Haze nightclub incorporates unique themes to give guests surreal experience

Haze. The word evokes a dreamy, surreal alteration of reality, and that's exactly why it works so well as the name of the nightclub at Aria, where a few atypical design features help to create a sense of dreamy unreality for guests.

Haze, 3730 Las Vegas Blvd. South, opened on New Year's Eve 2009. The 25,000-square-foot club is a production of the Light Group, and seldom has the word "production" been more apt to use in reference to a nightclub.

Take, for instance, Haze's "human aquarium," where guests can gaze voyeuristically upon live costumed models playing out a scene.

"The concept of Haze is a play on the imagination, so the human aquarium takes that to the next level," says Jake Saady, vice president of marketing for the Light Group.

"It's completely redesigned every week with a custom theme, to give guests who are entering a surreal experience on their way in to the bar area. So we have live models, set changes and a very high level of costume design, hair and makeup. It's a pretty cool experience."

Similarly, a series of movable trusses in the ceiling creates the illusion that the very nightclub space is changing.

"When you walk in, you may see the moving trusses in one stationary position," Saady says. "Then, as the music builds, as the production builds, the lighting trusses will move. They're all on individual controls, so it becomes a show as it moves in harmony.

"We're constantly providing new visual stimulation on all different sensory levels. That's really what it's all about, to get people to experience something completely different every time they come in."

On Thursdays, Haze's industry night, the aural ambiance is provided by resident DJ Karma. Locals are admitted free before midnight on Thursdays, and Saady says the club tries to book a special performer at least every other week -- Jay Sean is scheduled for Thursday -- "to give locals something really cool among all the other specials we book."

Fridays are Haze's recently inaugurated "In the House" nights, when "we have a different DJ coming in every week, and our resident opener on Fridays is DJ Stellar," Saady says. "Then, on Saturdays we have resident DJ Karma, then we fly in top open-format DJs from major markets all across the country."

Haze also schedules regular special performances, with a roster of recent guests that includes Bruno Mars, Katy Perry and Adam Levine.

Haze is open from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays. Admission is $40 for men and $20 for women .

For more information, call 693-8300.

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.