After two summers of public access, Atlanta’s swankiest rooftop playland for adults is switching to a members-only model high above the growing Interlock district in West Midtown.

L.O.A. Social Club, as the 38,000-square-foot, swim-and-dine concept above Interlock’s first phase is now called, is being billed as a “private rooftop getaway” as Atlanta’s pool season approaches again.

Mandy Slater, Slater Hospitality’s cofounder and chief creative officer, tells Urbanize Atlanta the changes officially took place in January.

A membership model had originally been the plan for L.O.A. (short for Leave Of Absence) at the outset, but after COVID-19 and other issues caused construction to take nearly four years, Slater and company pivoted to opening L.O.A. to the public to see how its many components would work together.

“It’s a complex operation with a lot of moving parts,” Slater wrote via email. “So, once we felt like we had [logged] some time, we decided to revisit our original plan.”

At four-feet deep, the pool is heated by solar arrays affixed to L.O.A.'s rooftop spaces. Slater says it's designed to be open year-round—and more for socializing, obviously, than doing laps. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

So what’s access cost? The Social Club carries a one-time initiation fee of $2,500. After that, annual dues are also $2,500.

If that’s a lot to financially swallow at once (we can't all be whales), there’s an option to pay quarterly ($650, or $2600 total), or monthly ($225, or $2,700 total). No day-pass options are available for any portion of L.O.A.—apart from being brought there as a guest of a paying member.

Membership includes access to the solar-powered pool (loungers for members and up to three guests), lockers and showers, the pool lounge, coworking club, gardens, and two private restaurants. Members can also host events at L.O.A.’s private venue with no additional fee, and attend scheduled private events such as spirit tastings, entertainment, wine dinners, and fitness events.

“Ultimately, we really wanted to offer a more personalized experience for each guest—now member—and create that ‘third space’ for people to be able to work, dine, lounge, and entertain friends or clients,” said Slater, whose company also developed Ponce City Market’s tourist-destination The Roof.

The Grove section that can seat up to 400.Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Stadium seating beside the pool, with glass railings for taking in the skyline. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

L.O.A.’s design took inspiration from Mykonos’ garden lounges, Monaco’s cabanas, and even cruise-ship decks to max out square footage on the SJC Ventures development’s roof. It can accommodate up to 1,000 people at once, plus about 200 employees, and it offers rare 360-degree views from Smyrna to downtown and Buckhead. (Find our photo tour of all L.O.A. spaces just before they opened over here.)

Is that worth the price to join? We shall see.

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