Manhattan’s private clubs, ranked from the door you will probably never get through to the one you could book tonight. Here is what each one costs, how hard it is to get in, and who it is really for.

The ranking at a glance

Rank Club Reported cost to join How hard to get in Best for
1 Aman Club $200,000 initiation, $15,000 a year Invitation only Total privacy at any price
2 Kith Ivy $36,000 initiation, $7,000 a year Very limited memberships Padel, wellness and fashion
3 ZZ’s Club $20,000 initiation, $10,000 a year Application and committee Serious dinner people
4 Maxime’s Undisclosed Application and committee Grown-up dinners with London manners
5 Zero Bond $750 to $5,000 initiation, $2,750 to $4,400 a year Long waitlist Downtown, art and celebrities
6 Casa Cipriani $2,000 initiation, $2,500 to $3,900 a year Committee, and renewal is not guaranteed Old-world glamour on the water
7 Chez Margaux Undisclosed Application Dinner first, dancing after
8 The Twenty Two $1,000 initiation, from $1,800 a year Waitlist Young, fashionable, well-traveled
9 Soho House New York From $666.75 a quarter Application A first club for creatives
Bonus Crane Club None A reservation The club feeling without the club

Most rankings of New York’s private clubs sort them by price

That tells you very little, because the most expensive door in the city is not always the hardest to open, and a cheap one can still keep you waiting for years. So this list ranks the clubs by the question people actually ask: how hard is it to get in?

We weighed three things. The price, because it filters out most of the city before anyone reads an application. The selectivity, meaning whether the club uses invitations, committees or waitlists. And the scarcity, meaning how many memberships exist compared with how many people want one. Fees below are the most recent reported figures, and most clubs change them without announcing it.

One warning before we start. Asking a member “Is it hard to get in?” is like asking someone how much they paid for their apartment. They will tell you, but they will enjoy it a little too much.

1. Aman Club: the price is the bouncer

The Aman Club is the hardest private club in Manhattan to join, because it combines the city’s highest reported fee with invitation-only membership. A club representative told Business Insider it charges a $200,000 initiation fee and $15,000 a year. The club sits inside Aman New York in the Crown Building at Fifth Avenue and 57th Street.

Members get a private lounge, a cigar terrace, a jazz club and a 25,000-square-foot spa spread over three floors, according to the South China Morning Post. Photos are not allowed in the bar. Most clubs need a doorman to keep people out. At Aman, the price tag does the job before anyone reaches the door. Read our full story on the Aman Club.

2. Kith Ivy: the sneaker brand with a $36,000 door

Kith Ivy is the newest expensive door in Manhattan, a padel and wellness club in the West Village from Kith founder Ronnie Fieg. It was reported by 6sqft to charge $36,000 to join and $7,000 a year, and the brand itself has said memberships are extremely limited.

On the roof of 120 Leroy Street are three enclosed padel courts. Inside are a spa designed with Giorgio Armani, a Moroccan-inspired restaurant run with Cafe Mogador, and the first Erewhon tonic bar outside Los Angeles. In other words, the people who once lined up around the block for Kith sneakers can now pay $36,000 to never stand in a line again.

3. ZZ’s Club: the Carbone you cannot book

ZZ’s Club is Major Food Group’s members-only restaurant complex at Hudson Yards, and it ranks third because the fees are high and the demand comes from people who already cannot get into Carbone. Spear’s reported a $20,000 initiation fee and $10,000 a year for an individual. Some outlets have reported higher figures, so confirm with the club.

The three-story, 25,000-square-foot space houses a private Carbone, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, a cocktail lounge and private dining rooms. It is named after Major Food Group co-founder Jeff Zalaznick, whose nickname is ZZ. See our full story on ZZ’s Club New York.

4. Maxime’s: London rules on Madison Avenue

Maxime’s is the first American club from Robin Birley, the owner of London’s 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s and the son of Mark Birley, who founded Annabel’s. It opened in March 2025 on the old Westbury Hotel site on Madison Avenue, at East 69th Street, and does not publish its fees.

Reviewers describe four kitchens under one roof and a calm, etiquette-first atmosphere, according to Premium Travel Review. That makes Maxime’s the rare new club built for conversation rather than for being seen. If downtown clubs feel like a party, Maxime’s feels like a very good dinner at the house of someone who owns a lot of silverware.

5. Zero Bond: the downtown waitlist

Zero Bond is cheaper than the clubs above it but harder to get into than its prices suggest. Founder Scott Sartiano told the Robb Report in 2021 that more than 5,000 people were on the waiting list, and he has said someone once offered him $250,000 to get in. As of mid-2026, its application lists fees from $750 to $5,000 to join and $2,750 to $4,400 a year, priced by age, according to Luxe Digital.

The club at 0 Bond Street in NoHo opened in 2020 and became a favorite of the art world, where members reportedly buy works right off the walls. See our full story on Zero Bond.

6. Casa Cipriani: getting in is only half the job

Casa Cipriani is the Cipriani family’s club, hotel and restaurant in the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street, with views of the harbor. It opened in 2021. A New York Post guide reported a $2,000 initiation fee and $2,500 to $3,900 a year depending on age, and the club’s bylaws add New York’s 8.875% sales tax to both.

What lowers it on this list is not the door but the exit. Page Six reported that the club declined to renew some memberships as it reshaped its crowd. Joining Casa Cipriani is like getting into a good school. Staying in means you still have to show up and act like you belong. Read our full story on Casa Cipriani.

7. Chez Margaux: dinner that turns into a nightclub

Chez Margaux is Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s members-only supper club at 403 West 13th Street, in the former Spice Market space in the Meatpacking District. It does not publish its fees. Inside are a French dining room, a Japanese-inspired lounge, and a caviar and cocktail bar that turns into a small nightclub called Gaux Gaux later in the evening, according to Jean-Georges.

It ranks here because its pull is the chef and the scene rather than an impossible door. The Michelin Guide reported in 2024 that Taylor Swift had been spotted there between tour dates, which did nothing to shorten the line of people hoping to be spotted there too.

8. The Twenty Two: the club with a hotel attached

The Twenty Two is a London club that opened its New York house in February 2025 at 16 East 16th Street, near Union Square, in the 1891 Margaret Louisa Home. Membership was reported at $1,800 a year with a $1,000 initiation fee, and Galerie reported a waitlist soon after opening.

Here is the useful part. Anyone can book a room at the hotel, and overnight guests get access to members-only spaces, according to Afar. It is the only club on this list where a credit card and a free weekend get you a look inside. See our story on The Twenty Two and Crane Club.

9. Soho House New York: the easiest door, and the busiest

Soho House New York, on Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District, is the most accessible club on this list. Membership starts at $666.75 a quarter, according to Soho House, and the house has a rooftop pool, a screening room and 44 bedrooms.

The catch is size. Soho House had more than 270,000 members worldwide in 46 clubs when it agreed to a $2.7 billion take-private deal in 2025, according to Fortune. That is less a secret club than a very stylish small city. Read our story on Soho House New York.

Bonus: Crane Club, the club anyone can book

Crane Club is not a private club at all. It is a Tao Group Hospitality restaurant led by chef Melissa Rodriguez, inside a 1913 Nabisco building at 85 Tenth Avenue in Chelsea, and you can reserve a table like any other restaurant. It makes the list because it shows how much the word “club” now sells: red velvet, curved booths, a 12-seat marble bar and the feeling of being somewhere exclusive, with no application required.

Which NYC private club is right for you?

The right club depends less on your budget than on how you plan to spend your evenings. A club you use twice a year is the most expensive one on this list, whatever it charges.

  • You want privacy above everything: Aman Club.
  • You want a sport and a social life in one place: Kith Ivy.
  • You entertain clients over dinner: ZZ’s Club or Maxime’s.
  • You want downtown energy and creative people: Zero Bond or Soho House.
  • You want glamour with a view: Casa Cipriani.
  • You want to try the life before you apply: a night at The Twenty Two, or dinner at Crane Club.

And if none of them say yes this year, remember the oldest rule in New York society: the best table in any room is the one where somebody is glad to see you. That one has never had a membership fee. For the bigger picture, read our guide to the velvet rope wars, and our hub on how to get into a private club in NYC.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest private club to get into in NYC?
The Aman Club is generally considered the hardest private club to join in New York. Membership is by invitation only, and a club representative told Business Insider it costs $200,000 to join plus $15,000 a year. Zero Bond is among the hardest of the lower-priced clubs, with a waitlist its founder put at more than 5,000 people.

What is the cheapest private members club in Manhattan?
Among the well-known clubs, Soho House New York is one of the most affordable, with membership starting at $666.75 a quarter and lower rates for members under 27. The Twenty Two was reported at $1,800 a year plus a $1,000 initiation fee. Prices change often, so check with each club.

Can you visit a private club in NYC without being a member?
Usually only as a member’s guest. Soho House, for example, lets members bring up to three guests, who must leave when the member leaves. The Twenty Two is an exception: hotel guests who book a room get access to members-only spaces during their stay.

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