Lebanese art connoisseur Rami Fustok is founder of the increasingly fetishized fashion sanctum The Mandrake – a dark glittering jewel of a hotel in the heart of London’s Fitzrovia that has the dreamlike ambience of a surreal netherworld. Extending his already globally renowned currency-of-cool, he has now opened his own member’s club within the walls of the infamous destination adorned with the kind of world-class art he is famed for hanging in his hotel. The lush and decadent ‘CoOc’ is only accessible via a secret entrance, which serves as a blood red portal into a Lynchian realm where plush carpets, low-profile furniture, deep velvets, furs and bold geometric patterns create a decadent vibe reminiscent of Hollywood circa 1973. The name of the early hours haunt is a playful twist on the word ‘kooky’ and it feels like a fitting nod to the venue’s eclectic after-dark je ne sais quoi, which has quickly become a magnet for radical tastemakers and avant-garde creatives. Here, the enigmatic founder speaks to Flaunt about re-imagining London nightlife, and tells us why his new club is the wayward sister of his cutting-edge wellness spa, which lies directly adjacent beneath his mystical hotel.

The Mandrake has always felt more like an extension of an unusual imagination than a hotel – why do you have a desire to invite people into another world?
I love life. I love people. And I want people to have a good time. I want to bring their fantasies to life. So much of my social life has been spent in hotels over the years, and what I have always loved about hotels, and clubs, is the sheer unpredictability of them. You never know whom you might meet in a hotel, because they are truly global and transient spaces. I have reached a time in my life now where I want to give something meaningful back to London – the city I grew up in, and the city I love. As with most capital cities, London is now full of copy-and-paste hotels that have a minimalistic vibe, and I wanted bring something that was the total opposite of that to the city, something completely maximalist. 

Was it always your desire to create something genuinely immersive?
Absolutely. There are always so many stories of owners talking about ‘the journey’ or ‘the experience’ of a hotel, but you very seldom actually feel that sensorial element or journey. At The Mandrake, I decided to accentuate all the senses and create a real journey. When you enter through our somewhat eerie portal, you disconnect from London completely and enter an alternate universe – a disconnected reality where you lose track of time and day, and lose track of where you are. It's an aesthetic that people can lose themselves in, where the senses are utterly heightened. ‍

It sounds as if a sense of theatre is very important to you?

Yes. I believe it should be theatrical. I remember when we were designing the hotel, someone said to me; you should make it like someone's home, so that they feel really comfortable. But I figure if someone wants to be at home, they can stay at home. No. I was always going to do something that fuels fantasy. I have a very provocative art collection that adds to the sensual feeling, and we have designed unique soundscapes in every space that change with the time of the day. We also have the scent we have produced for the hotel and the club. It's profoundly sensual, and the ambience is somewhat dark. Is it a dungeon? Is it a club? Is it a brothel? What is it? It can't be a hotel! These are the kind of responses I always want to elicit. People need to live in the moment more, you know? That's why we have digital detox areas in the hotel, and a no camera policy in the club – our spaces are all about connectivity to each other, and to the self, in the most authentic way possible. 

Is that connectivity something that is key to the nightclub CoOc? It’s being touted as one of London’s most exciting new spaces … 

It's just something different and something new, and people always want something new. We have created something unique that people were longing to see. I think clubs now tend to be a bit bland, and just, well, monotonous. They never really feel inclusive. What I've tried to do is create a members club that feels inclusive, and where everyone really knows each other. We are promoting the interconnectivity of our members, and just creating a real fun space where people can have a good time. The success of any club is the curation of the crowd, and we have a very creative sector that has come to us via word of mouth – creative people that are very engaging and sociable. It’s an authentic hub for like-minded souls.

Is authenticity something you seek out in life on a personal level?

Yes. I tell everyone around me that one of the most important things in life is to be confident of yourself – you must always listen to yourself, because if you listen to other people too much, you'll definitely be lost in your life. Listen to yourself deeply. Listen to your instinct. And always engage with nature. I love nature. I love to absorb the positive energy of the sun. I love to give that positivity to people. It’s really important to stay positive, because if you are positive, then the world will smile with you. I always find five minutes in the day where I put my head to the sky and absorb the positive rays of the sun. It makes a big difference, the positive energy of the sun; it changes my outlook on the day.

There is definitely a sense of yin and yang between the club and the spa …
Our spa ‘Damu’ is named after the Sumerian god of medicinal plants and rebirth and there we try to marry ancient wisdom with modern technology. We have the more traditional therapies or experiences, of course, but with cutting-edge modern technologies that really help channel energies. I've always been interested in energy and where we come from. I mean, we are all made of atoms, and it's the positivity of those atoms that creates life and energy as we know it. I specifically wanted to create a flotation tank that takes you to an undiscovered universe, so we created a flotation tank on steroids. Twelve speakers around the pool produce a soundscape that is something like angels whispering in your ear – beautiful, ethereal and celestial low frequency vibrations that travel through the water and permeate through your skin. It literally activates you down to your cellular structure. The idea is to bring you back to your mother's embryo – you feel the vibrations and you hear the sounds and go back to your core. It’s a way to rebalance yourself; rebalance your mind. Everything in life must be in balance. 

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