Top 10 Secret Rich People Clubs That Actually Exist

Chances are you’ve heard of Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner’s California mansion, but there was also an original mansion from when the publication was based in Chicago. However, it was the West Coast residence that was the site of hedonistic parties featuring movie stars, models, musicians - you name it. If we’re talking about questionable behavior, chances are it went down at The Playboy Mansion. Hef himself actually lived on the premises until his death in 2017. The site also featured an infamous underground grotto. This was a particularly secretive place where couples rendezvoused away from the prying eyes of photographers and the press!

When F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to your establishment as “breathlessly aristocratic,” you just know you’re in for something truly exclusive. The Ivy Club is just one of the private dining halls at Princeton University. It was also a male-only club until the year 1991. Those seeking entry had to successfully navigate not one, not two, but ten interviews, and even then acceptance wasn’t guaranteed. The interior of The Ivy Club is opulent and ornately designed, while membership is one that continues long after graduation - it’s for life. Ok, if this is how the wealthy and elite spend their leisure time, consider us green with envy.

There’s nothing like a little taste of home. This is what’s offered at The American Club in Hong Kong, a place where Americans living in China can get a slice of comfort…for a price, that is. How much, exactly? It has a reported annual fee of over two grand, as well as “a joining fee” of over four hundred thousand dollars. Two separate club houses feature fitness centers, lounges, spas, tennis courts and multiple restaurants that apparently feature some pretty good burgers. Want to get in on this luxurious R and R treatment? Goodluck, there is a very long wait list for membership!

Harvard University’s Porcellian Club is similar to other collegiate groups where only the crème-de-la-crème are afforded entry. What goes on behind these closed doors is kept very secretive. Many films will take inspiration from conspiracy theories surrounding these student societies. What we do know is that The Porcellian Club is exclusively male, and members can often be identified by golden pig emblems found on certain articles of clothing. A particularly wild claim about The Porcellian states that should an individual not “make it on their own” by the time they turn forty, the club will give them their first million dollars. Now that’s a club that pays to join – literally!

This otherwise nondescript building on High Street in New Haven, Connecticut houses one of the most infamous secret student societies, Yale University’s Skull & Bones. Members of this group, known sometimes as “Bonesmen,” are very protective of what goes on within the walls. Outsiders, however, are just dying to know the truth. Even handymen and maintenance workers are physically escorted in and out of the premises. The film “The Skulls” certainly had fun with all the intrigue and rumors surrounding the club! What we do know is that High Street is a place where money, privilege and power converge, and where the Skull & Bones keep their secrets.

We all know that living in New York City is expensive, but what about “living it up” in New York City? The CORE Club offers an experience to do just that - for a hefty price, of course. Fifty grand up front and fifteen thousand a year will get you six stories of decadence. It’s the ultimate place to network with other elite professionals and indulge in some high-class culture. Or, you can simply relax in obscenely expensive style. The CORE Club is the place where movies get screened and the hottest artists display their work. In short, this NYC playground is strictly for the rich and powerful!

Have you ever watched a movie with an over-the-top portrayal of excessive indulgence and thought to yourself, “no one really lives that way?” Well, feast your eyes on The Carnegie Club. It’s here that you will find rich people doing rich people things in a very rich way. You want falconry? They’ve got falconry! How about riding some horses? Done. Golf? You can golf for days here! Of course, all of this comes at a cost, namely thirty grand and another ten thousand in annual fees. But, isn’t that a small price to pay to feel like an obscenely rich ‘80s movie villain for a day? We’ll let you decide.

The requirement to join this club is simple, you must own something. But, not just anything, it needs to be a museum. Yes, this is essentially the “entry fee” for the Museum Owners Club. There are no annual fees, no hoops to jump through - you just have to own a museum! That’s not so hard, is it? Much like museums, this club is all about being cultured and refined. Of course, we have no idea what sort of conversations go on behind the doors of the Museum Owners Club. What we do know, is that if you don’t own a museum, but have your own island, you can get into the Private Island Owners Club!

You can’t look up Club 1930 on the internet. You can’t call them either. You won’t even know where it is, because someone has to invite you to join, not to mention show you the secret door. Dying to see it yet? Good luck, because Italy’s Club 1930 is the ultimate mystery. The venue is a throwback to the speakeasies that sprung up selling illegal booze during the Prohibition Era. Members of Club 1930 are even given an ID card that supposedly can only be viewed under ultraviolet light, making this club the ultimate combination of secrecy and style.

We’ve discussed a lot of secret clubs where the rich hangout and otherwise have a good time, but what about where they plot or engage in ritual sacrifice? Bohemian Grove is a secret, male-only club that has captured the imaginations of conspiracy theorists around the world. There has been video and photographic evidence of some of the Club’s practices over the years, however. This includes the “Cremation of Care,'' a ritual that reportedly involves the symbolic sacrifice of a burning effigy. And while members can invite female guests to the Bohemian Club at certain events throughout the year, the California grounds are strictly off-limits to the general public.