The adult entertainment industry in Las Vegas has suffered yet another blow, as some dancers at Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club, the world’s largest gentlemen’s club, are being asked to put their clothes back on. Last week the plug was pulled on the Sapphire pool retreat at the Rio. The topless pool has been closed indefinitely, according to Rio’s management.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police spokesman Bill Cassell explained that they were invited in by Rio to perform a routine inspection of the adult pool party to insure operations were being run in accordance with current statutes. Eleven arrests were made for prostitution-related activities by Sapphire personnel. But since the visit was at the request of Harrah’s, which operates the Rio, it is quite unlikely that further operations or sanctions will occur related to the incident.
Thankfully, this isn’t all bad news for Las Vegas. Yesterday, in the Hard Rock Hotel’s poker lounge, Sapphire’s had their well attended $5,000 poker tournament ($65 buy-in), with dancers strutting their proud plumage among the tables. The gals even received free poker lessons, courtesy of the Hard Rock, according to Shai Cohen, Sapphire’s director of marketing.
The scantily clad strippers are also revving up blood pressures elsewhere, including Wasted Space each Thursday, providing the go-go eye-candy entertainment.
Then, tentatively scheduled for October, Sapphire’s will be having their third annual Ping Pong Palooza.
Speaking of balls flying at your face, ladies can always check out the Men of Sapphire revue on Fridays and Saturdays, if they’re tired of this talk about female dancers.
So, despite this pool-party hiccup, Sapphire should be fine, with a steady flow of customers coming through their club doors.
“When you see a [Sapphire dancer] out wearing clothes and she tells you she’s a stripper, you’ll want to come back to the club,” Cohen says. “We sell fantasies. That’s our job.”
Vegas Backstage Access (VBA) 