Back in the old days, there was a pretty perfect party at the Palms’ pool. It was called Ditch Fridays. Obviously, it encouraged locals to start the weekend early, which we were consistently happy to do. It could get a bit wild later into the afternoon, but it was always a friendly daytime pool hang with energy for all.
Daylife was one of many programming uncertainties when the Palms reopened in the spring under new ownership, but it’s back. Now we have Dip Fridays at the Soak Pool, and the first edition flooded one of this vast space’s swimming pools with rubber duckies for the first themed party of the summer on July 1.
Soak is open every day with DJs and other entertainment ramping up on weekends starting at 1 p.m., with free entry and a 25% discount on daybeds available to locals Monday through Thursday. (Weekend admission for locals is $15.)
The new industry party here, which could attract non-industry locals as well, is every Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. Free admission, local DJs, half-off cabana rentals, discounted signature cocktails and $150 bottles of vodka are among its attractions.
Like most of the entertainment offerings sprouting up at the resurrected resort on Flamingo Road, the Soak Pool programming is easygoing and clearly targeted at Las Vegas residents, a world apart from the over-the-top approach for this same space—previously known as KAOS—under the Station Casinos regime. The epic Damien Hirst demon statue that towered over the west pool is long gone, as are the expensive big-name resident artists. Thirty-nine luxury cabanas remain, including those incredible second-story offerings wrapped around both swim areas, as well as an extensive food and drink menu with healthy and tasty bites, everything from a blackened salmon bowl with cilantro lime rice to entourage-friendly platters of fresh fruit, chips and dips, wings and tenders or dumplings and pork buns ($33-$72).
Also used as the Palms’ resort pool, this venue still feels brand-new from its complete renovation that wrapped in 2019. Soak has the relaxing vibes of a hidden-gem off-Strip property with the space (73,000 square feet) and elevated amenities you would only expect to find on Las Vegas Boulevard.
And since the Palms is still experimenting with its entertainment options, it will be exciting to see how things develop out here, especially in possible conjunction with the indoor nightclub space that has retained the KAOS name and recently hosted live music performances. The sky is the limit.
SOAK POOL Daily, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., $15-$20. Palms, 866-752-2236, palms.com.
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