Inspired by the popularity of South Beach and Las Vegas VIP dance clubs, where bottle service and velvet ropes separate the A-list guests from the stargazers, local nightclub owners are redefining the term "ultra lounge" for the Pittsburgh palate.

	John Heller, Post-Gazette At Diesel, 17th and Carson on the South Side, the music fare is a mix of Top 40 and house music that combines pop-rock and hip-hop beats. Click photo for larger image. The Anti-Lounges

This summer has seen the advent of clubs bearing names of ultra lounges found in South Beach and Las Vegas, such as the Strip District's Prive and Pure. Others, including Diesel and Elixir Ultra Lounge, are reinventing the concept for the bar crawlers of the South Side. The average VIP treatment starts at $100, depending on the price of the bottle of champagne or spirits, and gains you entrance to a roped-off couch, bed or balcony right off the club's room. The music is a mix of Top 40, hip-hop, house and popular dance beats. As an attempt to attract a better-behaved clientele, dress codes usually exclude T-shirts and tennis shoes. The rule of thumb, however, is not what you are wearing, but how you wear it. Women can wear expensive jeans and men can wear designer T-shirts.

The term "ultra lounge" originated in high-end restaurants and lounges located within large hotels in SoBe and Vegas. It was coined to attract the sophisticated patron who wanted a more laid-back and exclusive experience rather than a raucous dance club. Instead of blinking club lights and crowded dance floors, the setting is more relaxed and personable.

Clubs with VIP couches and roped-off balconies separated from the dance floor are a sign that Pittsburgh's nightlife is maturing to meet the needs of a growing number of jet-setting, loft-living urbanites that want to feel the pulse of a city on the verge of trendy.

In the past month, National Geographic Adventure Magazine, Expansion Management and The New York Times have written articles highlighting Pittsburgh's recreation, business and investment opportunities. Coinciding with this latest national attention, a new cycle has evolved in the renovations of clubs and other venues in the Strip and South Side.

Here is a guide to the action in Pittsburgh's hottest clubs:

THE STRIP

In the past, before the Waterfront and Station Square were developed, the Strip was the destination for night-life seekers. People now have more choices. This summer recent shootings in Strip District clubs Touch and near H2O have become another contributing factor for the decline in club attendance.

However, the Strip is not dead yet.

THE FIREHOUSE LOUNGE

Tucked away on Penn Avenue, before the street parking gets scarce, The Firehouse Lounge has emerged as a favorite hot spot for any flavor of turntable music fans and local promoters looking for a little extra space to sip martinis, eat tapas or dance to rare grooves. Up the stairs past the first-floor VIP party window room, the walls become deeply textured with video projections, abstract forest impressions, red neon lights and sculpted tree trunks. The main room is lined with built-in couches, and the deck offers movable sectional pieces. Saturday night attracts the popular house music recipe of DJ 7up.

2216 Penn Ave., 412-434-1230, www.firehouse-lounge.com.

PRIVE

Taking its name from the French word for private and the South Beach lounge bearing the same name, Prive boasts a beautiful glowing martini bar and plush couches. The proprietors, who also own H2O, transformed the old Rosebud venue into a stylish lounge with attention to bottle service, creative food and a comfortable setting. Patrons can enjoy the breeze from the open-walled entrance. The emphasis is on scenery and not on music, but this Sunday, Baltimore DJ Charles Feelgood will change the laid-back pace with his varied house-influenced set.

1650 Smallman St., 412-253-7330, www.prive-ultralounge.com.

DEJAVU LOUNGE

Meeting the demands of a fluctuating club terrain, the DejaVu Lounge that recently celebrated four years in the business has revamped the main lounge room with a wine bar. Friday nights are called "House of Three," after its three rooms of various music and services. Although the emphasis on champagne specials and more VIP service will attract a more narrow market than the average night-life seeker, promoter Moe has booked popular local DJs Hank D., Nugget and Nate da Phat for the dance-floor room. The owners also opened the Downtown upscale restaurant 9-over-9th.

2106 Penn Ave., 412-434-1144, www.dejavuloungepa.com.

PURE

Taking its name from the lounge inside Caesar's Palace in Vegas, Pure opened two weeks ago in the building that hosted the defunct clubs Chemistry and Millennium. The first floor is an Italian restaurant called Isoldi's, named for owners Vincent and Carla Isoldi, who also own Club Erotica. An elevator takes patrons up to the white-clad lounge. Although the room is not as austere as the Vegas version, the white bar, chandeliers and dainty waitresses wearing white mini-skirts carry the theme. These handmaidens serve the VIP cabanas that have been built off the old club's entrance. The music isn't innovative, but the dance floor above the restaurant is distinctive: It's made of glass, so female patrons be wary -- there are audiences in all directions.

The club opens to VIP patrons at 9 p.m. and to the public at 10 p.m. Isoldi's is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

108-114 19th Street, 412-434-1310 or 412-434-7873, www.purepgh.com.

LEVEL CLUB LOUNGE

The first club to tout South Beach influence was the Level Club Lounge, which opened two years ago in the Boardwalk complex. A club membership allows you to avoid waiting in lines and provides access to VIP promotional parties. The club itself features lounge areas with giant white beds and tables fashioned for bottle service. Owned by club entrepreneur Thomas Jayson, who has recently installed a metal detector as at his nearby nightclub, Touch, Level sits above the shorts and flip-flop-wearing revelers of Panama Jacks. Set to further diversify his portfolio of nightclubs, he is opening a more decadent club, tentatively called Kro Bar and not to be confused with CroBar in South Beach. General manager Drew McLaughlin says the new club will be above Sports Rock Cafe and will feature an ice bar, champagne and bottle service along with patio fire pits. The music is yet to be determined.

1501 Smallman St., 412-281-3677, www.pghnightlife.com.

THE ALTAR

Once a church, then a club, and then another club, Sanctuary has been revamped into The Altar. The stage has been set to allow more live entertainment while the main draw is the flat screen and laser lights for its club nights. "On Inferno Saturdays" the lower-level lounge attracts the most attention, with its house-infused beat with rotating local DJs.

1620 Penn Ave., 412-263-2877, www.altarbar.com.

THE SOUTH SIDE

The South Side resembles a neighborhood-wide block party. The sidewalks are shoulder-to-shoulder and the streets are bumper-to-bumper. Despite the inconveniences of little valet parking, the classic concept of the dance club remains popular at Station Square's Matrix, Saddle Ridge, Margarita Mama's and The Town Tavern, a new inductee to the South Side Flats.

DIESEL

Nick's Fat City was redecorated into Diesel with metal beading, architectural lighting and a VIP balcony with glass tables that peer above the downstairs bar. Instead of bottle service, the management offers "table service" from an attentive waitress staff. The music fare is a mix of Top 40 and house music that combines pop-rock and hip-hop beats. Marketing director Renee Sroka also has brought that extra element to the club: celebrities. During the All-Star Game festivities, Derek Jeter, Barry Bonds and actress Alyssa Milano made appearances during Run-DMC's surprise performance.

The removable stage allows versatility for live performances. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Diesel features performances by local and regional artists.

1601 E. Carson St., 412-431-8800, www.dieselpgh.com.

ELIXIR ULTRA LOUNGE

Located in what once was a Greek pastry shop, the Elixir Ultra Lounge offers a more personable version of a club atmosphere. The owners also created the Strip's Bash and Mynt, club names that can be found in South Beach. Through the glass facade, street traffic can see the creatively coffered blue sky ceiling and beaded glistening walls. DJ Zimmie spins his rock 'n' roll-infused house on Saturdays to packed crowds. The VIP beds lack velvet ropes and are open to patrons if not already reserved.

1500 E. Carson St., 412-481-1811.

THE TOWN TAVERN

New Yorkers Aidan Kiernan and Sean Barrett were inspired by the growing community of the South Side and opened The Town Tavern in a building that once was a fast food chain. The original version of The Town Tavern is located in Greenwich Village. Both are modeled from the owners' vision of a club-pub. You can eat, drink, dance and occasionally dress up like a Smurf on Theme Night Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays it offers VIP bottle service, but instead of a couch you get a dimly lit wooden booth on the balcony. The venue has become popular with the merry youngsters of the college community and those young at heart. On Sept. 13 MTV Jams DJ Skribble will perform.

2009 E. Carson St., 412-325-8696, www.towntavernpittsburgh.com.

STATION SQUARE

Despite all the new clubs and bars, Station Square is still the destination hotspot Thursday through Saturday for the young and sophisticated looking for various forms of mega-club entertainment. Margarita Mamas offers a VIP area roped off from the packed dance floor. Meanwhile, the line for the multi-roomed Matrix wraps down the entrance ramp, and Saddle Ridge, the country element of the club complex, is popular with older and younger country fans who enjoy riding bull, line dancing or dancing on the bar.