Private-room karaoke aims to offer friendly, clean setting

Juwon Lee, owner of Hi Tunes Karaoke, 911 W. Anderson Lane, Ste. 117, said he's been trying to hit the right notes with customers since his business opened September 2011.

"A lot of people who love to sing, who love to sing karaoke, don't have a place to go on the weekends if you have a small group," Lee said. "So I built this place for those people."

Hi Tunes Karaoke is private-room karaoke space that has about 3,500 English songs including musicians such as Jason Mraz, Amy Winehouse, Oasis and The Cardigans along with a large selection of Korean and other foreign-language songs. Rooms include TVs that can play videos along with song lyrics, wireless microphones, lighting and instruments such as tambourines and maracas as well as space to sit and dance to the music.

"For me, the open karaoke bar, you go there to drink, and if someone else is singing, you watch and listen," Lee said. "If you want to sing, since there are so many people and only one mic, you're lucky if you can sing one or two songs. Here, you come here to sing and watch your friends and family sing."

Hi Tunes Karaoke, open 6 p.m.–2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and from 6 p.m.–5 a.m. Friday and Saturday, is divided into four small rooms, three medium rooms and one large room. The small room seats up to six people, the medium room seats up to 10 people, and the large room can seat up to 20 people, but Lee said if larger rooms are not available, customers are welcome to see if a smaller room would be comfortable for their group.

Lee, who previously worked for video game developer and publisher NCsoft before venturing into the karaoke business, said he did a lot of research to come up with a successful model for his karaoke studio, including visiting other area karaoke establishments and reading online reviews. He said that was how he decided to make his business feature private rooms and focus on service and environment.

"My objective here was to build a clean environment with the best customer service," Lee said. "I try to provide (customers) everything that they need, like paper plates."

Customers are allowed to bring in their own food and drinks, including alcohol, to Hi Tunes, and utensils and board games are available as well. Room rates vary according to room size and are rented by the hour. The small rooms cost $20 an hour, the medium rooms cost $30 an hour, and the large room costs $50 an hour.

Sungmo Kim, a 31-year-old regular at Hi Tunes, said he sings at the karaoke studio because of the friendly staff and new equipment.

"I come over here and the staff is very friendly, and they give good service, very accommodating," he said.

Although reservations are not required, Lee said it's best for people to call ahead.

Hi Tunes Karaoke, 911 W. Anderson Lane, Ste. 117, www.hituneskaraoke.com, 454-0911

• Tue.–Thu., Sun. from 6 p.m.–2 a.m.
• Fri.-Sat. from 6 p.m.–5 a.m.