5 things you need to know about The Pool

1 The Pool is simply one of the most unique nightlife destinations on the East Coast, let alone in Atlantic City. It's 15 times more massive than the city's next largest casino club, with enough space to accommodate nearly 2,200 people, and it's still packed every weekend. With its 90-foot-high glass dome and 23,000-square-foot, 82,000-gallon pool, its design is an ode to Privilege in Ibiza, Spain, the world's largest nightclub.

2 The venue is the casino's poolside lounge from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and turns into The Pool After Dark, its seductive soiree twin, from 10 p.m. through 4 a.m. There's a big difference between the two. During the day, you're supposed to wear a bathing suit and go swimming. At night, you're supposed to dress up and only take a dip in the hot tubs. Go in the pool at night, you'll be That Guy or That Girl.

3 Harrah's undoubtedly raised the bar when it opened The Pool on Memorial Day weekend in 2007, but the casino didn't waste time raising it higher. At the end of 2009 it debuted "The Loft," a $1 million addition to the club's second level with an indoor/outdoor bar and more luxury features. This summer, it plans to debut another new bar.

4 Despite its eye-popping floor space, there is just a surprisingly little designated dance floor in front of the DJ booth to the side of the entrance. That being said, people don't need a carved-out place to groove when the whole venue booms with everything from standard pop fare to earth-shaking deep house.

5 There's bottle service, and then there's Jacuzzi bottle service. The club has 30 tables, 14 cabanas and 5 hot tubs, which range from $350 per table to $1,500 per cabana depending on the night - each of which can fit a different number of people. The price to reserve the space is the minimum, so if you only buy a $300 bottle for a table that costs $350, you'll still owe $50 at the end of the night. If you buy $600 worth of bottles for the same table, you won't owe any extra. To reserve space, and ask about the hot tub that fits 35 people or the two exclusive upstairs cabanas, call 609-441-5585.

The Scene

Heard on a Wednesday night: A diverse style of party music, ranging from Dutch house tracks such as "Turbulence" by Laidback Luke and Steve Aoki featuring Lil Jon, hip-hop like "Down On Me" by Jeremiah featuring 50 Cent, classic disco like "Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson and new disco including "Barbara Streisand" by Duck Sauce.

Seen at 1 a.m.: Bass rumbles through the colossal space while crowds occupy every open area. Decked-out men and women fill the dance floor, people chill out in VIP sections, bikini-clad cocktail servers walk back and forth from the bar and professional dancers move to the music's rhythms on the pool's edges. People lean over the railing of The Loft and look down at the scene, pointing at a couple dancing in the water below. A line of people is still waiting outside, peering through the glass at the action inside.

Vitals

What: The Pool After Dark

Where: Harrah's Resort

When: 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Measurements: 172,000 square feet, with a 23,000-square-foot pool

Capacity: 2,186, including 216 in The Loft and 500 for outside deck

Cover: $10 Wednesdays/Fridays; $20 Saturdays; $30-plus for special events

Demographics: 21 to 35

Dress code: Jeans and sneakers allowed; no flip-flops, boots, sweats or headgear; bring bathing suit along for hot tub

Bottle service: Bottles range from $200 to $1,000. Minimums for VIP space: Wednesdays: $500 cabanas, $350 tables, $500 hot tubs; Fridays: $750 cabanas, $350 tables, $500 hot tubs; Saturdays: $1,500 cabanas, $750 tables and $1,000 hot tubs.

Drink prices: $8 beer/$10 to $16 mixed drinks and shots/$5 Miller Lites and Absolut vodka drinks on Wednesdays and Fridays

Online: www.caesars.com/poolafterdark

 

History

Owner: Caesars Entertainment

Debuted: Memorial Day 2007

The look: A huge glass dome covers a long, shallow pool surrounded by bars, cabanas, hot tubs and bottle-service booths, with a stage and DJ booth at one end, an upstairs level with an outside patio on the other and a $1 million worth of exotic plants all around.

 

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