The Most Exclusive Private Members’ Clubs In New York

In the vibrant mosaic of New York City’s social landscape, the most exclusive private members’ clubs stand as bastions of luxury, tradition, and discretion.

Tracing their origins back to 18th-century Britain, these clubs were initially established as exclusive enclaves for the social elite, offering a private setting for the affluent to socialize away from the public gaze. Over centuries, this tradition crossed oceans and evolved, embedding itself into the fabric of New York society.

These prestigious clubs provide refuge to the crème de la crème across various industries, including tech tycoons and Hollywood celebrities. This is where you spend your days dining on rooftops, indulging in spa treatments, networking with industry moguls and sharing your talent with fellow creatives.

Where do we sign up?

From soaring initiation fees and rigorous selection processes to secret club rules and time-honored traditions, membership often remains an invitation-only affair.

That being said, we may not make the list, but we do have the inside scoop. Here is a peek into where The Big Apple’s one-percenters choose to hang out.

And if a six-figure initiation is a stretch, New York’s status-gym set offers a more attainable door to the same rooms. Our guide to Equinox membership cost breaks down what the city’s flagship clubs actually charge.

Casa Cruz

Casa Cruz has quietly become the most coveted door in New York. Set inside a six-story Beaux-Arts townhouse on the Upper East Side, it’s the New York chapter of Juan Santa Cruz’s Notting Hill original—and a reported buy-in of $250,000 to $500,000, a stake in the club rather than a conventional joining fee, makes it the priciest invitation in the city.

The townhouse earns the spend. Hand-painted de Gournay wallpapers climb six floors of intimate dining rooms and bars, originals by Warhol, Haring, and Botero hang as casually as family photographs, and a year-round canopied rooftop terrace—the first of its kind in the neighborhood—crowns the building.

Discretion is the house style. Membership is capped, closely vetted, and resolutely off the grid, which is precisely the appeal for the collectors, financiers, and old-money families who fill its tables.

Best for: The city’s highest barrier to entry.

Membership fees	Reported buy-in of $250,000-$500,000
Membership requirements	Invitation and member sponsorship; closely vetted
Location	36 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065
Opened	2023
Website	casacruz.nyc

Aman Club

One of the most exclusive—and certainly most expensive—private members’ clubs in New York City, the Aman Club commands an outrageous initiation fee of $200,000.

Located in the center of Manhattan in the iconic Crown Building, the covert club whispers tales of alluring accommodation (Aman is known the world over for its pristine places of pure peace, after all), innovative dining concepts, and extensive wellness facilities spanning three floors. The celebrity-worthy spa is the ultimate urban sanctuary, featuring tranquil treatment rooms, a hammam steam room, and a banya sauna.

While specific membership requirements aren’t mentioned anywhere, the exorbitant joining fee says it all. This is an elite club for the highest members of society.

Best for: Marrying the serenity of Aman with the vibrant energy of Manhattan.

Membership fees	$200,000 joining fee
Membership requirements	Undisclosed
Location	Crown Building at 730 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10019​​
Opened	2022
Website	aman.com/hotels/aman-new-york

Colette

If Casa Cruz is where you dine, Colette is where you do business. Occupying the entire 37th floor of the GM Building on Fifth Avenue, this members’ club was conceived by financier Edmond Safra and restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz as a private office and salon for the global business elite—the kind of place Bloomberg dubbed “a WeWork for the 0.01 percent.”

Membership is capped at 300 and priced accordingly: a $125,000 initiation fee, then $36,000 a year. In return, members get hushed work lounges and meeting rooms, plus Coco’s, an in-house restaurant and bar with an omakase counter, a curated wine cellar, and floor-to-ceiling views over Central Park.

It’s a club built less for nightlife than for the quiet, consequential conversations that happen 37 floors above the street.

Best for: Doing deals above the skyline.

Membership fees	$125,000 initiation fee, plus $36,000 annual fee
Membership requirements	Capped at 300 members; formal application and vetting
Location	767 Fifth Avenue (GM Building), 37th Floor, New York, NY 10153
Opened	2023
Website	colette.world

Core Club

Positioned as an “international community of minds, mavericks, and leaders”, Core Club is one of the most sought-after private social clubs in NYC.

Core Club is more than just a private social club, it aims to provide spaces for transformation and conversation. It’s an environment where new ideas and intellectual challenges are encouraged, featuring a highly curated collection of books and art.

Amenities include a library, theater, opulent dining rooms, private meeting rooms and eleven suites for overnight guests, as well as a gym, spa beauty salon and health bar. Basically, it has everything you need to flourish mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The widely quoted $100,000 figure is actually the club’s founding tier; an individual membership runs closer to $15,000 to join plus $15,000 a year. We break down every tier, and what the money buys, in our guide to Core Club NYC membership cost.

Best for: Igniting transformation.

Membership fees	~$15,000 initiation plus ~$15,000 annual (individual); $100,000 founding tier
Membership requirements	Showcase unique and interesting perspectives across different industries, from architecture and design to sports and technology
Location	711 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022
Opened	2005 (moved to Fifth Avenue in 2023)
Website	thecoreclub.com

ZZ’s Club

Nestled in the heart of New York City’s Hudson Yards, ZZ’s Club redefines exclusivity and luxury. A brainchild of Major Food Group, this private membership club is named after the group’s co-founder Jeff Zalaznick’s nickname, “ZZ.”

Inspired by its Miami counterpart, ZZ’s Club in New York is a lavish sanctuary of unparalleled opulence and hospitality. Designed by renowned interior designer Ken Fulk, the secret oasis is a nod to the hush-hush glamor of old-school Hollywood, adorned with painted walls and grandiose chandeliers.

As one of the most exclusive clubs in New York, ZZ’s Club houses a modern Japanese restaurant, a cigar terrace, and a glamorous lounge with diverse music programming. A standout feature is the world’s sole private CARBONE location, making it a much-coveted culinary gem.

Best for: Gourmet and glamorous.

Membership fees	$50,000 initiation fee, plus $10,000 annual dues
Membership requirements	Specific requirements beyond the financial commitment are not detailed publicly.
Location	37 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001
Opened	2023
Website	zzsclub.com

NEXUS Club New York

NEXUS Club New York answers a question the rest of this list never asks: where does the whole family go? Opened in May 2019 across the seventh floor of 100 Church Street, it costs a reported $20,000 to join plus $12,500 a year, and that single set of dues covers a household rather than a person.

The generational model is the real differentiator. One membership carries the primary member, a spouse or partner, and children up to the age of 40, which quietly solves the succession problem that leaves so many legacy clubs with a graying roster. Behind it sits NEXUS Luxury Collection, backed by Joe Lewis’s Tavistock Group alongside Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Justin Timberlake.

Morris Adjmi designed the 34,000 square feet, and the walnut-paneled gallery hall running through it, hung with more than 40 commissioned works and punctuated by softly arched openings, sets the register. This is warm, low-lit, and far closer to a country club than a nightclub. Off it sit the ROSÉ Champagne Bar, a flexible Club Room, a fitness center, a Naturopathica spa, Full Swing sports simulators, and the Purple Dragon Studio Club, a children’s wing with a creative lab, a motion lab, and an imaginarium.

The membership travels, too, opening doors at NEXUS Club London and at Albany, the group’s 600-acre resort community on New Providence in the Bahamas.

Best for: Joining as a family rather than as an individual.

Membership fees	Reported $20,000 initiation, plus $12,500 annual dues per family
Membership requirements	Membership inquiry and vetting; one membership covers a partner and children up to age 40
Location	100 Church Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10007
Opened	2019
Website	nexusclubny.com

Knickerbocker Club

The Knickerbocker Club, also known informally as “The Knick,” is one of New York City’s most exclusive and aristocratic gentlemen’s clubs. Founded in 1871, it is known for its stringent membership requirements and privacy, catering to a highly selective membership drawn from the social elite​​.

Throughout its rich history, the Knickerbocker Club has attracted illustrious members, including early Hollywood star Douglas Fairbanks, scion of the famous Astor family John Jacob Astor, financier JP Morgan, and former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Notably, the NYC club maintains a men-only policy. With no website, no women, and a rumored code of secrecy, very little has changed over the past centuries.

The Knickerbocker Club maintains its privacy and exclusivity by not having a public website or disclosing detailed information about its operations, members, or activities online​​.

Best for: A long-lived legacy of exclusivity.

Membership fees	Undisclosed; the club publishes nothing
Membership requirements	Men only. Sponsorship by existing members.
Location	2 East 62nd Street, New York, NY​​
Opened	1871
Website	No website

The Harmonie Club

The Harmonie Club exists because of a rejection. In 1852 a group of German-Jewish New Yorkers, reportedly turned away by the Union Club that appears further down this list, founded their own society instead. They called it the Gesellschaft Harmonie, and only the club that refused them is older.

German remained its official language until 1893. The move to 4 East 60th Street came in December 1905, into a Beaux-Arts clubhouse by Stanford White that still gives the block its face, and more than 400 members turned out for the opening.

What separates it from the other old doors here is how much of it is a working athletic club rather than a dining room with a gym attached. There is a pool, a basketball court, personal training and group classes, and a squash program running since the 1930s that still enters teams in the New York league. Concerts, lectures and theater evenings fill the rest of the calendar.

Fees are not published. The club asks prospective members to join an interest list and arrange a personal tour before anything else happens.

Best for: A 19th-century club that still runs like an athletic one.

Membership fees	Undisclosed; the club publishes no schedule
Membership requirements	Membership inquiry and a personal tour; details on application
Location	4 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022
Opened	1852
Website	harmonieclubnyc.com

Union League Club

Most clubs on this list were founded so that a particular sort of person could dine somewhere quiet. The Union League Club was founded to help win a war. In February 1863, with a good deal of New York’s business establishment sympathetic to the Confederacy, a group of pro-Union men broke away to form a club whose stated purpose was keeping the city loyal.

It did not stay theoretical. The club recruited and equipped the 20th United States Colored Infantry Regiment, a year after draft rioters had attacked Black New Yorkers in those same streets. Members went on to help found the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fifteen presidents have belonged, Theodore Roosevelt and Chester Arthur among them before they took office.

The clubhouse at 38 East 37th Street, where Murray Hill meets Park Avenue, opened in 1931 and was made a city landmark in 2011. Inside are squash courts and a fitness floor, dining rooms, overnight rooms, a library, and an art collection large enough to run its own gallery.

Women were admitted in the mid-1980s, and in 2020 the club elected its first woman president.

Best for: Members who want the history to mean something.

Membership fees	Undisclosed
Membership requirements	Sponsorship by existing members, a formal proposal, and an interview with the Admissions Committee
Location	38 East 37th Street, New York, NY 10016
Opened	1863
Website	unionleagueclub.org

New York Athletic Club

The New York Athletic Club publishes no fee schedule and admits by invitation, so the honest answer on cost is that nobody outside it knows. What the club does publish is a medal count. Its members have won 271 Olympic medals, 151 of them gold, and have competed at every modern Summer Games since 1896 bar the boycotted 1980 edition.

This is a competitive sports organization with a clubhouse attached rather than a dining club with a gym in the basement. It fields teams across 22 sports, from rowing and fencing to water polo and rugby, and a good number of its roughly 8,600 members train seriously.

The City House at 180 Central Park South, a 24-story tower finished in 1929, holds the pools, gyms, dining rooms and lodging. Travers Island, the club’s summer half, runs to 33 acres on Long Island Sound in Westchester with a saltwater pool, tennis courts, a rowing house and its own yacht club.

Founded as a men’s club, the NYAC began admitting women in 1989.

Best for: Competing, not just belonging.

Membership fees	Undisclosed; the club publishes no schedule
Membership requirements	By invitation
Location	180 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Opened	1868
Website	nyac.org

Maxime’s

Maxime’s is Robin Birley’s first move across the Atlantic, and the London clubland figure behind 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s hasn’t compromised an inch. Set in the former Westbury Hotel on Madison Avenue, it trades downtown sneakers for Mayfair tailoring, with a dress code and an unhurried, phones-away sensibility to match.

Four kitchens anchor the club across several floors: the French-Mediterranean Maxime’s dining room, the Latin American El Puma, the Japanese Hiromi, and the Zodiac lounge and bar. The interiors are dense, layered, and deliberately un-Instagrammable—antique-laden rooms designed to be lived in rather than photographed.

Admission is by invitation only, which is rather the point. The published dues are comparatively modest; the door is the selective part.

Best for: Mayfair manners at a Madison Avenue address.

Membership fees	By invitation; reported annual patron fees from ~$2,000
Membership requirements	Invitation only
Location	848 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10021
Opened	2025
Website	No website

The Ned NoMad

The Ned NoMad, an extension of the London-based hospitality and members’ club concept, is a blend of luxury and history located in New York City’s NoMad neighborhood. Opened by Soho House & Co in the summer of 2022, it occupies the historic Johnston Building, which housed the NoMad hotel until Sydell Group’s tenure there ended.

While the club’s membership list is discreet, it’s known to attract a mix of creatives, entrepreneurs, and celebrities, reflecting its founders’ ethos of fostering a dynamic professional community.

The Ned NoMad offers extravagant amenities, including a rooftop terrace, an array of dining options featuring world-class cuisine, bespoke bars, and opulent bedrooms, alongside access to unique events and spaces designed for networking and leisure.

Best for: Old-school glamor redefined by modern comforts.

Membership fees	$5,000 annual fee, plus $1,500 initiation fee
Membership requirements	Formal application process showcasing influence in society
Location	1170 Broadway in Manhattan
Opened	2022
Website	thened.com

The Union Club of the City of New York

Founded in 1836, The Union Club is recognized as the oldest private club in New York City, established by a group of prominent New Yorkers as a gentlemen’s club. Throughout its history, the Union Club has been the social ground for many famous individuals, including politicians, business leaders, and cultural icons.

The club’s classical interior celebrates its storied past and tradition with richly decorated rooms, ornate ceilings, and exquisite furnishings. Exclusive membership provides access to luxurious dining rooms, a library filled with volumes of literature and history, guest rooms for overnight stays, and a variety of social events that underscore its role as a cultural hub.

The NYC club also features a fitness center, squash courts, and art collections, catering to the leisure and intellectual pursuits of its distinguished community.

Best for: Subscribing to high society.

Membership fees	$5,000 annual fee, with unknown initiation fee
Membership requirements	Sponsorship by existing members
Location	101 East 69th Street, New York, NY 10021
Opened	1836
Website	theunionclub.com

Casa Cipriani

Casa Cipriani, situated within the iconic Battery Maritime Building, was founded by the Cipriani family, known for their global hospitality empire. Merging Italian elegance with art deco elements, the design of the club pays homage to its maritime heritage.

Carefully curated by the Cipriani family, the interior features sumptuous furnishings, elegant décor, and breathtaking views of the New York Harbor. The club’s amenities are equally decadent, offering its members and guests access to world-class dining experiences, a wellness center with spa and fitness facilities, and a meticulously curated cultural program. The club also features luxurious accommodation options, private meeting spaces, and an outdoor terrace.

Casa Cipriani keeps its pricing private and enforces a genuine dress code; we cover the reported fees, the waitlist, and exactly what you can and can’t wear in our Casa Cipriani membership guide.

Best for: Harboring away in luxury.

Membership fees	~$3,900 annual fee, plus ~$2,000 initiation fee (reported)
Membership requirements	Formal application process, highlighting cultural diversity
Location	10 South Street, New York, NY 10004
Opened	2021
Website	casaciprianinewyork.com

Chez Margaux

Chez Margaux is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first members’ club, staged in the cavernous Meatpacking space that once held his Spice Market. The mood is unapologetically theatrical: rouge curtains, red carpets and couches, a glowing golden bar, and interiors by Lauren Mishaan that channel 1930s Paris by way of London after dark.

The 18,000-square-foot club unfolds over the course of an evening. A French dining room and a Japanese-leaning lounge give way to a library and private dining rooms, while a caviar-and-champagne salon transforms into the nightclub Gaux Gaux once the clock passes ten.

A two-tier membership keeps the room young, with friendlier dues for those under 32—a deliberate bid to fill the banquettes with the next generation of regulars.

Best for: Dinner that turns into a nightclub.

Membership fees	$1,000 initiation, plus $2,400 annual fee (under 32); $2,000 initiation, plus $3,600 annual fee (32 and over)
Membership requirements	Formal application process
Location	33 Ninth Avenue, New York, NY 10014
Opened	2024
Website	chezmargaux.com

San Vicente West Village

San Vicente West Village brings the famously private world of West Hollywood’s San Vicente Bungalows east, courtesy of hotelier Jeff Klein. Its home is the former Jane Hotel—a 1908 redbrick landmark on the Hudson that once sheltered survivors of the Titanic—reimagined by British designer Rose Uniacke in her signature hushed, collected restraint.

Inside are dining rooms, a sushi bar, a screening room, a discotheque, and a café tucked into a turret overlooking the river. The club keeps the strict no-photography policy that made its Los Angeles parent a refuge for the camera-shy.

Membership is by nomination and skews toward Hollywood, fashion, and the creative set who want a little West Coast ease without leaving Manhattan.

Best for: West Coast privacy at a downtown address.

Membership fees	Tiered membership; reported annual dues from ~$1,800
Membership requirements	By member nomination
Location	The former Jane Hotel, Jane Street, West Village, New York
Opened	2025
Website	sanvicenteclubs.com

Zero Bond

Zero Bond, one of the most exclusive modern NYC clubs for young adults, is nestled in the heart of NoHo at 0 Bond Street. This private social club, founded by entrepreneur Scott Sartiano, quickly became a coveted destination for the city’s elite, including A-list celebrities, like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

The club’s design is a masterful convergence of contemporary elegance and industrial chic, featuring exposed brick walls, plush seating, and artful lighting. This aesthetic is complemented by bespoke artworks and a sophisticated architectural layout that encourages social interaction while also allowing for intimate gatherings.

Amenities at Zero Bond cater to the discerning tastes of its members, offering exclusive access to a gourmet restaurant, private event spaces, a fitness studio, and spa services. The club also hosts a dynamic calendar of cultural events, talks, and performances, reflecting its commitment to nurturing a vibrant community of informed influencers and thought leaders.

Zero Bond is one of the few New York clubs that publishes its rates, and it prices membership by age. See every tier, from the sub-30 rate to the over-45 band, in our guide to Zero Bond membership cost.

Best for: Rising to the top—Swiftly.

Membership fees	$2,750–$4,400 per annum by age, plus a $750–$5,000 initiation fee
Membership requirements	Formal application process
Location	NOHO, New York, at Zero Bond Street, New York, NY, 10012
Opened	2020
Website	zerobondny.com

Soho House

SoHo House NYC, an outpost of the globally renowned members-only club for creatives, is situated in the heart of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Founded by Nick Jones in London, the New York location extends its unique blend of hospitality and exclusivity across the Atlantic.

Housed in a converted warehouse, SoHo House NYC retains elements of its industrial past, seamlessly integrating them with luxurious, contemporary design. The interiors are a testament to eclectic sophistication, featuring plush furnishings, exposed brick, and bespoke artworks, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that encourages creativity and connection.

Amenities at SoHo House are tailored to the lavish lifestyles of its elite members, offering everything from a rooftop pool with stunning views of the city skyline to a screening room, spa, and gym. SoHo House membership also includes several dining venues, alongside spaces for work, relaxation, and socializing.

Best for: Relying on rooftop views as a muse.

Membership fees	$2,830 annual fee, plus $1,088 initiation fee
Membership requirements	Active in a creative industry with sponsorship from an existing member
Location	29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014
Opened	2003
Website	sohohouse.com/houses/soho-house-new-york