Do you ever go to a bar to chill out? Maybe after a long day, you need to cool off with a few cold ones. While these images probably bring to mind a typical bar, a few drinks with friends, and relaxation, they might have a completely different meaning if your hangout of choice was an ice bar. An ice bar, as the name implies, is a drinking establishment sculpted from, you guessed it, ice. These are typically tourist attractions, and not regular meeting places. The seats are usually made out of ice, and the interior is maintained at a chilly 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. If something like this sounds like your cup of (iced) tea, here is a list of some of the best ice bars from around the world:
ICEBAR
Orlando, Florida, USA
You don’t have to travel abroad to visit the largest and oldest permanent ice bar in the United States. Located in Orlando, ICEBAR is made from 50 tons of ice. Furnishings and glasses are made from crystal and carved by an award-winning Master carver. You’ll receive a thermal coat and gloves as you begin the experience called the Expedition, so don’t feel as though you have to carry your outerwear through usually hot-and-sunny Orlando!
Chillout Ice Lounge
Dubai, UAE
Imagine spending a scorching hot day in the desert of Dubai, then stumbling upon an ice bar. No, it’s not a mirage; it’s the Chillout Ice Lounge. When you enter, you’ll be given appropriate outerwear and will enjoy drinks served out of ice glasses while sitting on ice couches with beautiful ice chandeliers above you. When you shed your coat on the way out, the hot Dubai sun will warm you up again.
ICEBAR Stockholm by ICEHOTEL
Stockholm, Sweden
Existing as the world’s first ever permanent ice bar, ICEBAR Stockholm is carved from more than 40 tons of natural ice created from the Torne River by the famous ICEHOTEL sculptors. This bar has been around since 2002 and attracts not just the tourists but locals as well who are looking for drinks in the likeness of the Arctic North.
Skyy Vodka Ice Bars
Norwegian Getaway Cruise Ship, Norwegian Epic Cruise Ship, Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship
While the rest of the ice bars on our list are conventionally on land, these ice bars are unlike any other because they are AT SEA aboard Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway, Epic, and Breakaway ships only. Also unlike a lot of the other ice bars on our list, these sit at a literally freezing temperature of 17 degrees Fahrenheit. With Skyy Vodka specialty drinks aplenty, the temperature won’t be the only thing attributed to the chill times experienced in these ice bars.
SnowCastle of Kemi
Kemi, Finland
Another unique inclusion of this list comes in the form of a massive snow fort (the largest in the world). While the SnowCastle of Kemi’s ice bar is incredible in its own right, serving alcoholic beverages and nonalcoholic beverages, hot and cold, what surrounds the ice bar is a massive snow fort filled with restaurants, ice cream bars, and even a resort and spa to relax at.
Xtracold Icebar Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
There’s more to this ice bar than meets the ice. Before heading to the bar, you’ll be given the opportunity to dine in the lounge and even experience cocktail workshops of your choosing. After this is the main attraction for some: 3D movies in ice that take patrons on a “ride” over icebergs, underwater, and around fantasy ice escapes. Whether you choose to partake in the additional attractions or not, the ice bar is still there for relaxed, yet freezing, times with cocktails and extra cold beers.
Minus 5 Degrees
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Made from pure Canadian ice, furniture and glasses are intricately carved, but the decorational sculptures are changed often to refresh the ice bar. Because of the accessibility to brilliant sculptors and ice, private functions in the establishment are given the opportunity to have their logos sculpted as well. Minus 5 Degrees also has ice bar locations in New York and Monte Carlo.
Ice Village Ice Bar
Tomamu, Japan
Opening up every winter on frozen lake Shikaribetsu Kotan, this village of ice and snow offers Cafes, activities for children, shops, a hotel, and the famed ice bar. Most tourists to the area spend the day skiing, skating, or lounging before actually heading to the ice bar full of great selection and unique options. More than just the 50 plus options of hard liquor, the bar provides the opportunity to patrons to add the “perpetual snow of Dasetsuzan Mountain” to cocktails. This water is famous for providing a soft texture and known as the “water for long life” and a main ingredient for the Japanese sake, Otokoyama.
Ice Lounge
New Delhi, India
The Ice Lounge in New Delhi, India has a cultural twist. The Ice Lounge showcases Indian culture throughout all of its décor. A seven-foot tall carving of a lady greets you with her hands folded in the traditional Namaste greeting and, once inside, you’ll find peacocks carved into the back of the bar and a portrait of the Taj Mahal on the ice walls.
An ice bar is something that everyone should experience at least once!
If you’ve visited one of these (or any other) ice bars, leave a message in the comments section below to tell us about your experience!
