For more than two years, Denverite Arend Richard has been dreaming of a place where people who enjoy cannabis could come together and share a toke. A place similar to a bar or restaurant, where guests could order bongs filled with marijuana flower and THC-infused drinks in a stylish environment.
Soon, his dream will become reality. On March 7, Richard will open the doors to Cirrus Social Club, a weed lounge that offers a new kind of nightlife experience to locals and tourists alike.
Located at 3200 E. Colfax Ave., Cirrus Social Club is what’s technically known as a marijuana hospitality business. When it opens, it will be one of just a few establishments in Denver where adults can legally spark up.
Patrons who reserve a table will be able to order from a menu of Colorado-grown herb and indulge using Cirrus’ collection of glass pipes, bongs and other gadgets. With swanky chandeliers and decor, elevated munchies, and a pink Steinway & Sons piano, Richard hopes to broaden the public’s perception of cannabis and attract not only experienced users but also the canna-curious.
“I love the cannabis stoner archetype, it’s really important. But I also think the world would be a better place if more people consumed cannabis once in a while. And the only way to cross that threshold is by making cannabis approachable to a larger demographic of people,” he said.
Richard has long made it his mission to bring weed to a wider audience, both online and IRL. He first taught YouTube viewers the basics of toking on his channel The Gay Stoner before co-founding WeedTube, one of the largest social networking platforms for the marijuana community.
Over the past couple of years, Richard has traveled the country promoting Cirrus through a series of pop-up events that could pass for 420-friendly wedding receptions – a far cry from the traditional smoke circles à la “That’s ’70s Show.”
“My one true love and my one true specialty has always been getting people high and making sure they have a great time,” Richard previously told The Denver Post.
A “timelessly beautiful” vibe
Originally slated to open in 2023, the brick-and-mortar Cirrus Social Club has been a long time coming. Capital constraints and zoning issues delayed development, but Richard promises it’s well worth the wait.
At 8,600 square feet, Cirrus Social Club features a main lounge with tables and semi-private “living room” areas for parties of up to six people. There’s also a private room that fits up to 14 people and an additional ballroom, deemed the Rose Room, where Richard anticipates booking private events and hosting vendor pop-ups. (The Rose Room will open later this year.)
Richard worked with Denver designer Miranda Cullen of Inside Stories to create a “timelessly beautiful environment” inspired by a 1920s New York City hotel restaurant. One of the walls will eventually feature a big bar, but instead of displaying liquor, it will hold handblown glass smoking pieces, including several that Cirrus has custom-made for its brand.
Glamorous floral arrangements and neoclassical decor add an air of romanticism to the ambience, Richard said. Musicians seated at the pink piano will provide entertainment for guests, and when there’s not a person playing it, the piano performs music all on its own.
Cirrus is designed to be the kind of place where even grandmas will feel welcome, Richard said. In fact, he made many creative choices by thinking about his own.
“We have the ‘nana rule.’ Everything we do in Cirrus, we ask ourselves, ‘Would nana feel comfortable still coming in?’ If the answer’s ‘no,’ then we don’t do it, and if the answer is ‘yes,’ then we can implement it,” Richard said.
Marijuana and munchies menu
While the Cirrus aesthetic hasn’t changed much since its inception, Richard’s concept for service has. He originally wanted to serve “high tea” during the day and become a lounge at night. Now, Cirrus is leaning into the lounge vibe and offering an alternative to Denver’s other nightclubs Thursdays through Sundays, from 4 p.m. to midnight. Only here, the substance of choice is weed.
Guests who visit Cirrus won’t be flying solo. The servers, called flight attendants, will be like roaming budtenders, offering insight into the menu and the various tools available for each table’s “sesh,” Richard said.
Customers have their choice of several cannabis products, including flower, edibles and THC-infused beverages. Flower options range from beginner-friendly strains that are low in THC to premium cultivars. (Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the psychoactive compound in marijuana.)
Once guests choose their product, they then choose their “seshware,” a term Richard coined to describe the tools used for a smoking session, like dinnerware or flatware. He expects to offer volcano vape bags, glass pipes, and bongs initially, including Cirrus’ custom pink and white bong design. Every piece of communal seshware will be sanitized in a sanitation room designed for that specific purpose, Richard said.
Eventually, Richard plans to add other gadgets like gravity bongs and dab rigs, which are used for smoking concentrates, to the menu. Cirrus likely won’t ever permit joints and blunts, however, because of how the odor of burnt paper sticks to clothes and lingers in enclosed spaces, Richard said. State law also prohibits the sale of alcohol at marijuana establishments.
As for food, Cirrus will serve sharable, snacky bites. Richard is keeping most of the menu mum, but teased elevated takes on classic munchies.
“When we polled the world about what elevated munchie they wanted on the menu, the landslide victory was cheese sticks,” Richard said. “There may be a riff on variations of cheese sticks.”
One thing’s for sure, the kitchen will serve peanut-butter-and-jelly-and-Cheetos finger sandwiches – one of Richard’s original recipes he invented when he was a kid.
Though Cirrus Social Club opens on March 7, it will not begin accepting walk-in customers right away. Instead, folks who are part of the membership club or on the waitlist will be invited to burn down first.
Richard said there are roughly 5,000 people on the waitlist and encouraged anyone who wants to visit soon to join at cirrussocialclub.com/waitlist. Later in the year, the lounge will offer reservations to the general public.