iPix211/London Ent/SplashIt's never been a better time to be a celebrity.
Though make no mistake: There's really never been a bad time to be famous. Sure, there are drawbacks, but the positives always outweigh the negatives. Today, that means perks (make that Perks). Most of the most exciting aspects of being an A-lister are obvious: The huge salaries, the glamorous appearances, the getting-to-be-on-TV. The fact that it's basically their full-time job to look good. But there are secret, under-the-radar perks that are only available to those highly in the know.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is that all of these fringe benefits are privilege on top of privilege: To even be in a situation that comes before the perk is to be #blessed. But whereas a non-famous person might think it's truly fabulous to even have the option of paying $30 to take a spin class at SoulCycle, celebrities get oh so much more. E! News is letting you in on some of the best examples, but the envy is real. Don't say we didn't warn you.
Let's start where all good celebrity stories do: The airport. It may not be sexy, but it's where A-listers spend the majority of the time.
When they fly commercial, they're not really flying commercial—at least in the way that the rest of us are. Major airports are equipped to handle VIPs and all the things that come with them (like the paparazzi crush, for one). Ever wonder why, whenever you see a photo of a star at LAX, they look like they're leaving dinner instead of disembarking from a long-haul journey? It's because of services like American Airlines' Five-Star. For an additional fee, celebrities can access the red carpet treatment when they fly between New York and Los Angeles.
It starts with a curbside meet-and-greet, where an airport employee will collect the star from their car and bring them to an expedited check-in and security zone that is paparazzi-free. They then wait for takeoff in a special lounge, and are driven out to the tarmac in a luxury car, where they get to board the plane before anybody else. Once they land they're escorted through customs and baggage claim, to help with any carrying needs and to keep fellow travelers with personal space issues from bother them. In short, nothing about this air travel experience is normal.
Then comes dinner; even stars have to eat. There are plenty of Mom-and-Pop shops that may not even know their Kendall Jenners from their Emma Roberts, but in New York and Los Angeles the hotspots deal in the business of catering to the stars—in more ways than one. To start, the secret entrance is alive and well. Big stars (and, quite frankly, even C-listers) are welcome to enter and exit via the kitchen or private side doors to avoid both potential paparazzi outside and having to walk by the general public inside the restaurant.
At the most exclusive restos like Catch in Los Angeles—which owner Mark Birnbaum told E! News is a star favorite because they treat their clientele "like regular people" while also recognizing that some need more privacy than others—special seats, or most often the best seats in the house, are permanently set aside for A-listers.
"We hold them dearly for anyone we know is going to come," Birnbaum explained. "Or in case there are any last minute requests. Nobody ever tells us in advance [that they're coming."
That means that if Jay Z decides on a whim that he wants to go to, say, Jon & Vinny's, a tiny restaurant in West Hollywood that books up weeks or even months in advance, he can simply have his people call their people, and within minutes he's enjoying that highly sought after vodka fusilli.
All those perks can sure wear a person out. In the old days the stars would simply shell out top dollar to stay at exclusive resorts, but now there's an even better perk to be had. And it's all thanks to Airbnb. The company partners with select stars to provide them with vacation homes or places to stay when they're at, say, Coachella or an award show or the Super Bowl, and all they have to do in exchange is to post about it on their social media. (You'll notice that an Instagram post will have language that sounds like "thanks" to Airbnb or "courtesy of.")
The pads that the star stay in are palatial to say the least, often worth tens of thousands of dollars per night for the typical customer.
Next we must discuss the most dreaded of locations: The DMV. Technically, stars are supposed to use the DMV the same way as everybody else: By enduring soul-crushing lines while you wait for your drivers' license renewal. But that's not always realistic.
First, many actors and actresses simply don't have the time to carve out a trip (not that any of us do, either), and may find themselves needing new documentation in a pinch before, say, a movie promotional tour. And second, having a huge actor or singer on the premises could cause delays or headaches for the location's employees or fellow customers, which nobody wants. As such, they can, let's just say, find a way around it.
The DMV kept mum on what specific shortcuts the stars are allowed to take, but a spokesperson did tell E! News that "On very few occasions some DMV offices have made special arrangements for certain high profile individuals." Take from that what you will.
When it comes to working out, many stars choose to do so in their home gyms or to hire personal trainers. But as the boutique fitness class trend has gotten more popular, many are realizing the fun and benefits that go along with sweating in out in group settings. However, that doesn't mean that their experience at hot yoga as the same as the person who is namaste-ing next to them.
In New York and Los Angeles, many gym locales have realized that there is an upside to making special arrangements for their A-list customers. Take SoulCycle for example. It starts with booking: As anyone who has tried to get into an early morning class star instructor Angela Manuel-Davis (yes, that's @shapewithangela) knows, it's next to impossible. That's where the VIP classes come in handy—For an inflated price, riders can access the booking system for everybody else.
Even better for the bold names who frequent Los Angeles SoulCycle locations is the personalized service: They get let into the spin room after class starts (when it's conveniently almost pitch-black) and escorted out of class before it's over and the lights go back up. Beyoncé has been spotted doing this on the regular during her most recent pregnancy, and while it may seem counter-intuitive to turn a group class experience into something wholly personalized, there's really no way that Beyoncé can be expected to file in and out of a stuffy spin room with the rest of the riders.
Getting divorces, and dealing with other legal errands, is an unfortunate side effect that seems to affect A-listers more than the typical citizen. And, to pour salt in the wound, these situations are played out in the public eye for all to see. As such, the courthouse in Los Angeles has devised a few ways for its more famous residents to endure the legal process with a side of perks.
To start, courthouse police are notified in advance when a celebrity is expected in the building, whether it's for a divorce hearing or to file paperwork. Once they arrive they go straight to a special underground parking lot that is reserved for vehicles with a specific clearance, and they use a closed corridor with an escort to get into the building. Stars are also allowed to use the conference rooms as a de facto VIP waiting room so as to avoid members of the public or the media who may be roaming the hallways.
So even when it's bad, it's still better than not being famous.