In Kuta, an ice bar has opened where you can drink from ice glasses at a temperature of minus 7 degrees.
Ice Ice Bali is located in the heart of Kuta on Legian Street, easily recognizable by the two-meter snowman at the entrance.
The bar is a two-story building – on the first floor, you can purchase hats and scarves with the bar's logo, somewhat reminiscent of hockey team symbolism.
The administrator on the first floor will ask you to pay for the ticket. The entrance to the ice bar costs 300 thousand rupiahs if you plan to drink non-alcoholic beverages and 500 thousand rupiahs with alcohol. Tickets for 500 thousand can be purchased on the bar's website. For 300 thousand rupiahs, you can only buy them at the entrance. Payment by card is possible with a 2% commission.
Visiting the bar is done in sessions, starting every hour from 4 to 9 in the evening. The stay inside lasts an hour, and the administrator strictly monitors the time.
I arrived at 8:15 in the evening, and not wanting to wait for 45 minutes, but the administrator was adamant – I was convinced only by assurances that I was ready to join a session 15 minutes late and a promise to leave the refrigerated chamber at 9 in the evening. After a solemn pledge, they tied a bracelet on me and allowed me to go to the second floor, where the bar is located.
On the second floor, I found... a regular bar! In Irish style – natural wood and green upholstery, semi-darkness, a massive chandelier in the form of horns. In this bar, I was offered to order a drink – the menu included strong alcohol, and its cost is not included in the ticket price. I realized that this bar is a "waiting area" and asked to be escorted directly to the icy part of the establishment.
By the way, in both halls, I was the only visitor. Perhaps other guests arrived at 8:05-8:10 in the evening and were not as insistent.
After 5-7 minutes of waiting, an animator in a down jacket and hat appeared. He announced that the adventure was beginning and opened the massive door to the ice bar for me.
At first, I found myself in a small vestibule where down jackets were hanging – all of them were quite large. I didn't notice any children's jackets there. There, I was also given a hat and gloves. The animator warned me that it's minus 7 degrees inside, so I should bundle up better.
I haven't seen winter in 5 years, so I anticipated visiting this bar as an entertaining attraction. And the wow effect really happened!
Firstly, the bar is indeed cold! It resembles a refrigerator about 20-30 square meters in size, adorned with ice sculptures. Inside, there are icy benches and chairs with soft white artificial skins thrown over them, and a bar counter. The bar is designed for approximately 30 people.
The down jacket turned out to be quite thin, and I quickly regretted not bringing a warm sweater, scarf, socks, and sturdy sneakers. Advice for those planning to visit this bar: don't count on them providing enough clothing, bundle up on your own!
Secondly, the bar is essentially one big photo zone. It soon became apparent that the animator was there precisely to take pictures of you in every corner! And there are indeed plenty of photo opportunities: the bar features the 'Snow Queen's Chair,' various installations, and ice sculptures, along with a small ice slide. However, the light in the bar is blue and quite dim. Naturally, there are no windows. If you bring professional photography equipment and a flash, be aware that upon exiting the bar, it will be covered in heavy condensation and fog (tested on an iPhone – it took about an hour to recover).
Drinks at the bar were served in ice glasses, and shots were offered to be consumed from skis. Moreover, this ambiance applied to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Perhaps, if you're drinking alcohol in a lively company, you can spend a whole hour in this bar, but I was having juices, and after just 15 minutes, I felt bone-chilling cold. My fingers were already freezing, struggling to hold the phone. And after 20 minutes, I realized that I've had enough of winter and asked to return to Bali :)
The staff warned that you can enter the ice bar only once, and if you go out to warm up, you can't get back in (by the way, there was no mention of this on Instagram or the website). It's unclear why such cold strictness when the session is designed for an hour, and I was the only one in the entire bar?
Summing up the visit, I can say that Ice Ice Bali is a cool place for themed parties in the style of the Ice Age. For those who are tired of the heat and want to experience winter, even for a short while, and for enthusiasts of unusual places.
If we talk about drawbacks, among them, it's worth mentioning the weak concept of the establishment – winter is poorly represented. There is no "winter" or New Year's music (they play regular pop), no truly winter entertainment (waving a pair of skis doesn't count), no winter menu (I really wanted hot shish kebabs with mulled wine or at least tea with lemon and honey!). It felt like the creators of the establishment only saw winter in movies.
Family leisure is not well thought out. And unwarranted rules and restrictions create a sense of indifferent service.
In general, if you want a truly wintry atmosphere, you'll have to create it yourself – ask to play your music, come up with contests and entertainment, agree in advance on hot tea, and everything else that constitutes the attributes of winter.
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