Multiple Regions Art & Culture, Cities, Countryside
The world’s most exclusive members’ clubs
Moss Spa Lounge | Credit: Moss
From legacy London institutions to bold newcomers in New York and Sydney, these private members’ clubs pair discretion with design, dining, culture and connection
In a world where access, discretion and elite connection are increasingly rare, private member-only clubs occupy a special space. These sanctums are not just about luxury amenities – they are about belonging to a network, enjoying privacy from the public eye, and accessing curated experiences that cannot be replicated. Below, meet some of the world’s most coveted clubs.
New York City
The Core Club
In the heart of Manhattan, The Core Club is one of New York‘s most ambitious private institutions. It brings together culture, commerce and connection under one roof, hosting salons, art exhibitions and high-level discussions alongside polished dining and design. The atmosphere is contemporary but deliberately rarefied, designed to foster both big ideas and hushed conversation.
Moss
New on the scene, Moss spans five expansive floors at 520 Fifth Avenue near Bryant Park. Founded by Colleen and Hailey Brooks, its interiors by Charles & Co (Vicky Charles) balance theatrical energy with sanctuary-like calm. Upstairs lies 20,000 square feet of dining and lounges, from a piano bar to private dining rooms, all with a focus on conviviality and considered service. Below ground, BEDROCK Aquatics & Athletics unfolds with fitness studios, golf swing bays, pickleball, plunge pools, hammam, saunas and thermal circuits. It is conceived as a full lifestyle base in the city that’s part cultural salon, part wellness retreat, part social hub.
Zero Bond
Zero Bond has fast become emblematic of modern discretion. Tucked away in NoHo, the club is spread across two floors of a former manufacturing building, mixing industrial chic with plush leather seating, warm wood and curated art. Its spaces shift easily from working lounge by day to cocktail bar by night, with a restaurant, screening room and private meeting suites to complete the package. With no signage outside and membership via invitation or strict vetting, it attracts celebrities, fashion insiders and tech entrepreneurs who prize privacy as much as luxury.
The Knickerbocker Club
Founded in 1871, the Knickerbocker remains one of America’s most aristocratic men’s clubs. Occupying a discreet townhouse on East 62nd Street, it maintains a tradition of formality with dining rooms, reading rooms and a member roster that has long included prominent financiers, politicians and old New York families. Rarely written about and almost never photographed, the Knickerbocker’s exclusivity endures as much through silence as through history.
London
The Hurlingham Club
Set within 42 acres of manicured gardens beside the Thames in Fulham, London, The Hurlingham blends heritage, sport and society. Its story stretches back to 1869, when it was founded as a country retreat in the city. Today, its facilities range from croquet lawns and tennis courts to an outdoor pool, all hidden behind high gates and immaculately kept grounds. The Georgian clubhouse itself hosts refined dining, balls and concerts that reinforce its status as one of London’s most desirable memberships.
Annabel’s
Annabel’s, founded in 1963 by entrepreneur Mark Birley, has long been synonymous with London’s high-society nightlife. Its original basement club on Berkeley Square was famed for seeing everyone from The Rolling Stones to Diana, Princess of Wales. In its current lavish townhouse incarnation, Annabel’s offers dining rooms, a garden terrace, cocktail bars and a gilded nightclub, with interiors that are riotously decorative and constantly changing with the seasons. Membership remains strictly limited, and its celebrity guest list ensures it remains one of the most talked-about clubs in the world.
White’s
Dating back to 1693, White’s is one of the oldest gentlemen’s clubs in the world and remains among the most exclusive. Located in St James’s, its unassuming façade conceals a club that has counted kings, dukes, prime ministers and generals among its ranks. The interiors are understated in comparison to its reputation – leather chairs, panelled rooms, card tables – but that is precisely the point. White’s is not about spectacle. Rather, it is about tradition, ritual and the weight of centuries of membership.
Europe
The Carnegie Club
Skibo Castle, Scotland
In the Highlands, The Carnegie Club offers a private world within the historic Skibo Castle, once the home of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Members stay in opulent bedrooms, enjoy golf on a championship course and dine in grand halls that retain Edwardian splendour. Outside, fishing, horse riding and country pursuits play out against sweeping Highland scenery. Evenings bring black-tie dinners, whisky tastings and a sense of stepping into a parallel world of old-world glamour and seclusion.
The Cercle de Lorraine
Brussels, Belgium
This discreet Brussels institution, housed in an elegant 18th-century mansion near the Grand Place, is a hub for Europe’s business and diplomatic elite. The club’s wood-panelled salons and dining rooms are settings for political debate, private deal-making and cultural events, with a programme of talks and concerts enriching the calendar. Its exclusivity is rooted not only in who belongs but in the fact that so little of its life is visible to outsiders.
Silencio
Paris, France
Conceived by filmmaker David Lynch, Silencio is Paris’s most artistic take on the private club. Hidden behind an anonymous façade in the 2nd arrondissement, it combines a screening room, concert stage, bar, library and gallery spaces. The interiors are deliberately surreal, inspired by Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, with moody lighting and dreamlike detail. Members and their guests enjoy everything from avant-garde performances to DJ nights, creating a cultural hub that blurs the lines between club, cinema and art installation.
Middle East
The Capital Club
Dubai
Dubai’s premier private club, located in the heart of the financial district, is designed as both a networking powerhouse and a lifestyle retreat. Spanning several floors with lounges, dining rooms, event spaces and a rooftop terrace, it caters to the city’s global business elite. Regular speaker events, curated dinners and cultural programming sit alongside private offices and hospitality suites, making it as much a working environment as a social one.
Australia & Asia Pacific
The Pillars
Sydney, Australia
Opened in 2025, The Pillars is Australia’s most ambitious new private members’ club for entrepreneurs, investors and innovators. Located in Sydney’s CBD, it occupies a heritage building on Barrack Street, blending contemporary interiors with classic architectural features. Dining is overseen by the Bentley Group, while facilities include a library and lounge, meeting rooms and a wellness floor with yoga, Pilates and recovery studios. Members also enjoy reciprocal access to partner clubs across Europe, the US and Asia.
The Australian Club
Sydney, Australia
Founded in 1838, the Australian Club is one of the country’s oldest and most exclusive gentlemen’s clubs. Located on Macquarie Street in the CBD, it remains steeped in tradition, with oak-panelled rooms, fine dining, accommodation and formal social events. Its membership is limited and tightly controlled, with rituals and dress codes that have changed little over generations, making it a symbol of heritage privilege in Australia.
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