Could the New Generation of Exclusive Clubs Be a Win For Women?

Think of a traditional country club. Do you picture a literal old boys' club? Ever since private sports clubs rose to prominence in the 19th century, rich men have paid an exorbitant amount of money for the chance to spend time around other well-connected and successful men from similar backgrounds with the added benefit of becoming more connected and more successful. The traditional country clubs aren't just for golf, tennis, and martinis — they're a place to network and make business deals. And until recently, women were often excluded from membership. In fact, many country clubs still have explicit men-only policies.

Compared to country clubs, these city clubs could be a win for high-achieving women working in creative fields.

A new generation of social clubs is upending the country club model. You can think of them as "city clubs." They appeal to urban professionals looking to add structure to their social and professional lives, without the golf or tennis or even extremely high membership fees. For much less money, members get just the clubhouse. Reflecting a decline in popularity of golf among millennials, the social activities revolve around dining, drinking, and cultural programs like lectures and concerts instead of sports. Many of these clubs offer extra amenities not easily accessible to city dwellers, like relaxing outdoor spaces or rooftop pools. And while Sunday brunch might be a family affair, the leisure activities are typically more adult-focused than at your average suburban country club.

While they cost a fraction of the price of traditional country clubs, there's no denying that city clubs remain exclusive by design. Membership requirements are vague, and the selection process still acts as a way for people to filter who they spend time with, often resulting in a group made up of people with similar means. As American society deals with rising income inequality, these clubs demonstrate a modern form of social segregation by economic class. Still, the serendipitous connections made in social settings are part of the unspoken rules of getting ahead. By disrupting the traditional country club model that previously benefited extremely rich white men in classic fields like law, finance, and real estate, this new generation of city clubs opens the networking gates to more people. Some clubs even actively try to maintain an equal balance of men and women. Considering that, there's reason to think these clubs could be a win for high-achieving, creative women.

A More Democratic Membership Process

Private "gentlemen's clubs" have long been a standard of the London social scene and an alternative to sports-centric clubs. But in 1995, Nick Jones decided to open Soho House as a response to the traditionally stuffy offerings. This new club was meant to appeal to the more "artsy" community popping up in the British capital's Soho district. In 2003, the club came to New York's Meatpacking District, and Soho House now has 18 locations around the world, which members can access when they travel. You may remember New York's Soho House from the Sex and the City episode in which Samantha Jones is kicked out of the poolside bar for pretending to be member "Annabelle Bronstein."

In Sex and the City, Samantha Jones tries unsuccessfully to sneak into the rooftop pool at Soho House New York.

While Soho House is still incredibly exclusive, it judges potential members on more democratic factors compared to London's traditional upper-class clubs. It's not explicitly about the family you were born into, but what you've done with your life (albeit often with a head start from a privileged background). Membership committees look at factors other than extreme financial means — and they don't have an explicit gender bias. Fees, which hover under $3,000 per year, may still be out of reach for many. But they are orders of magnitude less expensive than traditional country clubs. For comparison, President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club will set you back $200,000 to join, plus $14,000 per year.

Throughout the US, others have followed the Soho House model of creating members-only clubs for creative types. Gwyneth Paltrow is an investor in The Arts Club in LA. And in San Francisco, British-American couple Michael and Xochi Birch opened The Battery in 2013. Today, it's popular with San Francisco's tech and finance crowds, but membership manager Joe Holcomb told me that The Battery actively tries to keep a "diverse" membership base. Today, 43 percent of members are women, and Holcomb says the membership committee will often try to skew the acceptance rate toward women with the goal of making the total membership 50/50 men and women. While these clubs give a very select group of women access to elite networking circles, they could help more women get to the top of their professional fields and potentially improve gender inequality for other women.

In addition to maintaining a gender balance, The Battery wants its membership to be diverse in other ways. Holcomb tells me that The Battery's founder likes to imagine a venture capitalist having a conversation with a musician. With fees at $2,400 a year plus a one-time $500 initiation fee, membership is within many people's reach. The $200 a month is comparable to a high-end gym, although you would still have to add an extra $70 per month to access The Battery's fitness center.

What You Get For Your Money

During a recent tour of The Battery at 4 p.m. on a Friday, I got to see what this money gets you. Imagine an industrial Hogwarts House or very large first-class airport lounge. On the main floor there is a restaurant and bar with a menu that includes yellowfin crudo for $17, a house burger for $18, and a Wagyu New York strip steak for $40. (There is no minimum spend or member credit; you just pay for what you eat.) You can also grab coffee or dine and relax outside in the garden. I saw members having an early happy hour drink together or getting some solo work done on their laptops.

The workout space and sauna are located on the basement level, where you can also find a 20-person hot tub, often the site of organized poetry readings or group discussions. Upstairs, I got to take a peek at the members' only bar and library. Designed by Ken Fulk, the entire club has a British hunting lodge meets London in the '60s feel to it with rich leathers, taxidermy, brick, and vintage-looking furniture throughout. There are also 14 hotel suites open to the public. Hotel guests have full access to the club, and members get a discount on rooms for themselves or friends. The rooftop penthouse hosts events like weddings.

The Battery

Who Actually Gets In

Hollywood A-listers and industry heavyweights make up much of the membership at Soho House's West Hollywood location. But having a high-paying or high-power job isn't enough to gain entrance to city clubs. In 2010, the New York outpost kicked out 500 existing members to prevent the club from being too "corporate." Not wanting too many "Wall Street" types, Soho House appears to favor members who work in the arts, media, and fashion.

Soho's West Hollywood outpost has denied every Real Housewife who applied and Kim Kardashian has tried to gain admission several times without success.

It's impossible to nail down the mysterious admissions requirements for these clubs, perhaps because an official policy doesn't exist. For one, being famous isn't enough. Tim Geary, a former membership director at Soho House, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that the West Hollywood outpost has denied every Real Housewife who applied and that Kim Kardashian has tried to gain admission several times without success (although Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have been photographed at the even more exclusive Soho House Malibu). The Battery is less harsh with wannabe members. While they currently have 4,500 members and 1,000 on the wait list, no one is ever rejected outright. While a "strong" candidate will be admitted on the first pass, they review the wait list every quarter. What makes you a "strong" candidate? "Somebody who focuses more on their personal interests rather than focusing on their career has a good chance," Holcomb tells me, giving a hint at the type of person The Battery is looking for. He says the membership committee, made up of member ambassadors, wants to know about your career, but it's also looking for someone who is open to new people and new ideas. Sounds like the same criteria for being pleasant first-date material. "We take finance people and artists. We just want to maintain that balance."

The Battery

Since members don't always have a specific industry or sport like golf in common, I asked Holcomb what thread holds them all together. "I think it's an inquisitive mind," he says. The Battery strives for the ambiance of an elite college campus with higher-end decor, food, and drinks. "On any given night we'll have a lecture on topics ranging from comic books to personal health. Or we'll have a music session going on in our library with a local indie band," he explains. Holcomb says members want to avoid "bellying up to a bar somewhere" and having to strike up a conversation with who knows who. At a club like The Battery, he says, you can show up by yourself and feel confident that you'll have a predictably positive experience, no matter who you end up talking to. "You can know for sure that they're going to be interesting," Holcomb believes, because everyone's been vetted by other members and the staff.

Bringing Your Social and Professional Network Offline

In a world where we spend a lot of time socializing online, these clubs give members of a certain professional and social strata a chance to connect in real life. At both The Battery and Soho House, no photos or phone calls are allowed. And Holcomb tells me that staff asks guest to put away all their technology at 6 p.m. "It encourages people to look up and talk to people around them." Thanks to the rule, he says friendships have been made by turning to the stranger next to you at the bar, and even some romantic relationships have started at the club. In addition to being an offline social network or dating app, members can use it as a nonvirtual LinkedIn. "We have members from all different career fields," Holcomb says. "It's that willingness to converse that ties everybody together."

"Finding a place for a young professional woman that offered culture, community, and connectedness made me want to join."

"The people I've met have been the biggest benefit, as I've made many new friends and have been able to build a place for myself that feels like my Cheers," says one 30-something woman who works in tech and belongs to The Battery (members often prefer to stay anonymous). She joined as a way to jump-start her network after moving back to the city. "As a woman in San Francisco, there are few options for member-only clubs," she explains, "so finding a place for a young professional woman that offered culture, community, and connectedness made me want to join."

"I have been a member of many sports clubs, but none of them have anything else to offer other than a restaurant," says another member of The Battery, who is in her early 60s and working in real estate. The cultural programs the club offers are a big draw for members like her. Sure, you could check out events at your local museums or stay on top of the local lecture circuit, but clubs like The Battery remove the friction. "They have an interesting rotation of talks, music performances, and social nights to keep me coming back," says another member, this time a 40-something man who works in tech. "I like that I usually know some, but definitely not all, of the people when I head over there. It's a great mix of familiar and new." While he also belongs to a swim and tennis club, he uses it for exercising exclusively, not socializing. "The Battery is trying to appeal to a broader demographic than some of the older, traditional, and more homogeneous clubs."

The Battery

City clubs open up this exclusive world of networking to more people, including women. Yet with growing inequality in America, especially in cities like San Francisco, you could also view these clubs as yet another way for wealthy elites to gate themselves off from the middle and lower classes. I asked Holcomb what he would say to critics that believe clubs like The Battery are "glorified fraternities" where members buy their way into a social circle. "With the pricing we have on the membership, it's more inclusive than the clubs that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars," Holcomb asserts. "We take a look at everybody." But that doesn't guarantee you'll get in.