Keep Your Top On At Tao Beach Las Vegas

OK. here is my spin on Tao Beach's decision to "put a lid on it" , so to speak. The Venetian does not want to scare away the upscale tourist trade who aren't interested in going to a pool where unsophisticated young men gawk at women and try to convince them to take their tops off like they are at the Mardi Gras or on location with "Girls Gone Wild" Spring break. Not exactly what I would call European style sophistication. How do you separate the "gawkers" from the sophisticates? So it is a kind of "backlash" on toplessness.

I do understand that there is a great difference between topless sunbathing and topless swimming, but I really don't want to go into the finer details. Some pools restrict one or the other. I can't speak from experience here. ( I will have to plan an investigative field trip to get to the bottom of it - or is that get on top? ;)

Expect some of the higher end properties that cater to the more sophisticated and perhaps older demographic to follow with the "keep your top on" policy. Or maybe the "trend" will continue? We will all keep watching.

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The "Survivors"

• Mandalay Bay's Moorea Beach Club
  

  
  Set amidst the famous Mandalay Bay Beach, yet seemingly a world away, Moorea Beach Club provides guests 21 and older with an upscale place to indulge. European bathing with a fantastic view of the sand and surf, cushioned chaise lounges, high-energy music and personalized attendants provide an elite day-club environment. Special inset panels on the frosted glass wall overlooking the beach provide screening during daytime hours but, with removal in the evening, unobstructed VIP viewing of the Mandalay Bay Concerts on the Beach.

  
  There is an admission charge to access this club. The area turns into a nightclub on weekends. The club opens at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 11 p.m. on Sunday
  

  
  



• The Venus pool at Caesars Palace
  

  
  The Venus pool, which allows European-style topless bathing, is also home to the Venus Pool Club beginning spring season and throughout the summer months. Equipped with luxurious cabanas, over sized chaise lounges and air-conditioned bars complete with flat-screen TVs, the Venus Pool Club is the epitome of decadence and luxury. Guests can even enjoy frozen towel service, Evian face spritzers and body massages while soaking in the sun.
  

  
  




• Bare Pool at the Mirage



• Wynn's European "topless" pool
  

  
  The pool sits on an upper level, just behind the main pool area.

  
  There is a European style bathing area where tops are optional. Since this is the hot new pool that everyone wants to go to, you will hear all sorts of languages being spoken when you visit what is without a doubt one of the most luxurious and among the best topless pools in Las Vegas. If you're not quite ready to bare it all at the Wynn Topless Pool, there are plenty of tanning beds around the pool.
  

  
  



• Stratosphere Hotel Casino
  

  
  Beach Club 25 opened in October 2004, and permits topless sunbathing. There is an admission charge for men ($10) but women are admitted free.
  

  
  

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From Norm's column at the Review Journal:

Bikini tops are back in vogue at Tao Beach, after a brief experiment as a topless pool venue at The Venetian. The 18,000-square-foot European-style beach club opened May 4, joining a half dozen other tops-optional venues.

The owners pulled the plug quickly. Operations ceased in June "due to management's decision to create a different experience," a Tao insider said.

"It was more of a brand decision," according to a source close to the New York-based company. "They decided to pull back and focus on a more sophisticated crowd."

Located on the roof, away from the main pool, Tao Beach was an extension of Tao Asian Bistro and Tao nightclub. It was a topless venue from 10 a.m. to sunset, then turned into a nightclub.