Faced with the prospect of yet another sweaty, disappointing dorm party, some students have wandered from College Hill and into the high-ceilinged, dimly lit main room of the Salon. Part industrial music venue, part chic urban bar and part intimate underground dance club, the Salon opened a year ago in a space formerly occupied by a haircutting salon, introducing a new nighttime venue to the downtown Providence scene.
Since its opening, the Salon has hosted many events for students, including both University-sponsored groups and private parties. The 21-plus club, which does not usually charge a cover fee, is owned by Ethan Feirstein '06. The downstairs, usually open only on weekends, has a club-like vibe. When the dancing becomes overwhelming, a clubber can wander back upstairs to the Salon proper for a fuller bar and more relaxed atmosphere. The upstairs is "brighter and more exposed," said bartender Michaelle Saintil.
Part of the exposure comes from the windows at the front of the club and the mirrors that line the wall next to the bar. With high ceilings and mysterious drapes, the room feels vertically stretched. Lightbulbs hang from the ceiling, some lit and some dark, giving light and emphasizing the room's dramatic height.
Across from the extensive bar sit several arcade games and a foosball table. Picnic and ping-pong tables take up the rest of the space, leaving little room for dancing. The room lends itself to a more relaxed, hangout atmosphere.
The bar, larger than its downstairs counterpart, features draft beer and a food menu with quirky sandwiches riffing with the theme of peanut butter and jelly, with nutella, honey, marshmallow and graham cracker offerings.
The Salon hosts comedy nights, weekly DJ sets and occasional themed parties, among other events. The "cutting room," the downstairs of the club that takes its name from the salon's former life, is the area most conducive to an intimate dance scene. The accessible, but not overly accessorized, basement space was perfect for the birthday party Joanna Poceta '12.5 threw there in November, she said.
The basement has "a lot of elements that don't really cohere," which was perfect for the "Twin Peaks"-themed party, Poceta said. The exposed concrete walls of the cutting room are lined with red leather couches, with a small bar and DJ booth on one side. The rest of the space is left open to "create what you want out of it," Poceta said.
The basement is not a "kick-back" kind of place but rather a club to drink in a more responsible way than, say, Whiskey Republic, Poceta said. Instead of "faceless grinding" in the cutting room, patrons can assert their individuality more, she said.
When Alex Oberg '12.5 helped host a student Halloween party this past fall — the Wednesday before Halloween— he noticed the crowd at the Salon was different than usual. It was as if the venue had absorbed the Whiskey Republic crowd, he said.
If clubbers want to find the cutting room, a marquee arrow, lit up in red and yellow, beckons them to the downstairs entrance. Just ahead, a set of steep, metallic-colored stairs lead dancers to an intimate setting where body heat combats the chilly basement air.
Max Lubin '12, who threw a wedding-themed party for Marriage Equality Rhode Island, called the basement "a completely different world if you want it to be."
The division of the space is awkward because there is a real separation between the atmosphere of the upstairs and the downstairs, Oberg said. Different people go to each space and there is not a lot of intermingling, he said.
Oberg said he wanted the Salon to be "more cutting edge in its music taste." Now, he said, it is just a venue house.
Lubin and Poceta both noted the Salon staff were very helpful with the specific aspects of their parties. Saintil called the seven-member staff — who have been together since the club's opening — a "family."
With an eclectic and thrown-together vibe, distinct from the well-worn club spots on College Hill, the Salon boasts a space open for students to craft whatever kind of night they wish, whether they attend planned events like last night's class of 2012 Senior Night or wander down for an impromptu and spontaneous evening.
