Las Vegas Weekly

September 23, 2008 · 2 PM

Our — Brrrrrr — sneak freezing preview inside the Minus 5 ice palace

By Robin Leach

Robin Leach with Minus 5 owner Craig Ling.

Photo: Brain Trust

It’s the coolest place in town!

Tired of the non-stop heat and blazing sun with soaring temperatures? Then you can really chill out at the Minus 5 ultra lounge made entirely from ice. Its so cold in there at minus 5 degrees Celsius (that’s about 23 Fahrenheit folks!), no wonder the bartenders and Eskimo bunnies can only take it for an hour at a time, even with special warm-up uniforms! But for us mere mortals it will be an arctic adventure!

Minus 5 is set to open this week and I joined owner Craig Ling from New Zealand for an advance sneak peek preview tour. It’s the first permanent ice lounge in the United States and utilizes more than 24 tons of imported ice from the Canadian tundra for the 2,000-square-foot attractions with sculptures, architectural fixtures and blocks for the walls, tables, seats, couches, bars and decorations. Yes, you can even take the glasses home as a free souvenir so long as they’re back in the freezer before melting! Health department regulations ensure they are used only once, so they will be put into the gardens around its Mandalay Place location.

The round-the-year winter wonderland even features an ice wedding chapel, where nervous grooms really experiencing “cold feet” can chill out before heating up on their honeymoon night in the resort! The bride gets to wear an elegant white satin fur-trimmed cape to stop from chattering! If you show up in a T-shirt and flip-flops, don’t worry because everyone is kitted out in parka and booties to withstand the cold.

“Our focus at Minus 5 is the art of ice,” Craig told me. “Our ice blocks are Canadian and the ice glasses are made from New Zealand artesian water imported in frozen form so we don’t encumber the limited Vegas water supply. We also have our own carvers who change the lounge layout and sculptures ever six to eight weeks. This also allows us to tailor-make sculptures for any function or event. We can incorporate company logos inside the ice and have guests sit in an actual sized replica automobile." Craig has six other Minus 5 lounges around the world.

The entire unforgettable “blue and white world ethereal experience” is limited to 150 people at any one time and is certain to be the "hottest" new attraction on the Strip. You’ll find it at the entrance to Mandalay Place right across from star chef Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood restaurant.

After “chilling” in the freezing environment visitors go next door to the Minus 5 Lodge, a warm rustic pub with normal ironwood beams, leather seats and even an open-hearthed fireplace. HD TV cameras have filmed the entire construction process for a new reality TV program, but if you can’t wait to see it for yourself, check out this YouTube video.

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