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This New NYC Nightclub Decides Whether You Enter Based on Your Instagram Feed

This New NYC Nightclub Decides Whether You Enter Based on Your Instagram Feed

The door policies of New York’s hottest clubs have always been a source of fascination, whether it was the famous door at Studio 54, which prioritized freaks and celebrities, or the politics Basement’s current doorstep, which requires you to know the names of the obscure techno DJs spinning that night, there’s something exhilarating about not knowing if you have what it takes to take part.

A new club on the Bowery, Cosmo, takes this exclusivity to another level: you have to send the bar your Instagram profile, which they will use to determine whether or not your reservation at the bar will be accepted.

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But first, is this club worth the fuzz (and existential agony) of possible rejection? I went to the Cosmo grand opening last night to find out.

Cosmo is located at 203 Bowery and is sandwiched between The Ainslie and an unusually camp real estate office. It would be easy to miss if not for the bouncer standing outside its discreet doors, which open onto a staircase leading to the basement.

Photography: Ian Kumamoto for Time Out

Once inside, I was instantly self-conscious: I had come straight from work and everyone around me was wearing suits and dresses, while I was wearing an obscure vintage football t-shirt, which didn’t certainly didn’t portray me as a “high value” person. I ordered a cosmo, the bar’s signature drink, and was awkwardly sipping it when an older Frenchman came up to enthusiastically shake my hand and asked if I knew what I was wearing. He explained to me that my jersey was a collector’s item in France and that his father owned the exact same jersey, which was the French national football jersey from 1982. Suddenly I didn’t feel so embarrassed.

Cosmo, dimly lit under a red glow, was developed in collaboration with the Paris Society, a hotel brand that wanted to introduce New Yorkers to Parisian nightlife. The Paris Society is behind some of the French capital’s most notorious clubs, including Bridge, a venue nestled under the Alexandre III bridge, and Mirage, a private members-only club on the Champs-Élysées. Cosmo is the group’s first project in Manhattan, and their goal is to bring an elevated curatorial vibe to the Lower East Side.

Photography: Ian Kumamoto for Time Out

But what exactly does it take to get in? From what I understand, you have to have a certain je ne sais quoi, whatever that means, or be a “high value” person, which I guess means either you’re really hot or that you have a prestigious job. When you make a reservation online, you must share a link to your Instagram, this is how the venue will determine if your reservation is accepted. You can show up in person, but there will likely be a line and priority will be given to those with “a diva persona,” according to the club’s social media manager. If this all seems vague, at least I understand that trust is key.

The space itself was much larger than I expected, and red curtains mark the entrance to its various sections. I was very surprised by the size of the dance floor, which could comfortably accommodate several dozen party-goers, and by the spectacular DJ booth, backlit by honeycomb-shaped spotlights. They’ll be playing mostly house music, although they don’t limit themselves to just one genre, and I shazamed a track called “Mega Funk Lost 2” by Adeton, so if you like that type of music, you’ll like what they play there. Numerous private sections with red velvet booths are arranged around the edge of the dance floor, the largest being the one located to the right of the DJ. Oh, and the selection of cocktails and mocktails is fabulous.

Photography: Courtesy of Cosmo

If you walk in, it’s the kind of place that can become stuffy, especially if you gravitate toward spaces that allow room for spontaneity and chaos, although, to be honest, I left very early and I’m sure that it picked up later – I should go back on a weekend evening, if they like my Instagram. For now, Cosmo will be open Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of December, then Thursday to Saturday starting in 2025.