Lox Club: The Complete Guide (2023 Edition)

In their own words, Lox Club is "An exclusive dating app for Jew-ish people with ridiculously high standards." You might recognize this language from some other dating apps that have tried to distinguish themselves by promising the kind of exclusivity that helps users avoid some of the headaches faced by users on dating apps like Tinder or Bumble.

Lox Club gets its name from a speakeasy that used "pickles" as its password. And hopes to bring that same members-only feel to the dating app world. This origin story is a little tongue-in-cheek and sets the tone for Lox Club as a whole. In fact, the creator of Lox Club claims the whole app basically started as a joke.

Yes, this is an elite Jewish dating app, but they use the term "Jew-ish" playfully, and specify that everyone is welcome on the app — just like anyone might enjoy the food from a Jewish deli.

When a high-end dating app launches, they usually start in a handful of big cities, and Lox Club is no exception. It's currently available in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, DC, and San Francisco. Don't see your city here? You can still register your interest in getting Lox Club in your city by joining the waitlist.

The basic app usage isn't revolutionary. Like other apps, you look at profiles and swipe to "like" or pass on each one. And like other apps, namely Coffee Meets Bagel, they show you a limited number of users at a time, to encourage quality over quantity. But to keep you on your toes, the exact number of users they serve up may be different each time, averaging about 10 users every 6 hours.

Once two users have "liked" each other, that's a match. Both users will be notified and that's when a chat can begin. (Sound familiar?)

Although Lox Club's basic mode is pretty typical, it does have two interesting features:

Lox Club events

Like Raya, Her, and others, Lox Club doesn't just focus on the online experience. They want to help Lox Club community members meet IRL. To do that, they host their own Lox Club events.

Just like getting on the app itself, you need to apply to be on the guest list for these events, and there's no guarantee you'll make the cut. While they won't spell out the criteria for any particular event, it's implied that a hybrid matchmaker-event organizer curates the list with an eye toward attendees that would make good matches for each other.

Don't be discouraged if you're declined for an event. In some of their larger markets it's likely events get a lot of applications. Lox Club also suggests that events are curated for different age groups, so it's possible the event you applied for simply wasn't ideal for your dating age range.

Overall, events might be one of the app's best features. That's because overall user numbers don't matter here. In fact, at an event with fewer people, you've got a better chance of chatting with folks.

The Matchmaker

Could it be a Jewish dating app without its very own matchmaker? Perhaps not. One of Lox Club's signature features is its in-app matchmaker, who you can text for support on your dating journey.

Lox Club is coy about who the matchmaker is (could it simply be a clever AI program?) but if it's not a human, it's a scary-smart machine. It'll even crack jokes with you, and help you choose the best photos for your profile.

People of all genders are welcome on Lox Club. Right now they have 64 gender identity options. And they also welcome people of all sexualities. So whoever you are and whoever you're looking for, you've got a shot on Lox Club. (Low overall numbers notwithstanding.)

Lox Club also puts a lot of energy into the app's overall aesthetic, hoping for a better user experience than on other apps. And that means you need to fit into the polished look.

Your profile will include 6 photos, and you'll want to choose them carefully. As with other dating apps, your photos can make or break your whole profile. (Use the matchmaker feature if you're struggling.)

Next up, you'll be asked to answer three prompts. Like other apps, Lox Club knows that a blank page is intimidating. So rather than come up with a profile from scratch, you've got a long list of prompts to choose from.

The profile prompts are also where some of the "Jewish" flavor comes in. For example, one of the prompts asks you to share the theme from your bar or bat mitzvah. Another asks the "most neurotic thing" about you. Which, ouch, stereotypes. Not sure if imagining that in Woody Allen's voice makes it better or worse.

If you want to use Lox Club, you need to submit an application. But unlike Raya's months (or years) long waiting list, Lox Club says you can expect to hear back about your status in just one to two weeks. (And if you don't make the cut, you still get a spot on the waitlist.)

The application requires you to include both your brief career history and your future ambitions along with the standard dating app fare—like what genders you're interested in dating. And like other apps that vet their users, you'll be asked for your Instagram handle. (Couldn't hurt to clean up your Instagram profile before beginning the application process.)

Unlike Raya, Lox Club claims it doesn't matter how many Instagram followers you have, which means it's a bit of a mystery what they are looking for. It may just be a matter of proving you're a real person, as with other dating apps.

You'll also need to choose a photo to include with your application (even though they'll presumably be looking at your whole Instagram) so make sure to present your best self here.

Just like a job application or cover letter, you'll be asked why you want to join Lox Club—and you want to put some thought into your answer. Although some people report the irreverent comments left in this section that got them in, that kind of humor doesn't work for everyone. So try to be sincere and show off your wit elsewhere.

For starters, you'll need to pay a membership fee if you want to join Lox Club. Currently, their pricing stands at $36 for 3 months, $60 for 6 months, or $96 for a year. This is yet another way that so-called exclusive dating apps weed out the lookie-loos (or just the people who can't afford it.)

As with questions about your career history and goals, it's clear that only people of a certain income are included in their definition of "exclusive." Consider it a door fee for the dating app.

Of course, you can also pay for extras on Lox Club, like being shown more users and getting more "likes."

It depends. Lox Club is still relatively new, and that means it doesn't have the numbers of other apps—yet. And no matter how well-curated a dating app's users are, online dating is still a numbers game.

For now, it seems like Lox Club is best for heterosexual dating. Perhaps not surprisingly, when overall numbers are low, mainstream interests are best represented.

But if that's you, and you've got some time and money to throw at a dating app—and the idea of Jew-ish dating appeals to you—why not?! It certainly can't hurt to give it a try, and some users have reported surprising and successful matches.

On the other hand, if spending money on a dating app, let alone one that still has lower numbers, makes you think twice, then maybe this isn't your jam...