Mandalay Bay's Legendary Skybox Is Becoming a Vinyl-Spinning Lounge This August

The 63rd-floor space that spent more than two decades as Foundation Room is getting a full analog-audio makeover. Here's what Vinyl Room is bringing to the Strip and why it matters for anyone who loves a good night out.

A Strip Landmark Gets Handed a New Identity

For more than twenty five years, the top of Mandalay Bay belonged to Foundation Room, the members-heavy lounge that closed its doors last fall after a long run as one of the Strip's quieter status symbols. That space isn't sitting empty for long. Live Nation and MGM Resorts have confirmed it's being rebuilt from the studs into something called Vinyl Room, and the whole thing is aimed squarely at people who care about how music actually sounds, not just how loud it is.

The timing lines up with a broader shift happening in Vegas nightlife right now, where several operators are moving away from the bottle-service model and toward rooms built around a specific sensory experience, whether that's craft cocktails, live jazz, or in this case, a genuinely tuned sound system paired with a wall of records. Vinyl Room is aiming to open its doors this August, and given the pedigree behind it, this is one worth keeping an eye on before the crowds show up.

Inside the Redesign: Records, Not Ropes

The concept draws from Japanese listening lounges of the 1970s, a style built around treating a record and a good sound system with the same reverence a sommelier gives a bottle of wine. Expect rust-toned lounge seating, exposed brick, a wood-slat ceiling, and thousands of albums lining the walls, most of them by artists who've actually played shows in Las Vegas over the decades. There's no carpet in the new layout either, a small detail that matters a lot for how a room this size actually sounds.

Because the venue sits on the 63rd floor, the Strip views that made Foundation Room a go-to sunset spot aren't going anywhere. What's changing is what you're looking at while you take them in: custom vinyl decks behind the bar instead of a DJ booth, and a room engineered so the music is the actual point of the night rather than background noise competing with a crowd.

What's on the Menu (and the Turntable)

The cocktail list plays into the concept hard, with drinks named for eras and songs rather than just spirits, think a build called Golden Years alongside a nod to House of the Rising Sun. Food skews toward shareable, late-night bites with an Asian-leaning bent: sushi bites, a chili-crunch chicken wing, and a taiyaki dessert for the sweet-tooth crowd.

On the entertainment side, the plan is live, late-night sets that lean into the record collection rather than a standard club rotation, with the goal of feeling more like a listening room than a nightclub floor. Live Nation's Las Vegas leadership has described the intent as building something for the everyday music fan first, curating songs with real staying power rather than chasing whatever's charting that week.

Do You Need a Membership? Not Necessarily

Here's the part that matters most if you're just trying to plan a night out: Vinyl Room is open to walk-ins and reservations, so a membership isn't a requirement to get through the door. There is a paid annual tier for people who want a dedicated entrance, a private VIP room, and other perks, which is standard for this kind of high-end lounge, but the room is built to welcome regular guests too.

It's open seven days a week once it launches, which is a notable shift from the more exclusive, appointment-only feel Foundation Room sometimes had. That accessibility is part of what makes this feel like a genuine nightlife story rather than just another velvet-rope announcement.

Where This Fits in Vegas's Bigger Nightlife Picture

Vinyl Room isn't happening in a vacuum. It's Live Nation's second stab at this listening-lounge format after debuting the concept at the Hollywood Palladium, and pairing it with MGM's biggest Strip property signals they think this style of bar has real staying power beyond a one-off trend. Between this and the wave of craft-first cocktail bars that have opened across the valley this year, Vegas nightlife keeps finding new ways to make a night out feel intentional instead of just loud.

You won't need a members card or a rooftop reservation to get that same feeling closer to home, though. At Boomers, we've always figured the best night out is the one where you can actually hear your friends talk and the game's on where you can see it. Come hang out with us while you wait for your Vinyl Room membership to clear.

6 Things to Know Before Vinyl Room Opens

If you're curious what a needle-drop nightlife concept actually looks like on the Strip, here's the rundown on what's changing at Mandalay Bay's top floor.

1. A 63rd-floor view that isn't going anywhere: The terrace and sweeping Strip sightlines that made this spot famous stick around, just with a completely different room behind them.
2. Thousands of records on display: Albums line the walls, curated around artists with real Las Vegas performance history rather than a generic collection.
3. A design built for sound, not just style: No carpet, exposed brick, and a wood-slat ceiling are all functional choices meant to make the room sound as good as it looks.
4. Music-themed cocktails: Drinks like Golden Years and a build nodding to House of the Rising Sun tie the bar program directly into the concept.
5. Late-night Asian-leaning bites: Expect shareable plates like sushi bites, chili-crunch wings, and taiyaki for dessert instead of a standard bar-food menu.
6. Open to everyone, membership optional: Walk-ups and reservations work fine; the paid membership tier is there for regulars who want a private room, not a requirement to get in.

← More from the Boomers Bar blog