LONDON - A chilly bit of Scandinavia is coming to the heart of London's West End Saturday with the opening of Absolut Icebar, a bar made entirely out of ice right down to the art on the walls and the glasses for the drinks.

Situated next to the accompanying but room temperature Below Zero restaurant, the bar is kept at minus 23 fahrenheit year round. For a cover charge of 12 pounds ($22.20), patrons are given a thermal cape, thick gloves and a glass made out of ice before entering the second of two airtight doors designed to keep heat out.

"It's an experience rather than a traditional bar. We feel we're really offering something different," said Anette Eliasson, manager of market communications for V&S Absolut Spirits vodka company, which is opening the bar with partner company Icehotel.

The Stockholm-based franchise launched the first Icebar in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, in 1994 within Icehotel, where visitors stay in the comfort of a warm sleeping bag in an icy room. Since then, Icebar locations in Stockholm, Sweden and Milan, Italy, have been met with success, prompting a fourth permanent location in London.

"This is where trends come from, so that's why London was important to us," Agnetha Lund, director of Icebar International, said.

Bar patrons who would like a warm meal will find European cuisine and lounge-style seating at Below Zero restaurant next door. Fred Olsson, managing director, said the menu features dishes that can be shared among friends.

All the ice for the bar is imported from the Torne River in the north of Sweden, where the pure water and river freezing process make the finished product "crystal clear," according to Lund.

The entire venue will be redesigned and rebuilt every six months, because the ice will gradually melt with daily use and the body heat of the crowds, Lund said. Icebar commissions artists to sculpt the decor on site, and opening day art includes a floor-to-ceiling vodka bottle and partial human figures along the walls.

The 10,764-square-foot bar has a capacity for 60 people. Pre-booking for one of the 45-minute time slots is a must.

What a fucking idiot idea. The idea is to feel comfortable in a bar or a club. And, when the slimmies wear the parkas, you cannot check out their bodies.

I remember when the first one opened - I think it's a fun idea, and considering I'm always too warm wherever I go, this could be the perfect place for me to hang out.

come 03:00 all the drunks will be stuck to the bar with their tongues

probably can't smoke in there, obviously...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

it might be possible, but I bet you would get some evil looks

IstenSzek said:

stink sticks to cold.

in which case, they probably wouldn't allow cborgman in either.

IstenSzek said:

Anxiety said:

Mach said:

Wow, people are really hard-up for a good time, huh?

For a cover charge of 11 pounds, I will let you stick your head in my freezer. Who's in?

Ace said:

i'll give you 11 pounds if i can stick my head in y[snipped - anx]ple!

forget that--you could just come up to minneapolis in the dead of winter and stand in a snow drift for free.

Anxiety said:

I'm sorry, I currently have half-a-dozen club kids lined-up in my hallway with parkas on. Can I get back to you on that?

emm said:

How do they lock the doors at night?

why don't you slip over to quebec and tell us?




ace lying naked on fur blankets on top of the ice bed...

Can you do a line of coke off of ice?

they're just asking for trouble.

who knows what kind of prehistoric virus is frozen inside that ancient glacial ice, just waiting for a chance to thaw and infect someone?????

pore historic edit
[Edited 9/30/05 14:13pm]

Ace said:

they pee on 'em when they're closed...?

XxAxX said:

that sounds like a movie waiting to happen.

Don't the frosty temperatures make it more difficult for the bartenders to steal?

Ace said:

lol i don't know... ask kate!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

emm said:

emm said:

According to the papers today, she's on her way to rehab in Arizona. Coincidentally, I am checking myself into the same facility for my horrible, horrible cocaine addiction. I'll let you know what she says.

One of the bedrooms in the ice hotel mentioned above:



Looks pretty cozy to me. But you'd better not roll around too much in your sleep; it wouldn't be too nice to wake up with your lips frozen to the side of the bed or something...

retina said:

Aren't those Lenny Kravitz' Alaskan digs?

Just give me the damn vodka.

Ace said:

You might be right. I just image googled "ice hotel" assuming there was only one.