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AURA
Categories: Nightlife Dance Clubs Arts & Entertainment Music Venues Nightlife Music Venues Dance Clubs, Music Venues [Edit]
309 1st Ave S(between Main St & Jackson St)
Seattle, WA 98104
Neighborhood: Pioneer Square
(206) 679-1744
- Hours:
Thu-Sat 10 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ages Allowed:
- 21+
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
20 reviews for AURA
20 reviews in English
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Review from Harley P.
Santa Barbara, CA
1/30/2012
Aura nightclub has closed for more than 4 month. FYI.
YELP associates please update this information. -
Review from Nina H.
11/18/2010
Yay! Another club in Pioneer Square! Aura is probably one of the top Asian clubs in Seattle now, which isn't that bad. I usually have a great time coming here. There's two levels with bars on each floor. There's a little loft space on the first floor where the go-go dancer struts her stuff. It's pretty interesting to watch because... well they're just hot.
Drinks are about the normal Seattle bar price but they're OK strong. I can't complain. I had the black opal and cranberry vodka and they were quite tasty. They play Top 40's music with the occasional blast to the past hits like 'Mo Money Mo Problems' (I think... or at least I hoped they would). There are dance floors on both levels so that's nice but the bottom level is usually more packed than the first floor (from my experience).
The best thing is that I have never paid cover yet. There's always a guest list event going around Facebook and every time I get on that, that means free cover all night! Woohoo. I pretty much refuse to pay cover at a club in Seattle.Listed in: Seattle's "Nightlife"
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Review from Ninette C.
Seattle, WA
3/27/2011
I've been here two or three times and in theory, I should like it more.
I just never have an amazing time here, but its never a bad time either.
The layout is pretty good. Theres a VIP section from above where you can look down at the floor which is my favorite kind of VIP section. There's two levels and they have these bed-like seats which is fun.
Drinks are ok in taste and price.
Totally mediocre for me. -
Review from Jeff H.
12/8/2010
Yeah, the location is awful, and the pat down at the front door even if you're a regular is a total joke. Come on, I've been in the club a dozen times before, you know me by name and have never had a problem, why continue to pat me down? Do you think just because the market went down that day that I'm going to try and roll in with a bazooka and take out the DJ if he isn't playing the kind of music I want? Door staff needs to step their game up.
As bad as the door staff is, the rest of the people who work here are really nice. Justin, the VIP host, always had my table or booth ready, and was just a cool dude to chat with. He took really good care of my friends and I. Nothing but good things to say about that guy.
The bartenders were really friendly as well. Did a lot of drinking with Tanya, and she was heavy handed to say the least. Me likey ;-)
The highlight of my experiences here though have been dealing with Leslie. She is ALWAYS friendly, and never forgets a face. She takes care of all her customers, and if you get the chance to have a conversation with her, it would be time well spent. She has handled numerous events for not only me, but for friends as well. The fourth star is for her. -
Review from May y.
Seattle, WA
1/19/2010
This place sucks ass. It was a Saturday night and the original plan was to go to Trinity, we passed by it and saw that were was a line but whatever. We found parking, was walking over to Trinity when a good friend of mine who was looking for some of her friends called and said "hey, wanna go to Aura? There's no line."
Looked at the bf and he was in since there wasn't going to be a line. We find out why there's no farkin line. The place sucked big balls. We met up w/ my friend and a dude I used to go to high school with. We show them ID, one of the bouncer tells me to step aside so he can run that security stick thingymabobber (I don't know what it's officially called) on me. I'm cleared of course. But I just thought it was stupid for it to have to be used for a such an unknown, dead ass nightclub....I mean, shit, spend your money on promoting the fuckin place instead of buying dumb shit like that, then you would have more of a reason to use the shit. Shit.
So bf and I go in. Bouncers told us it was ONLY $20 for the two of us. We step up to the desk and lady told us it was ten for me and 15 for him. Which I never farkin understood. I mean why is it so much higher for guys? Are they charging more due to the height and weight discrepancy?!? And why can't the bouncers be more in-the-know about up-to-date shit?? If cover is different than what you told me before I walked in, shouldn't you wanna ask around first before you clock in for your shift??
Wtfark man!
But whatever, we're here. We hand over the extra $5 bucks. And as soon as we walked in, we realized we just threw money away for nothing. It's kinda like being on Punk'd except Aston Kutcher doesn't run out like a retard and tells you you've been punk'd. This was real and we just wasted $25 bucks.
The place was dead. It was literally the size of the top floor of my house and there was like maybe 25 people in there. Like as soon as you walk in, you basically seen the whole "club." So then even worse news, I get a call from my friend who's outside telling me the bouncers won't let her in because she has a hole punched through her signature. Wtfark man. It wasn't like it was punched through her fuckin DOB! Dumb shits. What does her signature have ANYTHING to do w/ her age?!?
So bf is pissed at this point. We didn't wanna leave my friend since she caught a ride w/ us and we realize we just handed over $25 bucks to walk into a building and out. One of the bouncers says we can maybe try to get our money back if we go in and ask. We think hey, why not? It's worth a shot. Nope. No can do. But she does give the bf a good-for-one-free-drink card which he uses immediately. It was fitting for a moment like this.
As we leave, one of the bouncers feels bad and hands us a couple VIP passes that he claims "may or may not work." Uh yeah. Nice dude but I don't think we'll be back next weekend trying to use a "VIP pass" that may or not work....thanks though. -
Review from Tarah M.
8/12/2010
Wasn't much of a fan of this place. Cover was $5, which was okay but still too much for any place in Pioneer Square. Prices were too high for drinks, but what's new? The atmosphere was decent and modern, with videos of the music playing on the wall screens. And speaking of music, the DJ had a good mix going on.
So why 2 stars? Well, the first was that the bathrooms were filthy. I know I shouldn't expect clean bathrooms at ANY club, but there was no toilet paper found anywhere which is a bathroom disaster for any woman who is drunk, sore from dancing, and needing to squat for about 3 min. only to find she as no tp *sigh*. This also included no paper towels. Boo! Also, the crowd appeared to be young college students which made me feel super old. I feel strange having some kid with a bird chest try to holler while I'm trying to dance with my girls.
I had to take my old ass somewhere else. -
Review from Isy E.
9/27/2010
I love that when I come here, I can always count on encountering that creepy guy who follows me wherever I go in the club and keeps asking for a dance until I finally put my angry face on a scream, "no!!!". So enchanting!
But aside from that, this place is okay. A good friend of mine booked the downstairs VIP area for my birthday and we had a pretty good time, lounging on the beds. I drink gin martinis, and they didn't have any vermouth, wtf, or olives, double wtf?
Music is OK, but not really my thing. I think they played techno on my birthday night, though they did play some more hip hop upstairs. The staff at the door are ridiculous and are way too pretentious for this venue. Lighten up, guys, it's just a night club. -
Review from Jackie B.
Tacoma, WA
2/1/2010
Hmmm....where should I start? ....First of all, if there is a line outside, it's a joke cleverly positioned for appearances only. We planned to show up at 10:30 so we'd get in before 11:00 and not have to pay the stupid cover but we were made to wait in a line (that seemed unnecessary) for over a half hour so by the time we got in it was 11:07...and had to pay the cover. I applaud the management for this super awesome tactic of squeezing more money out of people. "YAY" for them. Seriously, I'm a Capitalist. Good for you.
Inside, it is just an open space with a bar off to the side (Yawn..) My first thought was, "This would be a good place to have an art show." but not a club. If you are waiting in line to buy a drink, you are also on the dance floor. Not good. Downstairs was a little better set up though. Oh and "Hooray!" for the one go-go dancer in the booth. At least you can watch her dance around if you get bored.
Overall, kind of lame. For the price of cover and drinks, go somewhere else. There are better clubs in Seattle. I'd only go here if you could get in without having to pay the cover because it's really not worth it, especially now with the economy sucking. If your cover is going to be on the "higher" side of the spectrum and your drinks are going to be a tad pricier, your club should be way better. There is room for improvement here. 50% of the music was good...sorry DJ, but you got some practicing to do with your transitions...and you should invest in some more music :( (The DJ downstairs was better; why was he downstairs?! He should be promoted to 1st floor. )
The good news is that I actually had a fun night but only because the people I came with were so friggin' cool that we could have had a good time inside a flaming bag of poo. -
Review from Cindy T.
8/30/2010
I decided on Aura for my 21st birthday, and had a fun, memorable night. It was also my first time there, so upon arriving I didn't know what to expect. From pictures it looked small, but I soon realized that there are actually two main floors. The main floor, as you enter has a full bar service on the left, multiple TV screens playing music videos of songs, a photobooth in the back. There is a upstairs, where I had my VIP booths reserved, and overlooking the floor. It was nice, because only my guests can go upstairs which they were given wristlets, and had staff standing at the bottom of the stairs enforcing that rule. NICE. I went on a Saturday night, so there was also no cover before 11pm, (rsvp online) and $5 goose and henney.
I didn't realize there was a second dance floor until I heard from my friends. That's where the 'main' party was at. There was more booths, beds, and another bar service. I think I would have liked to have my vip down in the basement area. Since...there was a actual dj present, and it seemed like that's where most people ended up to be. Although, I did like the upstairs treatment in my original reserved area.
The crowd was generated of more younger college students type. There was also go-go dancers, (one was in a box on 1st floor)
My friends and I had a good time, (stayed from 11pm to close..!) the place was moderate, nothing special. Con: didn't know there was a second floor..hidden. (Where people went) 1st floor had no live dj. Bathrooms small (2 stalls, not too clean) Not extremely crowded that night. Pros: lots of booths, photobooth (free printing too!), re-entry, two full bar service. -
Review from Paul B.
8/14/2010
I've heard about this place for the longest time, but came in for the first time tonight - sober, might I add, so this will be a legitimate review!
There are somewhat three floors. One has space for you to look over the dancefloor, one is just the main space you enter when you first walk in (very typical), and the last is when you go downstairs with a funky wall w/ lights.
At first glance the place looks pretty small, but as you explore, the space is actually pretty funky. I liked the crowd and how they were more down to dance. Really urban feeling. However, I thought it was kind of weird that on a Friday night, they weren't packed as heck though there was a pretty extensive line to get in. Must be a marketing tactic, but when going inside, I was like 'what the heck.' Whatever.
I'd come here again...as long as I'm on the VIP list again. No cover, thanks! -
Review from Katy B.
3/16/2010
I have been to Aura twice now, and I will make this my first "nightlife" review. The music has been pretty good both times I've been here - probably the most decent hip hop you'll find in Seattle.
Hot girls dancing in this weird glass room thing above the dance floor. There is a lower level that plays the same music, but for some reason no one goes down there.
Friday night is the night to go! Great place to drink and dance!
P.S. There is a very small "VIP" area in the loft that overlooks the dance floor.. kinda weird but I guess some people think it's worth it. -
Review from Kanchana S.
Manhattan, NY
4/18/2010
As far as dance clubs go, this place is good. I went here on a Saturday night, and really liked the music. The DJ was playing a good mix of songs that were new and a couple of years old.
There are two dance floors. You walk onto a large dance floor when you enter. The lower level has a few booths and a lounge area. There's also a smaller dance floor down there.
This place is a bit new, so it's not as gross as some of the other clubs in the Seattle area. If you haven't been here and love to dance, you should definitely go. Cover is free before 11:00 p.m., but the line gets very slow around 10:30 p.m. hmmmmm......
This place is good as it gets for Seattle. But, as far as clubs go outside of Seattle, Aura is about 3 stars in my book. -
Review from matthew r.
Lynnwood, WA
8/31/2010
Ok, gonna try to review the venue itself.
First: Aura, you take yourself way too seriously. You have way too many angry bouncers, and a bouncer with a badge? And a pat down on the way in? I know this is becoming the norm, it's still absurd.
You also have way too many VIP areas. This is seattle, you need 1 VIP for sir mix a lot, that's it. Most VIP areas (that is, a couched roped off) were empty pretty much all night. Stop being silly.
Dance Floor: Winners learn about the dance floor in the basement sooner rather than later. Upstairs is pretty bad, downstairs is pretty fun.
Drinks: Expensive, but probably fair for p-square
Crowd/DJ: Varies, obviously by event. The DJ sucked when I was there, the crowd wasn't great.
Could you have a good time at Aura? You bet, if you go when there's a good crowd/good DJ. Nothing about the venue itself is bad, I'd give it 3 stars if it would learn to stop being so arrogant. -
Review from Tina G.
Seattle, WA
2/7/2010
Met up with a group of friends at this club which was recommended as the hottest new club in Seattle. Not really being a clubber I dreaded the night a little. Come to find out we had so much fun! Beautiful place with very attractive people.
I went there when it used to be Wild Palms and OMG the place was remodeled beautifully. Love it! -
Review from Kaycie L.
Sacramento, CA
9/3/2010
* No cover charge * $1 Corona before 11 p.m. (limited time) * Small dance floor * Small tables * Bar tables * GoGo Dancer * Poles * DJ * Casual dress code *
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Review from Marissa M.
Seattle, WA
3/6/2011
Went to Aura for a party where the upstairs VIP area was reserved. Ordered drinks from a waitress all night and the wait wasn't terribly long. However, at one point we tried to get drinks from the bar and gave up after a ridiculously long wait in line. The music selection wasn't great and almost no one seemed to be dancing on either of the two floors. This was the most disappointing aspect of this club for me. The ladies restroom ran out of toilet paper and was really gross. It would be nice if there was another restroom on the lower level.
I would probably not go back to Aura unless a friend had VIP reserved again. I would have given it two stars if it weren't for the VIP service. -
Review from mary c.
5/26/2010
Seesound Lounge with beds. The last time I was here was kinda strange. There was hardly anyone on the main floor. I went downstairs and it was PACKED. So we decided to stay downstairs. As the minutes, or hours, passed by, it started to look empty. Maybe because the DJ decided to throw in some Lady GaGa in his repertoire. We went upstairs and it's PACKED. The music was good (I'm pretty critical when it comes to music), 0 encounters with annoying drunkos. They're very stingy with the Nuvo that I had to order 2 at a time.
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Review from Seng S.
Seattle, WA
8/15/2010
My first time going to Aura. It was fun. The bed on the downstairs was cool. They played some old school hip hop. The music selection was okay.
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Review from Yo M.
Seattle, WA
6/18/2010
...over all it was very good compare to all the reggae spot I have been to!
I like the size of the dancing floor and the way things were set up. It's not a place where u sit and have chat chat. U have to wanna dance. The bartender was real cool, he made me really sweet drink and I liked it a lot. Too many guys but no females...no idea why.
It was clean and kind of new looking...
O O MY! they were serving Jerk chicken and it was the best Jerk i ever had. Now I know what my Jamaican buddy was talking about ;) -
Review from Ms. A.
Seattle, WA
12/8/2009
So after hearing about this new bar in Pioneer Square a friend and I decided to check it out and see what it was all about. I mean a new bar, fabulous right? Well we get up to the door and the bouncer says "I need to check in your purse", which by the way was a little going out bag that just fits the essentials including my eye contact drops....which they confiscated! Bouncer: " I'm going to have to take those" Me: " Huh? what are you pointing at" Him " Your eye drops" Me " Your kidding right? I need those, (it just happened that I got new contacts that day and was having really bad dry eyes and well need I say more). Him " You may pour them in someone's drink" Me " Really? someone's been watching way too many movies"...He held them for me and said I could get them on my way out. So let me get this straight, we're in Pioneer Sq, not the safest place in Seattle to go out in the past few years and instead of patting people down you search their purses and take Saline drops because I MAY put them in someone's drink, which btw causes diarrhea if you didn't know this already. Finally we get inside, I have Deja Vu, it's an old club that they re-did but don't ask one of the bouncers inside, I think they have been instructed to look like Arnold. S in the Terminator, not a smile not even a crack. The best thing about this place was the music..hip hop and some mixing, and some odd drink special, can't figure out what time we got there I guess before 11p and the drinks where $3 went back 15 minutes later they were $7 go figure. There really isn't a dance floor and there's no structure so if it gets packed well your toast. Not sure what was upstairs, but it looked like some VIP, private party, which cracks me up Seattle is SO not VIP. So moral to the story don't bring in eye drops or anything else that causes diarrhea!
