× Expand Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Pull out the book of superlatives—you’re gonna need it.

St. Louis' first large-scale karaoke lounge opened its doors last night in U. City. Take one step inside W Karaoke Lounge, and you’ll feel you’ve been teleported to Sin City. The high-style, private room concept is common in Southeast Asia, is still new to the east and west U.S. coasts, and is completely new in the Midwest.

Here’s what you need to know.

× Expand Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Common area:

Immediately inside the door is a small stage backed by a massive curved TV screen, displaying karaoke lyrics in one of five languages (English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese). This area is geared toward the customer who enjoys performing karaoke in public, rather than with friends in private. Straight ahead is the bar, offering an ample selection of hard liquor, local craft beers, plus a handful of wines and champagnes.

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

A sophisticated touch screen system allows guests to cue up songs juke box style (and at no charge). The floor is a glossy mosaic of black, white, and gray geometric tile. The silver studded tables and chairs look like something out of Johnny Weir’s playroom.

The audio system is “the best karaoke music system we could buy,” according to Xueqin Lin, who owns the business with Ivan Wei (the “W” of W Karaoke Lounge). Wei also owns two popular restaurants, Joy Luck Buffet in Brentwood and Corner 17 in the Delmar Loop.

Based on the front room alone, W Karaoke Lounge is one of the slickest and hippest looking places in town. Be advised: the show is just beginning.

× Expand Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Private rooms:

An array of private karaoke rooms flank two parallel hallways with a crystal-and-mirror effect best described as bedazzling. All rooms have assigned numbers, rather than kitschy names. Early patrons compared the look to something out of Beijing, LA, Vegas...or Mars.

Each karaoke room is decorated similarly but differently. All are outfitted with wraparound couches, soft stools, large TV screens, cordless mics, a golden, Liberace-esque stand-up mic, and the same advanced touch-screen audio system. The layout and design are a collaboration between Tao+Lee Associates (a local architectural firm) and a NYC-based architect who specializes in karaoke lounge design. (Shout out to contractor Brandon Wright, who worked tirelessly for seven months—we met him on a Sunday—to see the project through to fruition.)

Photography by Kevin A. Roberts Photography by Kevin A. Roberts Photography by Kevin A. Roberts Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

× Expand Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Room Rental:

The sizes and rates for the ten private rooms are as follows:

Small rooms (6): $58 per hour (up to 10 people)

Medium rooms (2): $88 per hour (12-15 people).

VIP Room 1: $108 per hour (up to 25 people)

VIP Room 2: $98 per hour (15-18 people), located on the second floor along with a private restroom.

At present, there are no dollar or drink minimums, just the room rental. “If a couple just wants to come in and sing their hearts out for an hour, the cost is $58,” says Lin, who adds that even the front (common) area is available to rent.

Besides the overarching concept, many of the color schemes (like the mix of blue hues, wood, and stainless steel above the bar) are unique to St. Louis as well. Lin says, “We took the best design elements from both the U.S. and Asia and came up with something unique… the one and only place of its kind in the Midwest.” From a design standpoint, he thinks it’s the best karaoke bar in the U.S. and hopes to draw customers from near and far.

Karaoke parties cast a wide net: birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, celebrations of any kind…even family get togethers. Depending on the day and hour, the W staff is able to decorate rooms to fit a particular theme or occasion.

Beverage selection:

W Karaoke Lounge offers full bar service, plus six craft draft beers and bottles, a selection of champagne and wines and by the glass or bottle, and house cocktail list that’s still in production. Guests in the private rooms are encouraged to order bottle service, as it’s less cumbersome and less expensive. Private rooms are not disturbed unless someone inside presses the call button. Lin says the whole purpose of the private rooms is for guests not to be disturbed, so the drink and food menus were designed with that in mind.

Food:

Pan-fried dumplings, typical of the finger foods on the menu at W Karaoke Lounge

The menu is heavy on appetizers, sharables, and finger foods, the same as in Asian karaoke bars. There are some larger, entrée-size items, but as the owners point out, a karaoke lounge is not the kind of place for a sit-down dinner. However, Lin says if someone wants a big meal, there are several options. Some menu items—popular street foods like deep fried sesame balls and salt and crispy chicken—will be the same as those offered at Corner 17. Plans are to keep the kitchen open until 30 minutes before closing.

Age Limits:

All ages are welcome (under 21 must be accompanied by an adult) until 10 p.m. when all guests must be 21 or older. “Families are absolutely welcome, though,” notes Cher Wei, Ivan's cousin. “Karaoke is a great way to celebrate anything, really. We already have a birthday party for a 14 year old on the books.”

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History:

Humans have been singing—alone or in groups—for eons, beginning when, as this article mentions, “we all sang our collective history, sitting around a fire, deep in a cave.” Today we sing at family gatherings, parties, sporting events, in church…to say nothing of riffing a few bars in the car or shower.

The same article states that “karaoke” is a portmanteau of two Japanese words meaning “empty” and “orchestra” and traces its roots to the invention of the Karaoke machine by a Japanese musician in 1971. Its precursor in the U.S. may have been a 1960s TV show called Sing Along With Mitch (hosted by Mitch Miller), where audiences were encouraged to “follow the bouncing ball” to superimposed lyrics for songs performed live on air.

Karaoke evolved in Asia with the introduction of home versions of karaoke machines. These eventually spread to the states, morphing into karaoke nights at bars replete with KJs (karaoke jocks).

Karaoke became a household word with James Corden’s introduction of Carpool Karaoke on The Late Late Show, a recurring segment where he and a pop singer tool around LA belting out the artist’s hits (among others) at full volume.

Today’s karaoke has become multicultural, according to Cher, who references the increasing worldwide popularity of “Southeast Asian karaoke,” the kind experienced in Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam, where singing is performed in private groups rather than in public.

× Expand Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Reservations:

W Karaoke Lounge is active on Facebook and Instagram; the website is still in development. An online reservation platform is in the works, but in the meantime rooms can be reserved by email or phone (314-376-4055) in increments of 30 minutes. Walk-ins are welcome and encouraged (as that is the custom in Asia), but reservations are recommended on weekend nights.

Cher has observed that, “People who come to the Delmar Loop are looking for something unique and hip. That’s how we started…we were customers first. We’d love it if our customers opened businesses here, too.”

Editor's Note: This article was updated from its original version.