I'll field this one
Although I don't disagree it sounds a little absurd to pay those kinds of prices, I think there are a couple of reasons for it.
The first is that it's a lifestyle choice. What about the guy who lives with his wife in a 6,000 sq ft house and has 6 cars in the garage? Do they need the space and the cars? Would they still be able to live a quality lifestyle in a 2,000 sq ft house with 2 cars? Absolutely - but it's his prerogative to indulge if he pleases. The kind of clubs we're talking about here are not just some bar with a generic, classless crowd. Often times, you'll be surrounded by pro atheletes, movie stars, musicians, etc as well some of the most beautiful women in the world. To some (many) paying a little more to get in is worth the ability to rub elbows with people like that. I also think there's some value in having a monetary barrier to entry for the sake of keeping some undesirables out of the club. If these ultra high end clubs were free, just imagine the kind of people that would stumble in.
The second is one of economics (insert laughter here). Think about it this way - I had bottle service not long ago at another high end club. We were allowed 5 people to enter for the bottle price of $350. It included all the mixers and a gorgeous female to serve the drinks. If we did just one bottle and split it, we'd each pay $70 (w/o tip). There are roughly 17 normal size shots in a bottle (750ml/44.36ml/shot). That means we'd each get roughly 3 decent drinks from the bottle shared equally. If we each had to pay $40 to get in the door (not highly unusual), we'd be essentially paying $10 per drink. With bottle service however, you normally get treated very well, you are able to sit down and have a place to put your stuff, and you generally are able to enjoy the experience much much more. You also don't have to stand in a long line to get in like a bunch of cattle! If you think about it from that angle, it's much more easily justified.
I think it's like any other expensive hobby (BMWs or Pcars for example) or form of entertainment (cruises to Antartica or trips to space) - if you don't do it, you don't get it.
