The Playboy Club Is Back! Your First Look Inside The Sexy New Spot

Sexual politics may have shifted a lot since 1962, when the original Playboy Club of New York opened in Midtown, but nearly 60 years later, the promise of bunnies and bottles still sells.

The new Playboy Club opens today, with an atmosphere that screams "sophisticated" rather than seedy. The iconic brand, which in the year since Hugh Hefner's death has featured the first transgender playmate in the magazine's history, seems to be getting with the times, while keeping up its famously irreverent reputation - just take a look at the Fashion Week bash Jeremy Scott just hosted there. (Then again, don't expect Gloria Steinem to be popping into the place anytime soon.)

A partnership between Merchants Hospitality and Playboy Enterprises, the multifaceted venue boasts a high-end cocktail and culinary menu, curated by Nobu veteran Richie Notar and mixologist and master sommelier Fred Dex, with offerings including Wagyu Miyazaki Steak and Spanish Turbot Meuniere. The dimly lit space, which is decked out in luxe interiors worthy of a certain red velvet smoking jacket, also contains secret hideaways, lounges, and event spaces for VIP members and guests. FYI, an all-access membership will run you about $100,000 a year - though they start at $5,000.

Besides, of course, the bunnies-in-residence (whose signature costumes are complemented by accessories by Roberto Cavalli), notable features of the new hot spot include a Playboy Gallery displaying 65 years' worth of unseen images and artwork, a 600-gallon exotic aquarium with a hand-sculpted, bunny head reef at the tank’s center, a one-of-a-kind backgammon table, an ornate oval bar, and a subterranean speakeasy spanning three underground levels.

This certainly isn't your grandfather's Playboy Club - we mean, hopefully.

Click through for your first look inside!

Playboy Club New York,  512 West 42nd Street

[Photos courtesy Playboy Club New York][Photo by Carl Timpone/BFA.com]