When you talk about the heat in Vegas, the first jokes are always about the "dry heat." Sure, you don't instantly sweat when you step outside like you do in the humid, "wet heat" of a Houston or Manhattan summer, but hot is hot.
When it's 120 degrees at 6PM and you go to the store and every square inch of the parking lot is radiating heat and your lungs are cursing you, the dry heat jokes are not so funny.
For some reason, this last Vegas heat spell has been making national headlines with the issuance of an "excessive heat warning." Not all of Vegas is tropical and lush like the Secret Garden at The Mirage. This is the desert and deserts tend to be on the hotter side, especially during the summer.
If you dare leave the climate-controlled environs of your hotel room or the blackjack tables, here are five ways to beat the scorching, angry and yes, dry Vegas heat:
1. Snow Day Is Every Day
If Keegan-Michael Key were to describe Caesar's new luxury spa Qua, he would say that they have taken "luxuriating to a whole 'notha level."
Sure, there are the obligatory fitness rooms and spa treatments, but their unique, not-so-obligatory offerings include Roman Baths, a tea sommelier and the Arctic Ice Room (pictured) where snow falls indoors every day -- yep, snow inside. Somebody should issue an "excessive cool warning."
As you may have experienced, casinos usually keep the air conditioning cranked in the summer so when you come inside from the heat, you risk pneumonia going from one heat extreme to the other. Not here -- the glass-tiled interior promotes the cool vibe, but the floor and benches are comfortably heated so you don't freeze your but off, literally. The room is kept at 55 degrees, which on some days, can be a 60 degrees jump from the outdoor temperature.
What better way to beat the heat than relaxing in a chilled room catching snow flakes on your tongue while folks outside are caught in a solar flare?
2. Night Golfing
In a town filled with golf courses and 24-hour bars, night golfing just makes sense. For decades, the casual Vegas golfer has had to decide between staying out until 6AM at a club or waking up at 6AM to catch a tee time. No longer my friends.
The Cloud Nine short course at Angel Park Golf Club lights nine of the holes for night golfing. There are some interesting layouts, but as in any short course, it's not very challenging and not for serious golfers. But then again, serious golfers are hitting the early bird buffet, going to bed before 'Letterman' and waking up pre-dawn to make their $500 tee time.
3. Flying Inside
For adrenaline junkies, the heat doubles the dilemma. Unless you're into indoor activities like glow-in-the-dark paintball or disco bowling, you're often forced into the great outdoors during the heat of the day to find the adventure you so desperately seek.
At Las Vegas' Flyaway Indoor Skydiving, you can have the best of both worlds: the adrenaline-releasing sensation of flying without the risk of paralyzing sunburn.
Suit up, take a short training class and then fly indoors on top of a column of air pushing speeds of 120 MPH.
4. The Vodka Locker
Fueled by body heat, even Vegas clubs and bars can feel like small ovens. Given the fleshy scenery, the club heat is a little more pleasant than street heat when crossing the Strip on a foot bridge.
The Russian-themed Red Square at Mandalay Bay addresses the issue with a frozen ice bar and a vodka locker. The ice bar has a frozen top so when you set down your cocktail, it stays nice and chilled. If you have a small group and you're looking to beat the heat, grab a coat and book the vodka locker, a Siberian-esque storage facility housing vodka and a Lenin statue head.
5. Don't Be a Fool, Stay in the Pool
So I saved the obvious for last. While emotionally hot due to the sexy atmosphere, Vegas pools are physically still one of the best ways to beat the heat. I'm not a doctor, so the last statement is not a scientific fact. It just seems with the cabanas, frozen specialty drinks and all of that water, the pool is a good way to stay cool.
Golden Nugget's pool (pictured above) is the perfect example of an aquatic paradise with waterfalls, sharks, a water slide, an outdoor bar and outdoor blackjack. Check out the Vegas Pool Guide for more pool info.
If you go to one of the topless pools (politely known as "European style sunbathing"), just be sure you bring the SPF 125.
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