VAULT Ultra Lounge

Thumbs down. This club should be called «The hot Sauna»
This club was so small and so hot. I think sweat was falling off of every single person. Eek. Turn up the ac please!

Not really my scene, too many ppl that don’t mingle outside of their click and the music is pretty weak.

This place is pretty dope. Depending on what night you go. a lot of the times, its asian infested. nothing wrong with that, hey. I’m asian, but just saying! Once you walk in, immediately there is a large dance floor/hallway…theres VIP upstairs. that is where its at! couches and dancefloor and overlooking the whole place. Do the VIP

The best part about my VAULT days was that I always got in for free :)
My good friends were bouncers here and it was always a plus to know people in places like this… Not just for my protection, but because they were aways accomodating to my needs…
I had one of my birthdays here and it was pretty awesome.
Nice venue for sure– very lavish…
Love it!

No cover!
I’ve always liked the architecture of the place. Stairs and high ceilings. it doesn’t look like a high school gym (ahem Pearl) and super empty because everyone is clustered near the back.
The main floor is usually house, which I hate. They have a tiny room in the back for hip hop, but it’s always packed.

Yes, Dtown SJ doesn’t have the best night clubs but this is one of the worst clubs I’ve ever been to. I’ve been here twice & don’t really plan on coming back.
It’s funny that they are very «VIP» on the outside with the promoters dressed in nice suits etc b/​c once you step inside the club, you know you’ve been fooled. Can I say SAUSAGE FEST??? Yes, yes I can.
There’s no «dance floor» really, it’s crowded and uncomfortable. Not crowded b/​c there’s tons of people and it’s cracking, it’s just lack of space, downstairs and upstairs. Not so friendly services either: from promoter to bouncer to bartender to coat check person… blah

When you’ve gone to a club and have found you enjoy talking to the woman working in the bathroom more than the clientele, you know you’ve made a bad decision in coming.
Clubs in San Jose are not the best anyway, but I wanted to like this one since a handful of my friends keep getting VIP there. I have no idea what anything costs because the tables usually had booze provided, but the drinks were strong. The music was typical club music. I’ve spent most of my visits there sitting on the sofas, though, because I was just having blah times when I went.
It’s too bad because the building is a cool concept. It was an old bank, hence «The Vault.» But to be honest, it’d be better to admire the building from the outside rather than the inside. You’ll probably enjoy yourself more.

I rarely go to Vault, but whenever I do I usually have a good time.
$ 20 (the usual amount on most weekend nights) is definitely way too much to pay for cover at this place. I would pay no more then $ 10, and that’s only if the party is poppin’!
The crowd here is a little bit older then the people who go to Pearl, Wet, etc. Which basically means less thugs haha. Drinks aren’t the cheapest, but they are priced fairly with mixed drinks and shots being around $ 9. Patron and Hennessy shots are $ 12, which is about the same as everywhere else. And the bartenders are decent, I complained about the drink being too weak one time, and the girl gave me a new one which was nice of her.
I think I’m being generous right now with 4 stars, but maybe its because I was here on Halloween a couple nights ago, and had a bomb ass time!

Horrible horrible horrible. I hate this place. It has a nice structure and there is a cool old style lounge behind a door but other than that, this place sucks.
PROBLEMS INCLUDE:
*Sausage fest — you think that a club that is filled with 70% guys would let in more women but no. I had already gained entry and had a stamp to be let in. I was outside to get my two girlfriends in who were dressed scantily clad. Bouncers wouldn’t let them in despite it being a sausage fest.
*Really dumb bouncers — A bouncer started yelling at the crowd because trying to differentiate between the people who were trying to get in and the people who have already been admitted, went outside for a smoke, and is trying to get back in is too difficult for them.
Oh, and if you go outside on their «patio» to smoke, you can’t go back in the way you came out. You have to go to the front and line up with all the other stamped people to get back in. Oh, and their patio is just a parking lot that is roped off.
*Owner doesn’t know how to run his business — So we were part of a large group that rented out the entire place. We had over 200 people confirmed on our guest list. On the day of the event, the owner reneged the drink special price. And despite informing him that there was going to be a mass of people, there was a complete shortage of bartenders.

Now known as Area 81, it’s a large two-​story night club with bar service on both floors for all the drinkers. The entire top floor is devoted to dancing right next to the DJ booth.
Professionally, the new owners/​general managers are such genteman and take pride in providing the best service for all of their clients in a timely manner.

I should give this place 2.5 stars. I normally give clubs 3 stars because there is no such thing as a perfect club. Something is always a miss. There are some things that I did like about this place. Coming in after guestlist meant a short line that moves fast. They don’ t hold the line since they know they are getting your money. Easy parking from the garage across the street. Its only 3 bucks at night. Way better than a $ 280 parking ticket in san francisco. They music was decent with some decent mixing. Lots of old school 90s flavor.
What I didn’t like was the fact that it was 20 bucks to get in. For this place? The drinks were your standard pricing but they were mixed horrible. It seems they just slammed all the ingredients together in the name of speed. I’ll stick to shots next time. This was one of the most diverse crowd that I have seen in the bay in a long time. White, black, asian, latino all represented. However, that night was mainly stacked with a large portion of indian and middle eastern crowd in there later 20s.
I think i’m done with this place. Its a solid venue but it just doesn’t bring the heat.

It was my first time clubbin’ in San Jose plus it’s my cousin Mee-J’s birthday. So when she told us that she was throwing her bday at a club. We couldn’t pass that opportunity up. As we entered she told us how this club used to be a bank, hence the name VAULT… the vault was actually in one of the rooms or something.
My cousin is actually a promoter so she had her own private backroom and dj’s. It was pretty cool, i didn’t pay for any of the drinks since my cousin-​in-​law offered us drinks while he was sorta intoxicated. There was a mix crowd of people from young heads to the older people. The music all over the club was cool. They had an upstairs with a bar and there was a flat screen tv as well. Not too crowded, plenty of bars to buy drinks from.
Overall, great music, great crowd, just a tad bit cramped, but hey it’s my first time clubbin’ with my cousin, some of the fam, and at a San Jo club/​lounge… GOOD experience!
Till next time– i’ve got money in the bank… haha.

4 stars because I’m feeling generous, and I want to give all the praise to George and his fellow bartenders, who were so great to us last night. While I was there early in the evening for a private party, and can’t base this off of what it’s like later in the night, I can say that there’s something awesome about this space in a weird Playboy mansion/​murder-​mystery house sort of way. It used to be a bank back in the day, and they converted one of the old vaults into a dark room where it seems like orgies or something shady is going on inside.
There’s a small room underneath the staircase, which is probably an office or storage room, and there are mirrors on the walls outside of it. My bf was convinced they were 2-​way mirrors and decided to moon one. I’m pretty sure he only exposed himself to innocent bystanders nearby.
So, the space itself is pretty cool, and I could totally see it as a perfect spot for a masquerade party, but more like an «Eyes Wide Shut» one. I admit, I’ve driven/​walked by Vault plenty of times, peeked in and just kept walking. It’s really not my type of scene.
Like I said, kudos to George and the bartenders there, who made our $ 10 GG shots worth every dollar. We had 4 shots each, so you can guestimate my level of soberness.

The owner recently contacted me, politely asking me to try the Vault again and experience the type of service they provide. It did not want me to return, but it did make me reconsider my original rating of one star.
My first review was a bit harsh, but in the end, I stand by everything I said. I was knocking how much it costs to get in, buy a drink, and pretty much enjoy yourself. My idea of a fun evening does not include rubbing elbows with tools, being ignored by girls with too much make up on, losing my hearing, and wasting $ 100 at the bar.
But as much as I do not enjoy going to the Vault, I will admit they have stellar service. You just have to pay a lot of money to experience it.
Back in 2004, I was a part of a bottle service group in the Red Room. Not sure how much was charged, but my portion was $ 40. There was at least 12 to 15 of us in there. You do the math. Regardless of the cost, the service was excellent.
Back in 2005, I was a part of bottle service near the entrance. It was a terrible location for a table and bottle service as the ladies in our group were freezing (from the open door). But the service was once again stellar.
So in the end, I will raise the score 1-​star for the excellent service (that you need to pay extra to experience). The place still has overpriced drinks and has a terrible layout where it is hard to sit and «lounge.»
So what exactly is «ultra» about this place besides the prices?

GHETTO TO THE MAXO.
It if wasn’t for Donald Glaude last night, you wouldn’t catch me in this mofo.
How considerate of the so-​called «owner» to bring us in front of the line and we still had to pay $ 10 cover. Downtown SJ hospitality at its finest.
It looks big, but it’s rather small. There are 3 bars, one in the front, back, and upstairs. Bartenders are good for the most part and there was no real hassle with the bouncers BUT the space sucks and my black jacket was stolen within 10 minutes. So do consider coat check.
VIP tables crack me up. No, thanks.
Donald was awesome, so I will give it 2 stars for pity sake.

Another San hoes-​zay letdown…
Friday night…
Music was okay, crowd was terrible, cute girls were minimal but I put on my hard hat and went to work, cuz I wasn’t gonna stand around with my balls in my hand.
Early in the night, I’m literally trapped by a girl against the bar… I’m leaning against the bar and she’s in front of me with both her hands leaning on the bar and me in between. She was not cute, nor ummm… thin. Under normal circumstances I would’ve done a football swim move escape… but the place was so wack I didn’t care. I entertained her for a while but then made my escape.
I could go into more details about the night, but I’d prefer not to incriminate myself.
Best part of the night was… sleeping in the car on the way home.

The space is absolutely amazing.
Now, someone better just needs to take it over.

The vault reminds of that one MTV «True Life» I’m going to FAT Camp. You know that one episode where all the fat kids are at the «rave» or «Disco» and just having a ball?
Hey, I aint got nothing wrong with bigger people but I have to say I was a bit shocked to see that 90% of the club were in fact bigger woman. NO do not think I’m one of these rude ass people who brings down «bigger» people. Honestly, its nothing like that at all. However when I’m standing in line and I have views of nothing other than Cankle Express meets «well rounded» bodies, shoot I will express it!
Setting the big aside, the club is nice. The décor is done up well but really its nothing too amazing. I can’t say I was jaw dropped, other than the big women, but truly it was just an avg joint. You have one dance floor in the back. There is a small side room, I guess some sort of VIP section, LOL. The main lounge area fills up rather quickly with an upstairs bar that I didnt even bother going to.
Overall its a nice place and if you like big women, it’s all you!
;)

This place is pretty cool, different crowd than the usual ghetto people you meet in the city.
The upstairs is really small and the downstairs area has two separate segments to it. Dancing area is not too big but when it’s not too crowded this place is a good size.
Drinks at the bar are ok priced, but I tipped the people twice and they never said thanks or made any acknowledgement of it which kind of irritated me haha.
Music varies so that’s cool too.

This is probably my second favorite night spot in downtown San Jose after Studio 8 (
). As the name indicates, it is built entirely within a former bank vault from days of yore, so it has that nostalgic feel as you walk down the red carpet into the front entrance way.
The night life in SJ is more like a much smaller, more sterile version of LA, with minimal drama and carefree attitudes, as opposed to the griminess of San Francisco. Many people claim that SJ bars and clubs are artificial and bush league, or even use the dreaded «G» word (ghetto), but I don’t find either to be the case at all.
For one, who doesn’t like having clean, urine free streets, where you never feel like your life or personal property might be violated at any given moment? Also, patrons here are more relaxed and open minded than in their northern counterpart. I have never seen a race related incident at any of the joints down in San Jose, whereas in San Francisco, I’ve witnessed it too many times to count. Imagine that… a city where Asians make up over 40% of the population (SF), yet get continually picked on.
Down in SJ, an Asian cat would have just as much a chance with a hot blondie as any other guy. Perhaps it has something to do with SJ being more of a local scene, representing the «real» Bay Area, while SF draws in non-​locals or recent migrants who don’t know what’s up. Here, it’s like Rodney King’s dream of everyone getting along. One love, baby.
As far as The Vault itself goes, I would say that it’s more of a place to relax than to dance. After all, it is called a lounge, and not a club. The actual dance area on the second floor is a bit small, and the stereo system isn’t even permanently built in, but it serves a purpose if you feel the need for some movin’ and groovin’. However, most people come here knowing full well that this isn’t your best bet if you feel like shaking your thing.*
The design of the interior is rather lavish, reminiscent of a Victorian house. The staircase leading to the upstairs dance floor is one of those fancy types that has two entrances to the left and right that merge into one going straight up. The bar is long and well packed, with plenty of room to roam.
I never go out on weekends anymore, so I can’t speak for those days, but on Thursday nights, this place is often standing room only, with many of SJ and beyond’s finest lining up on the red carpet. The chances of getting into a fight or any other kind of trouble are minimal, and parking is always a cinch. I know many people are reluctant to give San Jose the time of day (or shall I say, night), but that’s all the better because I enjoy this place just the way it is.
* I hear that there is a second dance floor, but it is never open when I come.