Inside Le Splendide, the exclusive Melbourne bar where phones and cameras are banned

As a growing number of bars and clubs across Europe ban selfies and videos, one exclusive Melbourne club is following suit. Here’s what goes on inside.

Diners and patrons are given little love heart stickers to place on the front and back of the smart phones when they first enter, to prevent photos and videos being taken when dining and enjoying a drink. Picture: Supplied

The anti-selfie revolution is coming.

A no-phones and cameras policy is gaining momentum across Melbourne’s most exclusive bars and private clubs.

It’s all about being present, living in the moment and a return to enjoying each other’s company.

It follows trends across Europe, in Berlin, London and Parisian nightclubs and restaurants, who are banning taking selfies and videoing in their establishments and on the dancefloor.

A no camera phones rule was implemented by South Yarra institution France Soir’s founder Jean-Paul Prunetti when opening his now packed and popular Toorak Rd side bar Le Splendide late last year.

Diners and patrons of the bar are given cute little love heart stickers to place on the front and back of the smart phones when they first enter, so as to not take photos or video when dining and enjoying a drink.

A no camera or phone rule was implemented by South Yarra institution France Soir’s founder Jean-Paul Prunetti when opening his now packed and popular Toorak Rd side bar Le Splendide late last year. Picture: Instagram

“I have been in the restaurant trade all my life and have seen how things have changed, not necessarily for the better,” Prunetti told the Herald Sun.

“Phones are taking over our lives, at lunches and dinners people are on the phone and not into what they eat, not relating to their friends, but focused on their phones. It is sad,” he said.

“It is all about taking the picture and being seen. It is annoying for the customers next to them with people taking photos on top of the table. The art of communication is lost, especially with the young crowd.

“At the bar we wanted to try and give people a space to come and have a drink, relate to each other and connect.

“We didn’t invent it, it has been happening in the States and in Europe, but we are catching up here now and the customers are loving the rule.”

Jean Paul Prunetti implemented the rule late last year. Picture: Supplied

Private members club the Sanctum HQ, the brainchild of former AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou is being spruiked as a fresh take on a traditional members-only club, and is going one step further, issuing a no phones policy for its members.

Yearly membership is about $5250 for its exclusive guests, who will not be allowed to take calls or video and photograph while inside the private club, which announced it will be opening from September at the Pullman Melbourne on the Park.

Special booths and areas to take calls will be provided, but the idea is to network and have real time face-to-face connections.

“Our phone policy reflects this ethos. Calls and video calls won’t be permitted in communal areas, and photos, recordings, and live streaming will be strictly prohibited inside HQ,” Sanctum general manager of marketing and membership Eileen Armstrong said.

“It’s the perfect antidote to the hyper-connected way we consume social media, and encourages members to be present and enjoy the company and experience around them.”

Private wellness health clubs like Saint Haven and EQ also have long waiting lists for memberships and are gaining momentum across Victoria.

EQ Wellbeing, which opened in South Melbourne in May last year, also encourages guests to put their phones away.

EQ Wellbeing, which opened in South Melbourne in May last year, also encourages guests to put their phones away. Picture: Supplied

Co-founder of EQ Wellbeing Mia Basic, a corporate and private space dedicated to health practices, hot and cold contrast bathhouse, breathwork and sound and light therapy, says it is a way for their customers and members to obviously not only have their privacy, but also provide them a place to completely disconnect and feel present.

“If you’re on the phone you’re not fully present. We ask people to put it away because stress recovery can’t happen when your attention is elsewhere,” Basic told the Herald Sun.

“If your attention is still on social media, emails, group chats, your nervous system doesn’t stand a chance. This is about giving your brain some time when it’s not alert.”

Originally published as Inside Le Splendide, the exclusive Melbourne bar where phones and cameras are banned