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."
"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 (yes, it's completely made out of ice!), a photo and the use of a parka.
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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