Sahara Las Vegas pool on the Strip gets splashy upgrade

It is the space where Cher was once asked to tuck her hair under a bathing cap in the mid 1970s, when Sonny & Cher headlined at the hotel. Any guest with long hair was required to use a bathing cap in those days, but Cher refused, unleashing some salty language to make her point.

Because Sonny & Cher had sold out the main showroom, the cap rule was tossed.

It was also the spot where a young Johnny Carson posed for photos to promote the hotel’s convention pavilion expansion in 1967. He did wear a headpiece, specifically a hard hat.

The location we speak of is the pool at the Sahara Las Vegas. The fabled aquatic attraction has been renovated a few times over the years, including by the folks at SLS Las Vegas (who rolled the famed, 12-foot-tall Philippe Starck-designed metal duck into the venue).

Today, the Sahara pool deck is undergoing what seems its most ambitious overhaul yet, as Azilo Ultra Pool. The watery annex is just about finished, set for a summer opening. The design is from Yannick Mugnier, who recently joined Meruelo Group to lead the entertainment-design concepts for Sahara and also Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno.

Expect a flexible pool and event area, as hotel officials proclaim. The decor is “sexy” Moroccan, with advanced visual, lighting and sound technology. Azilo’s signature effect is its LED walls, which wrap the pool perimeter. At its highest point, the LED wall stretches two stories high and spans the length of the pool’s south side.

The wall is covers more than 10,000 square feet, suitable as a single giant panel or several reduced-size screens to broadcast sporting events, entertainment or private-meeting presentations.

Sahara Senior Vice President and General Manager Paul Hobson says the Azilo pool is an apt fit with the Ballo restaurant, and incoming “Magic Mike Live” adult revue set to open in August.

“These new additions will help create complementary, personalized experiences that can be enjoyed in tandem or individually,” Hobson said in a statement, issued Thursday before an unveiling of the restaurant and pool. “Guests can spend a day at Azilo that leads to a night out at Ballo. Or, dinner and drinks at Ballo become a pre-show experience ahead of catching a performance of ‘Magic Mike Live.’”

Hobson later said he hoped the pool could be open in time for July 4 weekend.

From a Sahara news release, the Azilo covers about 35,000 square feet of poolscape, with VIP cabanas outfitted with HD TVs, private pools, spas and restrooms; daybeds; lily pads; three bars; and plenty of lounge seating. The pool will be open to both hotel and outside guests, operating daily, including engagements on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Hobson says, “These additions, like our other newly enhanced amenities, have been designed to create a crafted, boutique experience that our guests can customize to suit their tastes and truly make their Las Vegas experience their own.” Face covers are required, but bathing caps are not.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.