RICHMOND, Va. --
It's finally cool to say ice, ice baby
again.
The nation's first permanent ice bar is set to open Saturday _
not in New York, Las Vegas or San Francisco, but . . . Richmond.
Infuzion, the chic dance club and bistro that opened last month
at 1401 Roseneath Road, north of West Broad Street, will unlock a
300-square-foot ice-walled room this weekend where patrons can don
a provided parka and gloves, down a shot of vodka and have a
snapshot taken to remember the chilly experience.
Paul Blacker, president of the Blacker Creative Group and
co-owner of Infuzion with his father, Mike, got the idea for an ice
bar a couple of years ago after visiting one in Iceland.
"This is an experience," Paul Blacker said. "You'll get a
history of ice bars (when you come in) and a history of vodkas, and
then you can stay at your leisure in a freezer."
Entry into the ice bar, where temperatures hover around 23
degrees, will cost $15 for a 30-minute session that includes a 3-
to 4-ounce shot of vodka--served in an ice glass--the photo and
the use of warm outerwear.
Customers can choose from six flavors of Finlandia vodka, plus
Cirrus Vodka, made in
Richmond, and Spirits of the Blue Ridge from
Virginia Beach.
"That's the history of a lot of ice bars, to feature local
vodkas," Paul Blacker said.
The walk-in unit, set in the corner of the remodeled 1940s-era
building, cost about $50,000 for the unit and about $80,000 for the
ice, parkas and everything else provided by Iceculture Inc., a
company based in Hensall, Ontario, that is building the room's
interior.
Julian Bayley, owner of the company, stood dressed in an
insulated jumpsuit and knee pads Wednesday while five of his
workers hauled giant slabs of ice into the room.
Iceculture Inc. has constructed nine ice bars around the world
in the past two years, including in Australia and Dubai, and will
soon head to Portugal to assemble another.
"This is the smallest one that we've done, but it should be
quite interesting," Bayley said.
Richmond company Ice Sculptures is working with Iceculture to
handle local issues, such as replenishing the ice when necessary
and also crafting the ice glasses.
In addition to the ice bar, Infuzion boasts a dance area with a
nonfrosty bar, a sleek bistro serving tapas and an adjoining lounge
decorated in black and tan suede chairs and couches.
"We just wanted to set the level a little higher," Mike
Blacker said.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch,
http://www.timesdispatch.com
