Account”. If they spend US$10,000 in a month, the bill will automatically be processed with the credit card on file.
But there is a perk: members receive a 10 per cent discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks at the four dining areas at the hotel.
These include Arva, an Italian restaurant; Nama, a Japanese restaurant with an omakase dining experience; the garden terrace; and the lounge bar.
Members use a digital card to access the club and other exclusive spaces
When they arrive at Aman New York, members use a digital club card to access the exclusive facilities – including the restaurants, terraces, lounges and, of course, the three-storey, 25,000 sq ft wellness area.
It has advanced spa facilities
Within the space are several different facilities, including the indoor pool, two distinct spa houses, a fitness centre, a yoga and Pilates studio decked out with reformers, a cryotherapy chamber, an Infrared zone, a hair salon and a nail salon.
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Aman Club members don’t just have access to a spa with massages, saunas, hot tubs and pools; they can also take advantage of an array of treatments offered within the wellness area by in-house doctors, though they still have to pay for it.
The website names a few of the “non-invasive treatments” available, including custom IV vitamin drips, electrolyte therapy, acne management and microneedling.
Celeb spotting opportunities
Perhaps the best benefit of the Aman Club is that members likely rub shoulders with A-listers who can’t get enough of the luxury hotel chain.
The Aman Club remains silent on how many members it has and their identities. But in 2022, The Times of London reported that there was talk that all 600 membership slots had been filled.
Taking photos and videos inside the club is forbidden. Still, given the price of joining, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine that many of the members enjoying the swanky facilities are high profile in some way or another.
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- The club is located at the luxury hotel’s Fifth Avenue property inside the ornamental, century-old Crown Building – and, in addition to the joining fee, costs US$15,000 per year to be a member
- The 3 storey, 25,000 sq ft wellness area includes an indoor pool, two distinct spa houses, a cryotherapy chamber and treatments such as IV drips and electrolyte therapy