Hux Capacitor
Champagne and DJs in a Former TV Studio

Today’s topic: subtlety.

The kind that comes from a club with only a tiny sign out front, a permanent secret guest list... and teams of waitresses who may or may not deliver your bottle dressed like Lara Croft. With soundtrack.

We’re talking about The Huxley, an exclusive new den of bottle service, table dancing and costume-ry in a former downtown TV studio, opening Friday night.

This is a bit like where the crew from Dangerous Liaisons would hang out circa 2012—one room is done up like a ballroom, with red velvet curtains, gold chandeliers and a hardwood dance floor. A smaller, book-lined study is next door with a long stone bar. Of course, there are copious bottles of champagne.

But instead of string quartets, you’ve got a DJ in each room spinning Top 40 mixes and house through a sound system designed by the same guy who did U Street Music Hall’s. And instead of candelabras, you’ve got bars backlit with LEDs.

Now, you can just grab a cocktail at the bar, pivot to the dance floor and seek out a partner or six. But book a table, and you might be able to arrange some theatrics when your bottles are presented. Think movie-inspired costumes, with soundtracks to match.

Note: dropping the name “Petraeus” may no longer help you.