Spend a late Friday night at the Blue Room's "Friday Opium Lounge." Mellow out upstairs, where DJs spin a smooth blend of house and hip-hop that makes turntables instruments of art. Or loosen up downstairs, grooving on what seems like the island's smallest dance floor to a more danceable mix of urban R&B and hip-hop.

Or get adventurous. Head to the Blue Room on a reggae-infused Wednesday night. Who cares about work tomorrow or that psych final? Pull up a chair and dig the groove-steady vibes of Sick Dog Productions' lineup of DJs who spin with an Island flair.

Because each night has a personality. And every personality could provide something worth the search for parking.

"The crowd changes night to night," said Wes Nakamura, the club's 23-year-old manager, dapper in a classic Banana Republic suit and silver hoops. "There's really anything for every kind of person."

The regulars

Clubs have signatures. Ocean's lures the pau hana crowd and Thursday night regulars. Pipeline brings in the backless tops and people-watchers.

Blue Room has its regulars, too. They're less active than most. They know the DJs by name. They don't mind dancing alone. Because it's not about getting digits.

"I come for the music," said 22-year-old Darren Miyamoto, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and Friday night regular. "And I know almost everyone here."

It's somewhere familiar. A place to call his hangout.

"It's a different scene here because of the music," he added, his eyes constantly scanning the room, packed with more than 100 swaying, sweaty bodies at nearly 1 a.m. "It's more personal, and I get to know everybody. And it's more relaxed 'cause people know each other."

That much was evident that Friday night, as guys slapped hands together and glam girls packed into the small women's restroom, sharing lip gloss and hair spray.

"They all come for the music and the friends," Nakamura said. "Everyone here has a good time. It's always a party."

Two floors

Unlike most clubs, the Blue Room's got a dual personality.

Downstairs. The DJ spun recognizable tunes to a highly urbanized house groove for the crowd of moving females on the floor. Surrounding them was a wall of guys, holding their Bud Lights and staring intently at the Lycra minis and body shimmer, glittering beneath the circulating lights above. Retro dresses and slingbacks. Guys grooving, girls feeling the music get under their skin.

Upstairs. About 20 trip-hop fans, mostly guys and all facing the DJ, moved to the repetitive beat. They danced alone, their bodies so focused on the rhythms, their eyes were closed. Water bottles and congo drums. They all were paying homage to the DJ, the spin doctor.

Downstairs is the living-room area, where everyone gathers to talk, dance, mingle, drink. Upstairs is where the off-limits bedrooms are, where some sneak away to someplace quieter, someplace a little less noisy, a lot less congested.

"It's not too crowded here, but crowded enough you can have fun and socialize," said Dawn Shinsato, a 21-year-old sophomore at UH, who heads to the Blue Room from Hawai'i Kai every Friday night. "The atmosphere is just really relaxed."

Shinsato paused, searching for agreeing nods from her friends at a table downstairs.

She's been coming here religiously for the past two months. She doesn't wonder why, when down the street Pipeline Cafe is wall-to-wall potential hook-ups and opportunities at free drinks.

She doesn't even pause when she has to explain why she's here instead of anywhere else.

She's drawn to Blue.