Harvelle’s

How does this place close? I am taking this as a sign from Odin himself that I am right in thinking that the Beach Cities of L.A. are not in any way, «cool.» If Redondo Beach, with the help of the surrounding areas, can’t support a unique place like Harvelle’s then this place is officially lame and full of idiots. I went to this place a bunch. I did my part to support it, and all of it’s cool shows. The burlesque, the blues, the bands, the bloody red interior that encased you as soon as you descended the stairs into one of the most unique places I have ever been in California? I don’t get it. I don’t know if Brixton will be a good replacement or not, but I don’t care. Give me the Toledo Show at Harvelle’s.
THE KEETH

I have heard some great things about this place but maybe it was just an off day.
I came here with other Unilocalers to see The Sassy Minxx. We had a table so I though we would be able to see the show but I was wrong. It was really crowded and everyone stood in the aisles, stairs and directly in front of table so I didn’t see much of the show.
I was also disappointed because I heard they had a jazz band but instead they made the stage a VIP table for some dating/​social group. Speaking of the social group… most of the patrons seemed to be from that group because they were all wearing glow in the dark bracelets… a lot of them were really creepy too.
If you are going DO NOT SIT AT THE BOOTHS. Sit at the little round tables by the floor if you want to see anything.
Don’t have a desire to return.

There are not enough stars to do justice to this amazing club & the stunning show I saw there last night. It blew my mind.
It all started when new Unilocaler Trina L posted a Unilocal event: free introductory pole dancing instruction, at a club just a few blocks from my house.
Harvelle’s, by the same owner who has the famous jazz club in Santa Monica by the same name, opened on Redondo Pier a year ago… and I had not gone in until last night. Holy crap I had no idea what I’ve been missing!
I arrived at 7:30 for Trina’s pole dancing lessons. It was awesome to watch a group of women, of a wide range of ages, reveal their sensuality. As the students became more & more comfortable, under Trina’s expert guidance, they were an inspiring sight to behold.
Afterwards, I sat at the bar. My first drink was a good pour, so strong that I had to ask the bartender to dilute it, haha! I invited a new friend from the pole dancing class to join me. She happens to have her own radio show, btw, so don’t be surprised to hear of an upcoming interview with Mama Unilocal!Stay tuned…
Harvelle’s is like a downstairs cabaret. Enter from the beach path. You are right on the ocean. Walk down the flight of stairs and there you are. There was a $ 12 cover last night, a bargain to end all bargains, considering the entertainment seemed almost priceless.
There is a dance floor, large booths facing the action, lots of tables, and the long bar… a very well-​designed (by the owner himself) interior. And the sound system rocks! No kidding, at one point my chair was actually vibrating, as was the floor. And the dancing… wow. Harvelle’s crowd could compete with any of the best hip hop dancers in any of the Hollywood clubs. This is my cup of tea.
Then the burlesque show started.
My gosh… the jazz band. The saxophonist! The girls (Bongo Fury) dancing to the sax, at times in silhouette, ala Flashdance. Booty-​shaking that would make Shakira proud.
And that band… I’m a Chicago native & I know good jazz. This was among the best I have ever heard.
It was overall jaw-​dropping.
There was a visual effect that recreated the scene of a smoky cabaret, making it difficult to take photos with my camera (except for a couple of hazy pics that I posted). You will just have to go see for yourself. But when word gets out & the line is out the door and stretches to the end of the pier, remember that Mama Y gets to go to the front of the line in return for tipping you all off to this fabulous experience.
Trina’s girls were the other part of the show, Sassy Minxx. They swung on a hoop, & from a pole, & from a chain suspended from the ceiling. They danced on chairs and on the bar and playfully interacted with a very grateful male audience. They hung from hand grips concealed on padded posts around the dance floor. There were more costume changes than I could count.
We’re talking Broadway Show meets Cirque du Soleil.
It’s really all about the power of woman & her ability to charm and to allure and to entice. It’s a celebration of woman in all her magnificence. It’s a showcase of athletic ability & strength & endurance. It’s about watching dancers perform the way I dance in my daydreams. Fantasy became reality for one spectacular evening.
The show was presented in segments, and in between the crowd had the dance floor. The dance music was by DJ between shows, live band during the performances. I danced until I was dripping, and every muscle ached. It was paradise.
I met the owner of Harvelle’s (thanks Trina), who welcomed me back to see more shows. I told him I might come back every night, and I wasn’t kidding.
Update ⁵⁄₁₆:
I went back to Harvelle’s last night for The Toledo Show and it was fabulous!!! I had no idea what to expect and the show blew me away, just like the show the week before. The lead singer of Toledo Show is incredible, not just as a phenomenal singer but also a performer you can’t take your eyes off of.
And that amazing sax player was there again, as part of the band.
And I loved the trumpet player too. The drummer rocked… and the bass…
it was so cool.
I’ve been told that it’s packed-​in standing room only when this show plays at the Harvelle’s in Santa Monica, and soon the same will be true in Redondo when word gets out. The good news is that now you can still get a seat right in front of the action if you get there early, so get on over there fast. You won’t be disappointed, not even close.
The Toledo Show plays every Thursday for the bargain price of ten bucks cover.
Drinks are reasonably priced too, btw.
And the service at Harvelle’s is wonderful. And again, a terrific crowd, great dancing. Overall this hotspot is a class act.

Fabulous club! DO NOT miss Trina Lance and the Sassy Minxx on Fridays. They’re not only beautiful and drop-​dead sexy, but incredibly entertaining for men and women alike. The best of burlesque in LA. This is a great show/​venue for dates, couples, girls’ night out, etc. The waitresses are sweet & attentive and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Even though I’m a fan of the Santa Monica Harvelle’s, it took me awhile to make the short trip to the new Harvelle’s at Redondo Pier. Not really sure what one of the recent reviewers was expecting, but I found it to be a place with an intense and heartfelt focus on both music and service. I’ve been back to dance three times since my first visit in early Feb, and plan to make it a regular stop.
The shows I’ve seen include Friday’s Bongo Fury, with a five piece band backing some incredible samba dancers who return every 40 minutes or so. The band features trombone, sax, stand-​up bass and two percussionists. In between, the house dj (Adrian) is spinning some motivational beats, a lot of Latin and African influenced sounds. Adrian assists on one of the KCRW world-​music programs, and I love it when a dj spins vinyl I’ve never heard before. He turned me on to the «Brazilectro» series and I’m hooked.
On Saturday I went to see «Raiz do Samba» … which is actually the Tuesday night house band. They were playing a special carnaval show, Saturdays have a different band each week. Highly danceable! I value that they play real samba, not watered-​down bossa music that I might expect here at the beach. Some people dance as couples, but most are just grooving.
I am starting to love the place as much as the King King in Hollywood, long my favorite club for positive vibe. Harvelle’s is a nice escape from the young, drunk and pretentious who invade my hometown nearby … it’s an elegant space where you’ll see the owner working with his staff on a Friday and Saturday night. He was even there on his birthday night last week, so if anyone has concerns about staffing or service, I am sure Harvelle’s would appreciate hearing the specifics. It is a relatively new club and the events seem to be drawing more people, maybe there was an off night. But I’ve found the staff notably attentive, and happy to have us there going mad for the beats. I rarely sit, but if you just want to listen or cozy up to someone, the booths and tables up above offer a fine place to share secrets. I’m grateful that such a place exists in the South Bay.

The chances of having your eyeballs scorched by the fire baton waving dancers is greater than the chances of buying a drink at this place.
After being ignored at the bar (bartender could NOT have missed us, we had a large group) we tried stationing ourselves at different places at the bar, to no avail. She just openly ignored us as did the waitress that was walking around taking drink orders.
Someone in our group tried to set up a reservation and was told that they didn’t take reservations. Big surprise, most of the tables had «RESERVED» signs on them.
The décor was okay, nothing to write home about and I wasn’t really too sure what to expect from the show. Maybe it was the night we went (Friday) but it seemed like an older crowd and it wasn’t the «dress up» kind of place that is mentioned previously. Everyone was dressed very casually with the exception of a couple of guys I saw wearing suits.

What a cool place!
The Toledo Show is amazing — and I will revisit this review after I see the Bongo Fury” show — but just to address the space and environs of Harvelles —
You enter and go down a flight of stairs to the underground lair — it’s all black and sexy chrome, booths on one wall, bar on the other, tables sprinkled around and a large dance floor leading up to the smallish stage.
I highly recommend the cocktails and the servers are enthused in bringing them to you — over and over! Prices are reasonable — I even enjoyed a small «split» of sparkling wine for only about $ 7.
The vibe is sexy and club-​like without being pretentious. I was wearing a little cocktail dress and my friend was in nice pants and a casual shirt. We fit right in! Some ppl were dressed a little more casual (in jeans) and, frankly, they looked underdressed. This is not a place that is stuffy, but it is sexy and you want to look the part, imho.
Parking at the pier is pretty cheap — about $ 3 usually, and there are some funky places (though not upscale by any means) to eat there — try Old Tony’s!
++++ Edited after seeing the Bongo Fury Show +++++
Same nice waitress — Letitcia (sorry if I mangled the spelling) — Same generally hip, nice crowd. The show itself was… Well, I just don’t know what to make of three fire-​baton-​twirling chicks. Indoors. In animal-​print lingerie. It was campy. It was corny. It was smoky as hell. It was not sexy, imho. But we still had fun, had lots of tasty drinks and had fun.