It was Leanne Edelsten's first visit to Ivy, but the experience ensured it was her last.

The former Sydney socialite, now an intensive care nurse, had arranged to meet friends after work at the popular George Street venue around 9pm a week before Christmas last year.

The upstairs pool bar was ''overcrowded'' with ''mostly male patrons who were intoxicated,'' she recalled, with ''at least one'' of the barmen downing shots behind the bar as he lined them up for his customers.

Uncomfortable, Ms Edelsten and her friends, who were sober, left within half an hour. On the way out she asked to speak to the head of security on the night and told him what she had seen.

''I said, 'I've never been to your venue before, but you seriously need to look at your responsible service of alcohol regulations here','' she recalls.

''Rather than say, 'I'm really sorry madam', he said: 'Well lady, you are obviously pissed'. The assumption was I couldn't possibly be telling the truth''.

Outside, she said she called The Rocks police and reported what she had seen at the bar.

As she began walking home, the head of security and two bouncers followed her.

''They were in the background, saying 'You're pissed lady' and 'Who are you speaking to?' The head of security grabbed my arm and asked, 'have you got ID?'''

Ms Edelsten said the bouncers would have followed her for half a block.

''The only reason I felt safe was because it was George Street with stacks of people around. But they were intimidating me,'' she said.

Ms Edelsten contacted the Herald after reading about 19-year-old Nicholas Barsoum, who was allegedly bashed by Ivy security guards in the club's basement following a fracas on Sunday morning.

The former model, once married to the colourful medical entrepreneur Geoffrey Edelsten, said she was acutely aware of the need for responsible service of alcohol due to her work as an intensive care nurse at St Vincent's Hospital.

''It's my job. I look after people who are beaten up by security. I'm looking after people who are having their heads beaten in''.

A spokesman for Ivy rejected Ms Edelsten's recollection, saying there was no record of it in the club's incident reports.