wordplay: JJ
images: Hew Burney

Opening a nightclub in Las Vegas might be the ultimate gamble in a town full of people looking to improve their luck. It’s kind of like opening an Indian restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Considering the completely saturated nightlife scene of the City of Sin, it’s easy for clubs to make a quick flash in the pan, before falling prey to the next, newest trends.

But for those club-hoppers with a delicate palate for class, Body English – located in the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Paradise Road – is the town’s most up-and-coming hot-spot, offering a decadent décor and top-notch service to the Vegas clubbing elite.

“Body English is a nightclub that is designed after an English rock star’s living room,” VIP Host and former Denverite Justen Crews said. “That’s the look and the feel we’re going for.”

And, covered in dark woods and rich, red leather, Body English certainly speaks the language of luxury, while maintaining the sexy appeal of rock star living.

“The energy that’s inside the Hard Rock is really what drives Body English,” Crews said. “The hotel and the club really feed off each other. We have a good energy and a good feel at Body English.” The result of this energy is a unique and delightful clubbing
experience that combines VIP amenities, luxurious surroundings and a keen attention to detail from the staff to create a particularly uncommon and decadent night of dance and drink.
 
“People that come to Body English, they are taken care of and they feel like they’re part of the family and they keep coming back,” Crews said. “You tend to get lost in the crowd of 4,000 people when you’re at a nightclub at another casino. The staff we have is a fraction of the size of other clubs, but we take very good care of our people,” Crews added. “I’d say the staff is what keeps us going strong.”

Body English is about a quarter of the size of many of the other top-tier Vegas night clubs, but still manages to pack a big punch in entertainment. “We’re at capacity every night,” Crews said. “We’re a mega-club, but we’re more intimate than most mega-clubs.” With weekly events and giveaways, a VIP room, The Parlor, and a stellar lineup of live DJs that include LV heavy-hitters Dig Dug, Melo-D, Scotty Boy, Mikey Swift and Jack Lafleur, Body English creates a common kinship between novice and professional club-goers alike. The common bond was obvious one particular Saturday night in late October when DJ Melo-D brought more than 1,000 people together over the chorus of Rob Bass’ “It Takes Two.”
“We play like a top 40, hip-hop mash-up Vegas mix most of the nights,” Crews said.  He also added that the club spins house music “a couple of nights a week” in the coveted Parlor Room. Even though Body English is packed to capacity nearly every night, Crews cited the club’s “Sunday School” and the Hard Rock’s subsequent Rehab Pool Party as an enormous attraction for those Sin City visitors who are feeling a little extra naughty on the Sabbath. Body English helps the holy cause with free champagne for those girls in their Sunday School, Catholic girl best.

 “(Sunday School’s) the number one place to be on Sundays,” Crews said. “There’s no other place to be in Vegas on a Sunday. (The Parlor’s) kind of like the local, secret hiding spot on Sundays.” No matter what the day, Body English is rarely a walk-up club and Crews suggests reservations ahead of time. “There’s people who will stand in line for a couple of hours if the don’t have a table reservation or aren’t on the guest list,” Crews said. “That’s how it rolls in Vegas. So it’s my responsibility to know as many people as I can so they’re not standing outside waiting all night.” Crews made a name for himself as an event coordinator in Denver before his travels took him to the main stages of Vegas nightlife. But that doesn’t mean that Crews has been completely blinded by the big, neon lights of the Oasis in the Desert.
 
“I still love my Denver people,” Crews said. Stop in and look him up some Sunday night when you’re in Vegas. After all, Body English sure beats midnight Mass.

4455 Paradise Road (Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas)
(303) 229.0618

Justen.Crews@yahoo.com