Soho House Chicago
In passing mention, it’s easy to understand why some are quick to write off members’-only establishments as elitist communities with pretentious, exclusive followings. But Soho House Chicago is no such place. Planted in the Fulton Market District neighborhood, the Chicago members’-only club is aimed at serving the city’s flourishing creative community. First opened in August 2014, Soho House Chicago — known mostly as “Soho” by members — is located in the 108,000-sqaure-foot Allis Building and is the 12th and largest of the Soho House brand, according to Chicago Business, and boasts a 144-foot perimeter rooftop steel lap pool flanked by striped daybeds, fireplaces, and curved restaurant booths; a movie theater with pre-release screenings; a spa; a 15,000-square-foot gym (complete with a boxing ring); and two members’-only restaurants — with three more restaurants, which are open to the public, sprinkle the ground floor of the building.
A membership to Soho costs $2,000 annually, or $2,800 annually if you want access to all of the clubs’ locations. With heavy competition in the neighborhood — University Club, Casino Club, Arts Club, Cliff Dwellers, and the Union League Club — Soho sets itself apart as a “younger, hipper” establishment with most members aging under 27, and sans the formality and the stuffiness those legacy clubs are often chained to. Soho also lives by just one strict rule: No suits.
The hotel inside the Soho offers guests a straightforward selection: Tiny, Small, Medium, Medium Plus, and Big Bedrooms, which feature king-sized beds, Egyptian cotton sheets, walk-in rain forest showers, and no-frills seating: armchairs, sofas, and a dining table and seating for two, respectively. Guestrooms (which both members and nonmembers can book) are clothed in deep mahogany woodwork, rich jewel tones, and meaningful antique accent pieces. The House Kitchen, Nava Restaurant, and Tavern[a] Restaurant are all exclusive, open-to-only-members restaurants. On the ground floor, Fox Bar, the Chicken & Farm Shop, The Allis are all open to members and the public.
Applications for membership to Soho House Chicago can be found and submitted online.
