Tuesday, September 18, 10:55 p.m.
It’s an odd little space, right off the casino floor, with no grand entrance to speak of and a tight, rectangular layout. Were it free-standing, Blush would have the footprint of a nice 4,500-square-foot townhome with a walled-in back yard. But this space has seen more than its share of tenants and renovations since Wynn Las Vegas opened in 2005. Formerly Lure, Blush is the latest collaborative nightlife effort for Steve Wynn, partnering with renowned nightclub operator Sean Christie. Though Christie has a long history of nightclub development and management, when setting out to create a boutique nightclub with lots of female appeal, he called in the experts: women.
“If I bring the ladies here, the men will follow,” Christie says of his girl-centric logic. With help from Blush marketing director Rosine Frangie, a panel of very detail-oriented female designers and Wynn’s supply of tasteful female executives, Christie made sure that right from the start Blush had the chick vote.
Titillate/Hint/Sigh/Caress/Nuzzle/Ruffle/Gaze/Thrill/Spark/Flirt/Tease/Seduce/Vamp/Flutter
So reads the writing on Blush’s glass windows, the floor-to-ceiling curtains drawn to further titillate and hint at what lies within. Gone are the partitions that once divvied Lure up. Two long banquettes now line the dance floor beneath 300 dangling “intelligent” silk lanterns, each equipped to change colors and create ambient moods from the mild early on, when Blush is a chill lounge from 5-9 p.m., to the wild, when the club’s vibe transformation is complete at 10 p.m. Purse cubbies and drawers abound, as do tall booth-backs for sky-high dancing. Much to my delight, the letter X is everywhere, from the holographic-topped tables to the preppy black-lattice votive candles and the homey lamps. The DJ booth of music director and resident DJ Mighty Mi (aka New York’s Milo Berger) has been flipped to the opposite side of the room, opening up even more space next to the curtained VIP room.
Left entirely untouched is the mirror-mosaic bar, where busty bartendresses mix up Blush’s signature cocktails, the Royale Blush, the tangerine mojito and my favorite, the cantaloupe and honeydew Infusion. The mirrored tiles inspired the playfulness of disco balls in the bathroom, where Christie’s youthful sense of whimsy takes the form of Barbie and Ken shadowboxes. Perhaps the only out-of-place element is the intertwining neon iconic male and female symbols meant to show the location of the restrooms.
Tuesday being Blush’s industry night, the tables are flush with nightlife personalities, such as tonight’s host, VegasExposure.com’s Chris Parsons (celebrating the opening of his new Addiction boutique), as well as numerous liquor reps. Christie has taken Vegas’ de rigueur sparkler service one step further by prompting the DJ to play either the Superman or the Rocky theme song while the service staff bounces out to the table with the honored bottle of Dom or Cristal, trailing white-hot sparklers.
Project Thursdays are not quite as packed, though with Jack Lafleur on the decks, the potential is there for Blush to enjoy a second killer locals night. “[Lafleur is] one of the best investments I’ve made so far,” says Christie of the newly free-agent DJ. Lafleur’s Sunday sets in Body English’s Parlor are the stuff of legend, so having the extra room to spread out a little at Blush can only be a good thing. When I popped in on September 13 to pay my respects to the DJ, three-time No. 1 DJ in the world Tiesto was just kicking back on the dance floor!
“Keep your ears open, your arms up and pay attention!” Lafleur had said, going into a progressive house set. The Europeans in the crowd went a little wild. I hear that when Christie is moved by the spirit (or was it spirits?), he will occasionally DJ. Heck, it’s his club so the man can do just about anything he wants. And don’t expect the “ugly lights” to snap on right at 4 a.m. either; Christie has no problem letting the ladies dance on into the wee-est of hours. “If the party’s good, keep it going!”