To get accepted into the exclusive private members clubs proliferating around Los Angeles, having a lot of money is just the start.
Bonus points if you’re young, successful and demonstrate a winning personality; these days, not being white also helps. Knowing someone who already made it behind the velvet rope and can vouch for you is a plus. You’ll need to fill out an online application, sit for an interview with the vetting committee and exercise patience: The most elite clubs have waitlists that stretch months if not years, with tens of thousands of names.
Once you get in — if you do — there are membership fees to pay (budget about $2,500 to $6,000 annually, though one upcoming San Francisco club is charging as much as $300,000 to join) and rules to follow: restricted cellphone use, no photos or videos, dress codes, guest allowance limits, laptops in designated spaces only. Come to see and be seen, but don’t tell anyone about it — identifying another member on social media or to the paparazzi is an almost guaranteed way to get kicked out for good.
