Soho House: Mumbai's new 'super-exclusive' private members' club

The design trend of “bringing the outside in” is made redundant during the monsoon months in Mumbai. Everyone is focused on keeping the outside out. At the city’s new Soho House, part of a global chain of sought-after private clubs, large screens protect the expensive interiors from the ubiquitous water. A publicist apologises as this has somewhat compromised the stunning views, which may be enjoyed on less wet days from door-sized windows that frame the grey-blue Arabian Sea while neatly editing out the stretches of Juhu beach disfigured by trash.

Perhaps this is what works about the 11-storey space, part-club and part-hotel, aimed at the creatively inclined (and well-heeled) sections of the populace. Going through Soho House Mumbai’s Instagram page is to forget any oppressiveness attached with actually living and working in the city. The separation from the outdoors blurs in the décor, where green appears generously in the form of paint and live plants. In the daytime, the members’ drinks of choice seem to match too — green tea in the coffee shop downstairs called Allis and green shakes over at its gym. The cane, coir and jute trimmings on a lot of the furniture add browns.

Rooftop pool side bed | Photo Courtesy: Himanshu Lakhwani

The chain started by restaurateur Nick Jones in London in 1995 has been expanding, almost with a sense of urgency. Beyond the UK, there are properties in New York, Berlin and Istanbul among other cities. Mumbai is the first location in Asia and the 23rd internationally. What sets it apart from old boys’ clubs is a desire to host younger people from diverse professions in the arts. Big names from Indian fashion, advertising and film including Jim Sarbh and Abhay Deol have apparently signed up for its slick black membership card. The club will not say how many have joined since it opened last November but word has it the figure is likely around 1,500.   

The library | Photo: Himanshu Lakhwani

Unlike other concepts, which Soho House says often focus on wealth and status, it wants to assemble communities of members that have in common “a creative soul”. The club in Mumbai describes its members as “entrepreneurial heavy-hitters from the creative industries who are at the forefront of cultural trends”. So wealth and status won’t hurt. Access to the Mumbai house costs Rs 1.1 lakh per year and that number doubles for those who want access to other venues globally, unless one is under 27 years in which case all prices are halved. For muggles with no discernible creative soul, there is the option to tag along with a member who can bring two guests. The hoi polloi can also dine at two open-for-all joints: Italian restaurant Cecconi’s and the cafe. 

Soho House’s medium-size sea-facing bedroom | Photo: Soho House Mumbai

The club’s founder Jones, busy adding new locations to the chain including one in Hong Kong in September, excuses himself from answering questions. The general manager Joe Eva says there has been a mix of people in the house, with local members coming to eat, drink, relax, socialise and work out there, while international members and travellers stay there during work trips and holidays. The 38 bedrooms cost between Rs 13,000 and Rs 41,000 to rent per night. Juhu was probably ideal given its closeness to the airport, coast, film stars and even the Bandra Kurla Complex.

Allis The House coffee shop | Photo: Soho House Mumbai

An indie vintage aesthetic marks the decor. There are colonial-style sofas, armchairs and Asia-inspired wood-carved and rattan furniture. Because the designers wanted to adapt it for surrounding influences, several pieces are upholstered in chintz and lampshades fashioned out of recycled saris, after trips to Delhi and Jaipur. This mixing of the international and the local extends to the food menu too, where ricotta pancakes feature alongside appams, and eggs Florentine alongside eggs akuri.

The assortment of staff and members are outfitted in bomber jackets and jumpsuits, accessorised with reading glasses and laptops. An app informs them about events at the venue and lets them book the screening area, library or multipurpose rooms for private gatherings. At Soho House’s routine theme nights, people have taken pole dancing lessons, played sessions of “bitchy bingo” with drag queen Rani, and watched classic Indian advertisements one evening. In the members-only areas, photographs are prohibited as policy, a big ask certainly in the age of Instagram and at a venue where everyone wants to be seen hanging out.