Spring weather lures people to rooftop VooDoo Lounge at Rio

If recent weeks are any indication, this summer should be a good one for VooDoo Lounge at the Rio.

The warmer weather has driven crowds to the rooftop venue, especially on weekends, notes Chris Wrenn, general manager of VooDoo. By summer, Wrenn expects standing-room only turnouts.

"Right now, as the weather gets nicer outside, we're starting to see Fridays and Saturdays where we have a flow-through of 2,500," Wrenn says. "The summer is guaranteed to be a blast and busy. If you come, show up before midnight because afterwards, those doors might be closed, you might not get in."

To go along with the seasonal change, the club is shaking up its DJ lineup. Joey Mazzola will be a new resident DJ, spinning Thursday and Saturday nights starting the second week of April. Roxanne Dawn, a former Playboy Bunny turned DJ, will spin Sundays beginning April 14.

They join current residents Scotty Boy, who plays Friday nights, and DJ Michael Toast who spins on Thursdays. This new lineup will take VooDoo's music format to a new level, Wrenn says.

Since opening in 1997, VooDoo Lounge has carved a niche in the Las Vegas club scene, catering to a demographic heavy on locals and covering a wide age range that reflects the Rio hotel's demographic, Wrenn says. Its location, on the 51st floor of the Rio, allows visitors a panoramic view of the Strip.

The club showcases its flair bartenders, but also provides guests with the option of being their own mixologist with the Spellmaker. As if bottle service wasn't indulgent enough, VooDoo has made it even more so by offering five Spellmaker packages, each featuring a different spirit, Wrenn says. This new form of bottle service was introduced two months ago as a way to let customers experience a variety of cocktails made with their own hands. Each package comes with a main bottle of liquor, three smaller bottles of other liquors, fresh juices, sodas, fruits, candies and one of five scented sprays. The packages start at $500.

VooDoo Lounge, 3700 W. Flamingo Road, is open daily at 7 p.m. Admission is free before 9 p.m. and $20 afterward. Local women always are admitted free. Thursdays are industry night, VooDoo Risin', and all locals get in free.

For more information, call 777-6875.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.