To some, the cool blue surroundings of this Rocco Laudizo-designed club suggest a giant aquarium. Maybe so, but you'll probably spend more time examining the fauna than the tank. Most nights Wet caters to a young (on Friday nights few of the patrons look old enough to rent a car), well-dressed crowd of scenesters intent on dancing and looking spectacular while doing so. The club's DJs oblige by playing a thumping mix of dance, hip-hop and chart favorites. The bar itself is clad in deep azure tones, along with bar-top dancers undulating in front of a wall of ever-changing incandescent light.

Cover is $20 Wednesday to Sunday, but you can half that if you "RSVP" (either online or by telephone) and turn up before 11. Drinks feature the usual dance-club price hike ($7 well, $8 premium, $9 super-premium), although bottled beer is fairly affordable ($4 domestic, $5 imported). In the main room there's no cocktail menu to speak of, but bartenders occasionally share special recipes, like the Red Bull, vodka and pomegranate-based Rosie Pom, with lingering clientele. The staff is generally courteous and prompt.

Prestige beats persistence in battling for access to the hallowed staircase leading to the upstairs V.I.P. room, where champagne service ($150-$400, depending on the bottle) and specialty cocktails ($8-$10) are the norm. Unless you book ahead through the website, knowing someone who knows someone is the key to sweeping past the rope with relative ease. However, as the coveted room isn't particularly expansive, you could end up just as cramped as the hoi polloi you waited thirty minutes to escape.

Centerstage Reviewer: Adam Burke