FOR party-loving women of a certain age - over 35 to be exact - the news from St James Power Station is like a good margarita - a bit sweet and a bit sour.

No, the Powerhouse nightclub will not budge on its door policy - only women aged 35 and under get free drinks on Ladies' Night.

But the fury that policy sparked following last week's Sunday Times story has prompted the St James entertainment chain to start a Ladies' Night at another of its clubs.

Female patrons of all ages will now get a free cocktail and two housepours at the Bellini Room on Tuesday nights.

The move is a bid to take the sting out of an 'ageist' controversy that began when some female patrons at the Powerhouse were refused five drink vouchers on its Ladies' Night.

Madam Violet Lim, 55, was knocked back two weeks ago when a bouncer asked to check her identity card. Nurse Geraldine Lee, 36, also missed out on the free coupons but went in because her male companion had already paid for his entry.

St James chief executive Dennis Foo said the incidents were an 'unfortunate episode' and that the Powerhouse was a 'victim of its own concept'.

'St James Power Station was created for the mature crowd,' said Mr Foo.

'But we felt we needed the energy of the young too, so out of the nine clubs in St James, we carved out a place (Powerhouse) for the young because we felt they needed their own space.

'The episode has highlighted to us the need for another Ladies' Night, and this is our way of showing appreciation to our mature clients.'

Powerhouse plays house music for the 'young and trendy' while the Bellini Room, which can pack in 250 people, has a live band playing swing and jazz - supposedly more in tune with the mature crowd.

But Madam Lim, a dating consultant and mum of two, prefers Powerhouse precisely because of its dance music. 'I don't like the music at Bellini Room. It's too old for me,' she said.

Ms Lee agreed: 'It doesn't solve the problem at all. I love the music at Powerhouse and I know mature women who enjoy dance music.'

Last week's story certainly left many Sunday Times readers shaken and stirred.

The Straits Times online portal, Stomp, received 170 responses, 34 comments were posted on its online forum and three e-mail messages were sent to its Forum page.

Some were appalled at the 'age discrimination', while others understood the club's rationale but felt its employees could have handled the situations better.

Very few backed the club although one wrote to the online forum: 'The club exists to make money and the Ladies' Night is a gimmick to attract guys to subsidise the free drinks for the girls. Therefore it makes sense to discriminate. Free drinks are a privilege, not a right. The club should not care less about age discrimination.'

Mr Foo admitted it was a mistake not to have made the age restriction clear at the door although a sign will still not be erected. 'I think the whole world would know it by now,' he said.

But the row did not seem to deter women from Powerhouse's Ladies' Night last Wednesday.

It packed in about 2,000 people - almost 20 per cent more than the headcount two weeks ago.