Sure, you can come to the iPic Theater to watch a movie in a comfortable seat, but you can do so much more. A cocktail in the Salt Lounge, luxurious reclining seats in an intimate movie theater, and high-quality food served right at your seat or, if you prefer, Tanzy, the restaurant.
A luxury cinema experience in Scottsdale
Is it a movie theater? Is it a disco? Is it an exclusive restaurant? The answer is yes, yes and yes. The luxury cinema experience has arrived in Arizona.
iPic Theaters made its Arizona debut in 2010 with its theater complex located in the Scottsdale neighborhood of North Scottsdale. From the moment I arrived at iPic, I was impressed by the grown-up vibe – there are no cardboard cutouts of superheroes or video games here. You are wrapped in warm light, cloth, and glass. iPic is designed to feel like you are in a luxurious hotel lobby or nightclub.
Music emanates from the Salt Lounge, where a variety of salts, spices, herbs and vegetables are available to provide guests with cool, adult-only beverages.
Across the lobby is the entrance to Tanzy, a full service restaurant serving modern Mediterranean cuisine in an elegant setting. Both Salt Lounge and Tanzy are accessible even if you don’t go to the movies.
The bottom line
So, let’s get specific about the movie experience. Buy your tickets online. There is no extra charge. There you will access a seat mapper the airline way, where you will select your reserved seats for your show. Premium seating is located at the front of the theater. You can buy any food or drink on your own and bring it here. The seats are large and comfortable, but they do not recline. Gold Class seats include valet parking, a small bag of popcorn, those wide soft reclining seats, and seat service.
You can request a blanket and pillow for the duration of the movie.
We arrived about 30 minutes before the movie started and we were invited to wait in the Salt Lounge. Drinks purchased here can be taken to the movies. About 15 minutes before show time, you can have an usher drive you to your theater. We were here to experience the iPic Gold Class VIP experience.
I found the seats very comfortable, although anyone with long legs will find that they cannot recline in chairs without their feet reaching the seat in front of them, at least if they hunched over the seat or have their legs stretched out.
Since we were able to enter 15 minutes before show time, we were able to read the menus at that time and place our orders. The trailers and the movie had started when our food arrived. I realized it was visually appealing, but I couldn’t really see it! Something to keep in mind if you don’t like using your fingers to eat.
Overall, I was impressed by the experience. You may not go to iPic every week, but it’s certainly a great place to spend an evening for a date or with friends.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer received ancillary services for review purposes. While you have not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy. All dates, times, prices and offers are subject to change without prior notice. 11/01.
