Prescription to party

Here’s a cure for whatever ails you: a nightclub with a medical motif, bartenders dressed as nurses and “prescriptions” for drinks.

Good Hurt in West L.A. isn’t exactly an apothecary, but it is part kitschy, part underground and a welcome addition to a part of the Westside with few nightlife offerings.

Open for a year, Good Hurt on Venice Boulevard is a former billiards hall with a capacity of 450. It has two pool tables, a live music area and two separate rooms for partying and relaxing.

Dark and unpolished in its design, the mood is both casual and corny. Comfortable jeans are the fashion staple and first-aid boxes on a wall stand in for artwork. But most patrons, especially the men, seem to get a kick from the club’s theme.

Bartender nurses in black uniforms may be the initial draw, but Good Hurt’s variety of musical offerings may be what puts it on the map. From top DJs who play everything from Latin music to hip-hop, British pop, electronica and soul on different nights, Good Hurt also attracts musical stars such as Coolio and Norwood Fish of Fishbone and his band Trulio Disgracias.

“This side of town is begging for a nightclub with a taste of Hollywood without the headaches of Hollywood,” said owner Corey Trevor, 25, of Hollywood. “What’s really cool about the club is we have the full spectrum of music and the full spectrum of clientele. I like to say that we are not exclusive; we are inclusive. I think of it as a club internationale.”

Friday night, the house was packed for the weekly fusion party, which included an appearance by the eclectic Argentine band Los Pinguos.

While the band played its blend of folk, flamenco, salsa, jazz and samba, twentysomething and thirtysomething partygoers danced, played pool and lined up for drinks in front of the “Prescriptions Rx” sign behind the bar.

Signature cocktails include “Black and Blue,” a mix of soju, blue curacao, cranberry juice and Red Bull; “The Transfusion”; and “TA-KILL-YA.” All of the specialty drinks include soju, a Korean wine made from potatoes, because the bar is temporarily licensed only for beer and wine.

“The drinks are really good,” said Arianna Checchi, 24, of Westwood, who is studying international relations at UCLA. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s that original. It’s not like going to the beach on Venice and you see really interesting things. The concept is a little strange, but it’s OK.”

The medical motif struck Trevor when he couldn’t get the words “good hurt” out of his mind and his imagination ran with the notion of “playing doctor.” It’s also caught the imagination of the people who party there.

“Guys are always yelling ‘Nurse, nurse! CPR!’ ” Trevor said. “As corny as it is, and as much as we hate hearing it 10,000 times, it provides a lift for people. They’re interacting with the bartenders, one cheesy comment after another, but it gives them purpose.”

For Diego Novillo Almada, the nightclub provided a touch of home. The 38-year-old Argentine, who lives in Manhattan Beach, went to the club for Los Pinguos, his favorite local band, but found a lot more.

“Los Angeles is characterized by people who are too crazy or people who are too conservative,” he said. “This has the feeling of a club at home, relaxed and full of good people who just want to pop the night together. Of course, I’ve never seen a nurse dressed in black. I guess it’s also a club for sick people.”

Maria Elena Fernandez can be contacted at maria.elena.fernandez

@latimes.com.

*Good Hurt

Where: 12249 Venice Blvd.,

West Los Angeles

When: Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cover: Only for special events

Contact: (310) 390-1076 or

www.goodhurt.net