[Hales Tales] HEAT Nightclub Review

[borhoi]

 

"Hales Tales is a blog updated semi-frequently by me, LS resident and ULSA student Haley Connor. I spend much of my time checking out LS's many different bars and clubs and a new one seems to open our change ownership by the day!  To help LS's people keep up with the city's nightlife, I've started this blog where I will visit and review the many bars and clubs LS and the state has to offer."

 

Hales Tales 1: HEAT Nightclub

 

 

article in plain text:

 

Hales Tales 1: HEAT Nightclub

 

I went to HEAT this Saturday expecting nothing special, and wasn’t surprised. In the sea of samey nightclubs LS has to offer, HEAT does nothing to really differentiate itself. However, within the established formula they do a decent enough job.

When I arrived and ordered a drink, the bartender did know how to make it with no problems. This is rare in LS as anyone who’s a fan of cocktails will know. Albeit, it was just a simple vodka cranberry. Still, I’ve had many-an-LS-tender serve me a separate glass of vodka and cranberry juice – so that’s a plus in my book. However, the service did take some time. Not sure why, but I was told to wait a moment when I walked in. The two tenders conversed amongst themselves for a wee bit before returning to serve me. Not a major issue, but a bit frustrating when you’re trying to get your night started.

 

Turnout was slow at first for the midnight opening. By 12:30, the club a bit busier, but not significantly so. Business stayed slow throughout the evening and the club closed shortly after 1am. This was a bit peculiar. The standard for clubs in LS seems to be to keep their doors open for at least two hours. Perhaps it was the low turnout that inspired the management to close early.

 

The music was definitely a low point at the venue. Throughout the short opening, I heard the same three or so songs loop multiple times. There was an individual standing in the DJ booth, but judging by what seemed to have been an autoplaying selection, I’m not sure what he was up to.

 

The interior itself, though nothing special, is unique from other clubs in its own right. Upon entering, open flames behind the bar catch your eye, and good placement of red lights add to the atmosphere. Plants and other additions to the dance floor are keep the place looking unique. See the pictures below for a better look.

 

Overall, HEAT is a perfectly acceptable place to enjoy an evening out. It does nothing special or unique, but what it does do it does well. Owner Shang Takashi had this to say about his recent acquisition of the club, “Hey, I just took the place over, not so long [ago]. This is our second opening.” When asked about the club’s current interior, he said, “This interior is the basic requirement when you own a nightclub. It’s nothing fancy. A few unique, as you can see, plants and stuff. There’s definitely more to it, which is under development at the moment.” When asked about these plans for the future, Takashi said, “For future plans, I wouldn’t want to give anything away yet. No false hopes. We’re working on it currently.”

That being said, I plan to visit again once Mr. Takashi is able to put his secret plans into motion. As of now, HEAT is a solid and average night club. Takashi seems to see more potential and seeing where he takes the venue in the future will be interesting. 

 

Breakdown and score below!

Service: 5/10

 

Environment: 6/10

 

Staff Friendliness: 7/10

 

Music: 3/10

 

Overall: 5/10

  

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by borhoi

[Mahiko]

Username : GhettoVanGogh

Comment: Why is the score higher in plain text?

[TNG]

Username: Lyn

Comment: You got this Hales, keep it up!

[KussArsch]

Username: Natnightwood

Comment: As someone who works in the night club industry I hope to see your reviews on other fine establishments! This was a great and enjoyable read. I can't wait to see more!

[Lance]

Username: Lance

Comment: Nice review, you're not afraid to give out a bad rating which is good. About the place, not sure what's going on, it's quite old, was untouched for quite a while, then it was opened for like a month and now it has a new owner. When I last went there, it was bad, simply bad, no DJ, just music, empty, slow bartenders. Hope it's better now that it has a new owner. Looking forward to more reviews.

[borhoi]

2 hours ago, Lance said:

Username: Lance

Comment: Nice review, you're not afraid to give out a bad rating which is good. About the place, not sure what's going on, it's quite old, was untouched for quite a while, then it was opened for like a month and now it has a new owner. When I last went there, it was bad, simply bad, no DJ, just music, empty, slow bartenders. Hope it's better now that it has a new owner. Looking forward to more reviews.

Username: HalesTales
Comment: RE: Lance - A 5/10 isn't indicative of a bad review. A lot of reviewing outlets seem to operate by the standard that anything below a 7 or even an 8 is bad. For me, anything 4 to 1 is below average, 5 itself is perfectly average, and anything from 6 to 10 is above average. As stated in the review, as it stands now HEAT is a run-of-the-mill nightclub for LS that does nothing special, but also has no glaring issues. The new owner does indeed sound like he has many plans for the future, so I intend to re-review HEAT once he's able to put them into motion. Just wanted to clear up that a 5 doesn't mean bad but instead simply means average. 

[ShangTakashi]

Thanks for the genuine reply, everything stated was absolutely word-to-word. We’re planing on working this place up as it has potential, just needed the right person. I wish me and my team the best of luck for future openings. 

[Lance]

1 hour ago, borhoi said:

Username: HalesTales
Comment: RE: Lance - A 5/10 isn't indicative of a bad review. A lot of reviewing outlets seem to operate by the standard that anything below a 7 or even an 8 is bad. For me, anything 4 to 1 is below average, 5 itself is perfectly average, and anything from 6 to 10 is above average. As stated in the review, as it stands now HEAT is a run-of-the-mill nightclub for LS that does nothing special, but also has no glaring issues. The new owner does indeed sound like he has many plans for the future, so I intend to re-review HEAT once he's able to put them into motion. Just wanted to clear up that a 5 doesn't mean bad but instead simply means average. 

User: Lance 

Comment: RE: HalesTales - Didn't mean like bad as in I thought that 5 is bad, let's say that many other people review and they give above average all the time even though place is average or even below it. Whether your next review is good rating or bad, looking forward to it either way! Good luck to the owner of HEAT in re-making the place as well. 

[mala]

Username: Nexus
Comment: As the original owner of this club, it's really nice to see it opening up more frequently through two ownership changes. A little rough patch with the startup & style is no big deal. I'm excited to see what the new owner & management do with it to make it exceptional among the saturated LS nightclub scene.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Havana