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As a Gen Z, I’m not entirely sure what being in your 20s is supposed to feel like. Maybe, like millennials before us, we’re still searching for meaning and stability. The difference is, we had to start adulting mid-pandemic, mostly online.
We grew up digital. We vet places before going to check the vibe, the menu and the reviews. When we do go out, we’re cautious, anxious and self-aware. Millennials may have met people at bars, but we pick up our phones instead.
So it makes sense that we’d want our own safe spaces. Places where we can just be, without the judgmental stares of generations before us. And lately, a few of these have emerged, designed for us, by people who say they get us: Lil Tiger, a club under the HW Group, and FTL Gym’s new Kemanggisan branch.
These two very different venues both lean into the under-30 concept. But do they really understand the crowd they’re catering to? Well, kind of. They offer something I didn’t even know I wanted while also making me question whether I wanted it at all.
The not-so-little club
Lil Tiger opened its first branch in Pantai Indah Kapuk last September. By December, it had already expanded to QBIG BSD and Paskal Hyper Square in Bandung. That kind of growth says something.
Their “under-30” policy isn’t just branding. It’s enforced. I thought I looked young enough (I hope?) but I still got carded at the door.
This rule was partly inspired by a viral post last September from influencer Indah G, who said: “If you’re a guy over 40, why are you at the club? Why are you going for young girls who could be your daughters? This is why I don’t like clubs.”
HW Group took that seriously and built a concept around it. But the appeal of Lil Tiger goes beyond safety.
Walk in and you’re in a faux train car, much like the ones I take each morning to work. Step further and you hit a neon-drenched dance space dotted with KAWS statues and fueled by booming 2010s remixes.
At 11 p.m. on a Saturday, the place isn’t packed yet. Groups lounge on couch tables while a crowd forms around the centrally placed DJ booth. Staff in trendy blue parkas chat with guests like they’re catching up with old friends.
The vibe? Relaxed but buzzing.The price?
Surprisingly student-friendly.
Rp 200,000 (US$11.86) gets you a first drink charge with free-flow cocktails until midnight. And these aren’t watered-down mixers. They’re playful and punchy with cheeky social media lingo names like Lychee Rive Hella, Pick Me Nana, Bouje Berry and my favorite, Spill The Tea.
Almost but not quite
Lil Tiger gets a lot of things right. It’s designed to be a club where Gen Z can feel at ease, and there’s no denying it hits the brief in many ways. But for me, the experience felt, well, a little uncanny.
It’s like the club was built from a well-researched marketing blueprint. At some point, the Gen-Z references start to feel too self-aware, like it’s trying very hard to be cool.
Sure, it’s all stuff we’re familiar with, and it’s neat to see. But the novelty wears off fast. It’s like a dad trying to relate to his kid’s hobbies by dropping buzzwords and current memes, endearing, but slightly off.
And that’s where I feel a disconnect between what young people actually want and what Lil Tiger thinks we want.
Still, even though I’m not a big fan of clubs, amid the pounding remixes and playful absurdity of it all, I was entertained. I genuinely had fun. Even if the theming sometimes borders on ridiculous, Lil Tiger manages to be more playful than pretentious. It might not be my scene long-term, but it’s a bubble worth stepping into at least once.
The gym for Gen Z
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s FTL Gym Kemanggisan.
“This is actually our 30th branch and we wanted to make something community-driven and fun,” says Alvin Lim, FTL’s marketing manager.
“It still has all the equipment and programs you’d expect, but with more emphasis on the social aspect.”
It’s still recognizably FTL, with the bold blue and purple magenta palette and high-standard machines, but this location has extra flair: a mural, bean bags in the communal zone and a striking two-story swirly slide.
Yes, a slide. No, it doesn’t do much. But it breaks up the monotony between sets and it's fun.
“Most people go to the gym, finish their sets and go home, right?” Alvin says. “Here, we want them to socialize. Stick around. Make friends.”
Zumba, yoga and Pilates Zumba, BodyCombat, and Pilates Reformer studios here are massive and during peak after-work hours, they feature a live DJ spinning tracks mid-class.
“The energy attracts a more enthusiastic crowd,” says Abdillah Haady, one of the trainers. “The clients I work out with are generally more enthusiastic.”
It’s not exactly my ideal gym. The neon vibe can be a little much. But it’s playful and energetic and, if I’m being honest, I do like it more than clubbing.
Under-30: underrated or overrated?
So, do we need under-30 spaces? Honestly, yeah, I think so.
Both Lil Tiger and FTL Gym deliver on quality and experience. They don’t compromise on quality, they just reframe the experience with a more youthful spin.
More importantly, they create environments where people our age can just exist, network, mingle or vibe, without worrying about the wrong kind of attention.
There’s a vibe in these places that’s hard to put into words, and hard to find anywhere else. Cool but casual. Slightly aloof but quietly confident.
And I think that’s worth checking out if, or while, you still can.
