Named for the temperature of its lounges -- minus five degrees Celsius (approximately 23-degrees Fahrenheit) – the Minus 5 Ice Lounge is approximately 1,300 sf and indeed made of ice -- the walls, the bar, the chairs, the glasses and, of course, the sculptures. The room is kept sub-freezing with the use of refrigerated wall panels hidden by the ice. As part of the show, guests are provided with winter gear -- sheepskin-lined parkas, gloves, and booties – to keep them comfortable.

Next door is the "feeder bar" or "warm room," a similarly sized but heated establishment built out in an early 1900s Schakelton's Lodge theme where people can drink and eat snacks while awaiting their 30-minute, $30 dollar experience. The experience includes a complimentary vodka drink – or a non-alcoholic drink -- and a maximum of three drinks because the cold temperature enhances the effect of the alcohol and they don't want anyone a pretending they're in a hockey rink.

The first Minus 5 Ice Lounge debuted in Auckland in 2002. A second one opened in Queenstown in 2003, followed by Sydney in 2005, the Gold Coast in 2006, and Portugal earlier this year 2008. The Las Vegas location will be the first of many in the US. In addition to South Beach and New York City, Townsend is also scouting out a location in Los Angeles. Internationally in 2009, the company is headed to India, Singapore, Dubai and Manila.

The ice sculptures and other fixtures are carved from crystalline ice from glaciers in Canada and then shipped to Las Vegas where they are re-assembled on-site at Minus 5. The ice cocktail glasses are made in New Zealand from pure spring water and shipped in their frozen form.

Ling says Minus 5 spent more than two years developing and engineering its concept to ensure a comfortable, arid ice environment that involves no wind, wind chill or humidity inside the ice lounge, which the company says is a rarity for attractions of this nature.

Kept cool with refrigerated panels, the Ice Lounges are recreated every six- to eight weeks to keep things fresh, Ling says--not that anything would spoil at minus five degrees Celsius.