The hippest new members membership in NYC is a ‘grandma gaming’ salon

This ain’t your typical grandma’s weekly bridge mahjong recreation.

In New York City, a rising variety of Gen Z and millennials are in search of out actions historically related to their grandparents — like backgammon rooms, chess matches, mahjong nights, and listening salons.

And they’re paying as much as $2,500 a yr for the privilege — as a slew of achingly hip new members golf equipment have opened as much as capitalize on the development.

The rise in recognition of those hobbies comes amid rising digital fatigue and a shared longing for extra intentional types of connection.

And in 2026 NYC, these old-school hobbies include a twist.

Over on the Lower East Side, stylish contributors have interaction within the practically 1,500-year-old recreation of chess amidst horny darkish lighting and a DJ spinning tunes at Club Chess — a downtown pop-up sequence mixing nightlife and chess matches.

Co-founder Alexander Luke Bahta, who grew up enjoying chess from a younger age, advised The Post that after the pandemic he felt there was a brand new technique to socialize.

What started as an experimental Wednesday-night chess gathering in 2023 shortly exploded right into a sequence of eclectic occasions, generally ticketed, generally open to the general public, and generally invite-only, held all through the town, turning a traditional recreation right into a nightlife attraction drawing patrons who “are a mix of chess aficionados, beginners, and people who simply come to enjoy the total experience.”

“It just made sense to combine my obsession with music, worldbuilding, and chess into one thing,” Bahta mentioned. “We supply folks an area that’s surreal sufficient to make enjoying chess really feel new and thrilling.

Founded across the identical time as Club Chess, avid chess gamers Isabel Münter and Simone Roberts created Pawn Chess Club, a pop-up chess occasion designed to convey folks collectively in a low-stakes surroundings.

The membership, which welcomes each novices and skilled gamers, has hosted occasions at Manhattan sizzling spots like Casino, Time Again, Happier Grocery, and even The Met, with tickets obtainable via advised donations promoted on social media.

For Münter and Roberts, the concept started casually after they purchased just a few chess units and invited pals via Instagram.

“By the third event, most of the people there were strangers to us, which was exciting because it meant the idea resonated beyond our own circle,” Münter mentioned.

“We were surprised by how quickly it took off.”

“The energy at Pawn is insane. I once waited 45 minutes in the rain outside of Happier Grocery for a Pawn event,” Josephine Weidner, a Pawn Chess Club lover, advised The Post.

“There are people of all ages and backgrounds, and everyone is welcome.”

But it’s not simply chess setting nightclubs alight.

In the center of Soho is 7 Spring, an unique, very stylish, invite-only $2,500-a-year backgammon members’ membership based by siblings Noor and Yazan Haddad, which opened in late 2025.

It’s already drawn a lot consideration from each deep-pocketed New Yorkers who love the traditional board recreation and people who merely desire a luxe spot to unwind in after a protracted day.

Noor Hadad advised The Post that the purpose was to create a curated house the place folks may bond over a typical pastime.

“There are a lot of great members’ clubs in NYC. What makes 7 Spring unique is that you can go there and meet new people and bond with them over a shared passion for Backgammon,” member Yoni Ben-Yehuda advised The Post.

“The games get lively, and there are players of all levels, from beginners to pros, so there is always a great game to watch or play in. Or in my case, get schooled by better players,” he joked.

Other traditional video games as soon as beloved by AARP customers, like mahjong, are additionally drawing huge younger crowds.

Yelp has seen a 4,467% enhance in US-based searches for golf equipment that host the tile recreation that originated in China from September 2024 to August 2025, in comparison with the yr earlier than, as initially reported by the WSJ.

On TikTok, #mahjong has virtually 120,000 movies of every thing from gamers raving in regards to the recreation to folks giving tutorials for others to learn mahjong in “90 seconds.”

Green Tile Social Club, which began in 2022, has grown right into a pop-up mahjong group occasion held throughout the town that, for a $25 entry charge, permits folks to socialize and have a novel weekend outing.

Similar to its gaming counterparts, Green Tile hires an elegant DJ to spin immediately’s prime hits, as cocktails are handed round to its 100-something gamers.

Since the autumn, the social membership has elevated its variety of attendees from 4,000 to eight,000, in accordance ot the WSJ.

Even newer ideas like Stylus, a members-only “listening salon” opening at 48 Clinton Street later this yr, are leaning closely into analog rituals and sensory experiences.

The 10,000-square-foot, four-story house, which is able to host each vinyl periods and dwell performances, is designed for people who find themselves obsessed with sound and describes itself as a refuge from the “algorithmic and standardized nature of our modern lives,” centering music, acoustics, and intentional listening experiences.

“With an increasingly cacophonous, frenetic, and alienating urban life and world at large, people are seeking places that provide respite, refuge, and intentional communion,” Luisa Gui, managing director of Stylus, advised The Post.

A broader nostalgia-driven cultural shift has been prevalent amongst youthful generations lately. Gen Z and millennials are reportedly main the cost, more and more romanticizing merchandise and experiences that generally predate their very own lives.

Consumer retro trends present people actively utilizing nostalgia as a type of “escapism” via music, motion pictures, and style.

But organizers of those areas say the recognition is extra rooted in reclaiming presence in a hyper-digital period.

“I don’t think technology is inherently bad, but I do think people are becoming more conscious of the difference between being digitally connected and actually feeling connected,” mentioned Münter.