Vegas' Extreme Pool Scene
In a city of extremes, it’s no surprise that pools up and down the Las Vegas Strip are turning up the heat. Pools have become centers of “day life,” where the dancing, DJ-spinning and of the nighttime migrate to the wet and wild, sun-soaked afternoons. What was once a sedate scene is now a loud and writhing apocalypse of activity in the quest for maximum fun and maybe 15 minutes of fame. So put on your tiniest torpedo or briefest bikini and don’t be shy. It’s Spring Break all summer long.
Bare Pool at the Mirage
It’s before noon on a Wednesday, and the line to get into Bare is already thick. Guys team up with girls, knowing good-looking ladies mean a jump to the head of the line. Girls gather in a “more through the door” approach. To those already in, attentive cabana hosts bring super-chilled Evian spritzers and ice-fresh mojito pitchers. The DJ spins and the party is on. Asian-influenced appetizers and specialty cocktail pitchers flow all day and ice cold, scented towels are ever at the ready. Two pools provide the splash, and sighting a celeb like Leo DiCaprio, Fergie, Quentin Tarantino or Kobe Bryant is common. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Encore Beach Club
It’s possibly the biggest pool party in Vegas, technically, larger than a football field and packed most days with bodies in bikinis and high heals (often without the bikini top). Shade happens under 40-foot palms. Cool respite might require use of one of the oversized lily pads floating in the shallows or employing sprays from shower poles otherwise used for inspired dance moves.Bucks and bling can be stored in the private safe under the lounger -- or put it all down on a blackjack or craps game played poolside. Open Thursday to Monday, 11 to 7 p.m.
Wet Republic at MGM Grand
If you want to soak in the scene, you’re in good company here. The 2 stadium-sized saltwater pools cool the nearly bare legions and keep them dancing to the spin sessions delivered by star DJs. Lining the pools from tiered heights are rows of cabanas, protected from paparazzi seeking money shots of famous partiers. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Remember, Vegas day life happens before and behind the invincible velvet rope so enjoy the line and don’t let the daunting doorman get you down. Do expect to see the celebrities, hard bodies and scene you came for to make the wait worthwhile.
Ditch Fridays at Palms
Palms’ 3-acre pool setting becomes the place to skip work and get wet every Friday in season at Ditch Fridays. It’s a “day-after” scene for the hotel that houses the only Playboy Club in Las Vegas, but on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. it becomes Playboy at the Pool meets March Madness in Ft. Lauderdale. The retro-chic appeal includes Slip & Slide with wet strangers, wet underwear contests and swimming in a glass-bottom pool.
TAO Beach at The Venetian
This orgy of tattooed hardbodies has a $50 admission fee that also buys a pass through the Tao Nightclub when the sun goes down. Rub elbows with TMZ types like Jamie Foxx, Kanye West and LeBron James, as well as wannabes in bikinis, heels and sunglasses. And those sunglasses get steady attention here by hired honeys who keep them shined beneath Buddha’s watchful eye. Open Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.