Let's be perfectly honest: As far as I've seen, nobody who can actually, like, dance goes to the Lava Lounge, where local DJs play an unobjectionable blend of hip-hop, house, and R&B. But that's not really the point, now is it?

The point is the wickedly kitschy decor: coloured lights, little pod-like seating arrangements, and, yes, lava lamps. The point is a dance floor meant for people who get on down as a reward for a hard-worked week, not because they’re blessed with any sort of rhythm. The point is that this is what a pretty hip neighbourhood bar should be.

Six years ago, nightlife aficionados Greg Bottrell and Rob Eklove, along with a few of the city's dedicated deejays, teamed up to create what would become one of the more ambitious clubs on the block. The owners set out to attract music aficionados with cutting-edge deejays; club kids with the trendy interior; and post-dinner night owls with casual service.

Six years later, low-slung chairs are filled with a hodge-podge of scenesters, most of whom looked groomed for work as extras in a rock video. The red-toned interior of the long and narrow lounge is punctuated with built-in red banquettes, giving Lava an art-bar sensibility without stifling, gallery-resto sterility. The vibe is nod-and-wink techno-retro-kitch, with such accouterments as Pucci-like artwork and sectioned-off “chill” areas.

Many would be surprised to hear that Lava lounge is designed to house an early evening dinner seating, before liberating the room to the later cocktail crowd, and the even-later club kids. Due to the casualness of the place quite often there’s a friendly mixture of all three.

The crowd is heterogeneous in age and homogenous in soul, infused with an optimism that promises the night will be as fun-filled and trouble-free as the last. But the reality is that at Lava, to ensure such a spiritual night you first need to know what night to attend, as the weekly lineup is a wildly eclectic mix, each night attracting an equally diverse crowd. Tuesday’s Shugga party is a rump-shaking riot with Hot 97 hits; the almighty Mod Club Wednesdays is a live Funk & Soul project, and the Thursday night party features The. Rockers with Hip-Hop and House.

A woman named Tina from Vancouver is mad about Mod Night. "No one is into anyone else's attitude," she says, mopping sweat from her brow. "You don't have to feel constricted about what you're doing. Clubs in Vancouver that are this small, you have to really find them. This is very tasteful, is what I'm saying. I come to Toronto once a year!" she says. "Lava’s Mod Night is like the topping on the cake."

"Mod Night is a good night," owner Bottrell says. "I’ve seen promotion nights come and go; I’ve seen clubs come and go. And now Lava’s days are numbered."

He’s referring to the plans of retrofitting the building into a 60-suite condominium site. Developers have slated the building for construction by early next year.

“The Lava Lounge will continue on, says Bottrell. “But after next year, it’ll just be continuing on somewhere else.” DE


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Reader Reviews

Give the staff a break
Kiran B. Toronto
Feb 1, 2004
Lava Lounge is one of the most mature lounges in the city of Toronto. I've promoted and even partied down at most of the clubs in the city. Lava Lounge is the exception. They have GREAT staff behind the bar, outside of the bar and yes, the best is the coat check girl. The vibe at Lava is always loud and vibrant and it's got class. Most other places don't have pleasant staff, but lava...i always get excellent customer service. As for the guy who is slaying lava in regards to staff and the coat check girl. I'm pretty sure there was a reason as to why you were escorted from lava, and why your wife had trouble checking her coat. It's hard working in the service industry every day, especially when you are working in an environment where people have been drinking. Give the staff a break, they have to deal with more idiots like you on a day to day basis. Be polite and maybe, they'll do the same for you.


9-1-1
Craig Courtice, Toronto
October 1, 2003
Upon reading your piece on Lava Lounge in the National Post, I felt compelled to alert you to the gory details of an encounter I had there. I was there on a Motown-themed night with my wife. We had drinks and decided we wanted to groove. Unfortunately, the coat-check girl refused to check my wife's coat and purse. I was a little put off by this so I asked again. After all, what's the point of a coat-check girl if not to check coats? She refused again. Fine. We left them with the strangers sitting next to us and went to dance. Upon arriving at the dance floor, a bouncer appeared and told us we had to leave. Why? The coat-check girl didn't like the things I said to her. It was near closing time anyway, so we decided to just leave without argument.

I went to get my wife's coat and purse when the bouncer decided to go ballistic. I cannot even guess as to his thought process, if indeed he had one. He twisted my arm up behind my back and in an instant three other bouncer s had heaved me on the pavement outside. Then, bouncer No. 1 put his knee on my throat and pressed down on my windpipe. He asked me if I thought I was a tough guy. (The guy was a foot taller and at least a hundred pounds heavier than me. Also, far from being a tough guy, I'm a Motown-loving writer)

While this was going on, a crowd had gathered around and were pleading with the neanderthal to let me go as my face was turning blue. My wife, horrified, called 9-1-1. Finally, the bouncer realized how far out of touch with reality he was and relented. When I got up, I noticed a three-inch gash on my hand. I could see the bone. My wife insisted we get in a taxi and go to a hospital immediately. To abbreviate the conclusion, we didn't stick around to lay charges as we should have. I required 10 ugly blue stitches to close the gash, which now looks eerily like a stigmatta. The attending doctor said it was a fluke none of my major nerves or tendons were severed. I investigated a lawsuit, but since there was no serious damage any monetary reward would not have been worth the effort.

My message to T.O. clubgoers - if this can happen to me, it could happen to you. I learned that this abuse of power by bouncers happens nightly. Is bouncing a tough job? Sure. But establishments like Lava Lounge must either hire bouncers with better negotiating skills or risk being shut down.