A chilly bit of Scandinavia came to the heart of London's West End yesterday with the opening of Absolut Icebar, a bar made entirely from ice right down to the art on the walls and drink glasses.
Situated next to the accompanying but room temperature Below Zero restaurant, the bar is kept at minus 5?C year round. For a cover charge of ?12 pounds (US$22.20), patrons are given a thermal cape, thick gloves and a glass made out of ice before entering the second of two airtight doors designed to keep heat out.
"It's an experience rather than a traditional bar. We feel we're really offering something different," said Anette Eliasson, a spokeswoman for V&S Absolut Spirits vodka company, which is opening the bar with partner firm Icehotel.
The Stockholm-based franchise launched the first Icebar in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, in 1994 within Icehotel, where visitors stay in the comfort of a warm sleeping bag in an icy room.
Since then, Icebar locations in Stockholm, Sweden and Milan, Italy, have been met with success, prompting a fourth permanent location in London.
"This is where trends come from, so that's why London was important to us," said Agnetha Lund, the director of Icebar International.
Bar patrons who would like a warm meal -- or just a little warmth -- will find European cuisine and lounge-style seating at Below Zero restaurant next door.
All the ice for the bar is imported from the Torne River in northern Sweden, where the pure water and river freezing process make the finished product "crystal clear," according to Lund.
The entire venue will be redesigned and rebuilt every six months, because the ice will gradually melt with daily use and the body heat of the crowds, Lund said.
Icebar commissions artists to sculpt the decor on site, and opening day art includes a floor-to-ceiling vodka bottle and partial human figures along the walls.
The bar, however, has a capacity for just 60 people.
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