By Sweet Baby J’ai
There’s something deliciously right about a soft opening that doesn’t whisper—it listens. Last week in downtown Palm Springs, Crystal Lewis stepped onto the stage at Spirit Animal, the new immersive room tucked inside Hotel Zoso, and reminded us what happens when artistry, intention, and timing align.
Lewis—three-time Grammy winner, four-time Dove Award recipient, and longtime shape-shifter of American song—has lived many musical lives. For decades, audiences knew her as a contemporary Christian music powerhouse. What unfolded at Spirit Animal, though, was the woman she has been steadily becoming: a jazz singer comfortable in the pocket, generous with space, unafraid of quiet. This wasn’t a genre pivot. It was a homecoming.
Her backing trio was tight in that rare, lived-in way. Not flashy. Not anxious. Just together. The kind of ensemble that breathes as one organism. There’s a story about Shirley Horn’s trio—how they played together for over forty years, so locked in that listeners would stop a record mid-spin and ask, Who is that rhythm section? I did that once with a Carmen McRae CD. Last week, I found myself thinking: If Crystal and this group keep walking this road, I’ll be stopping my music to ask Alexa the same question.
Lewis’s voice—supple and expressive—now carries the patina of experience. Over the course of a two-hour set, years of gospel phrasing, pop precision, and soul instincts revealed themselves as something distilled, elegant, and unforced. She sings like someone who has climbed the mountain, paused at the top, and decided to stay awhile. That metaphor, borrowed from her own reflections on a decades-long career, felt present in every phrase. Nothing rushed. Nothing proved. Everything offered.
Spirit Animal proved to be the right room for that offering. Created by Adam Levy and his Take Five Entertainment team, the venue blurs the line between supper club, art installation, and nightlife playground. Guests don’t simply enter; they discover. Hidden portals. A rabbit-hole sensibility. Even the bathrooms feel like time machines, looping you briefly out of the present before returning you to the room.
And then there are the sunflowers—recurring, radiant, impossible to miss. They bloom throughout the room as a quiet tribute to Levy’s mother and her favorite flower, a gesture that feels personal rather than decorative. Levy himself wore a sunflower shirt that night, as if to underline the point: this place is rooted in love as much as vision. In a town full of shiny rooms chasing the next trend, Spirit Animal leads with heart. That matters. It gives the place a pulse.
Programming here is clearly designed to evolve with the night: seated listening rooms, curated dinner shows, late-night energy without late-night emptiness. Levy is aiming to give the region’s supper clubs a run for their money—and based on this opening, he just might. Spirit Animal feels like a room artists will want to play, not just pass through.
Soft openings are meant to work out the kinks—lighting, sound, service, timing, flow—all the things that let a room find its rhythm. Yes, those things will be worked out, but the soul of Spirit Animal already knows exactly who it is. What unfolded here felt less like a test run and more like a statement of intent. Let’s just say I was Alice, I went down the rabbit hole, and came back smiling, having stumbled onto a few wonders along the way. This is a room built for listening, for discovery, for nights when the music taps you on the shoulder and asks you to stay present just a little longer. With its immersive design, thoughtful curation, and clear love for artists who come prepared to play, the desert has gained a new destination—one that understands the difference between background noise and a real musical moment.
If Crystal Lewis was the opening chapter, the smart move is to stay curious about what’s next. Follow the clues, walk through the portals, and keep an eye on the calendar—Palm Springs now has a club where the music leads, and listening is the main event. To see what’s coming up next and explore the vision behind the room, visit spiritanimalclub.com. Consider this your invitation down the rabbit hole.
