Los Angeles

Hitting a new club's a risky, often crappy proposition; to reduce your odds of hating it/yourself, find a place with battle-tested backers willing to follow their own proven formula. Now from the guys who brought you the Asian-inspired White Lotus, comes the pan-Asian-inspired Ritual.

Actually housed in Lotus' former digs, Ritual endeavors to infuse the zen principals of Mind, Body, and Soul into an environment where downward-facing-dog traditionally takes place in a bathroom stall. Like any serious center of meditation, Ritual boasts broad marble bars in triplicate, a go-go stage, and a dance floor where Euro DJs'll spin house music coordinated with videos playing on the room-enveloping flatscreens. There are also VIP booths with Asian-ish banners dangling above, signifying your beatific tranquility, and willingness to spend your rent money on 750ml of potato-based poison. For a breather, stroll onto the waterfall-equipped outdoor patio, then relax and allow your lungs to become one with sweet nicotine.

If you're looking for ballast, Ritual's also got a restaurant specializing in Pacific Rim-inspired cuisine -- chow down there before drinking heavily, because while overindulging can help you enjoy any club, pan-overindulging will help you even more.