Ice bars, originated in Scandinavia, are frozen bars with ice furniture and sculptures made from crystalline ice. The first ice bar was opened in 1994 in Sweden, and since then, the franchise has spread worldwide. Customers are outfitted with winter clothing and assigned time slots of around forty minutes. The entry fee is approximately $30 USD, which includes a free drink, heat equipment rental, and glass of ice.
An ice bar is a phenomenon that originated in Scandinavia and has since spread to cities around the world, especially those metropolises known for their tourism industries. The bar is typically frozen at around 23°F (-5°C), and patrons are outfitted with coats, hats, earmuffs, and gloves before entering to combat the freezing. The aesthetic of an ice bar is in keeping with the cold temperatures, with all the ice furniture, accessories and sculptures made from crystalline ice, often harvested from Sweden’s Torne River and shipped around the world. Vodka is usually the tipple of choice and many of the recently opened bars have done so under the auspices of the Absolut Vodka brand, who grace the bar with the Absolut logo, dress their staff in the Absolut livery and stock the shelves with their range of vodkas below zero.
The first Ice Bar was opened in 1994 at the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. This inaugural bar is situated on the bank of the Torne River, 124 miles (200km) inside the Arctic Circle. Since then, the franchise has spread and there are now ice bars found in London, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Orlando, Seoul, Dubai and most recently Shanghai, China. The Ice Bar franchise is usually assigned a stylish interior designer who is tasked with setting up and renovating the bar each year so that no two years later the bar sports the same ice cold aesthetic.
A typical Ice Bar will assign its customers time slots of around forty minutes each and outfit them in winter clothing, or in the case of the recently opened bar in Mayfair, London, a thermal cloak to keep them warm. Customers enter the bar’s frozen chamber via an airtight door that keeps frozen air in and thaw out. The hermetic chamber gives the bar an otherworldly feel, complemented by the chill-out music that enters the bar via ice speakers. Drinks are usually vodka-based, and a typical menu features a range of Absolut vodka-based cocktails including the Absolut Icy River, Absolut Aurora Borealis and Absolut Below Zero.
The Ice Bar entry fee is approximately $30 US Dollars (USD), which includes a free drink, heat equipment rental, and glass of ice. Alcoholic drinks are priced around $12 (USD), while soft drinks start at $6 (USD).
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
