You're not alone in being confused on this issue. We, too, have been phoning the Stratosphere for several years in succession, inquiring about the status of the former topless pool, named for its location up on a deck on the 25th floor. Our queries have been met with the same vague response as yours. So, until this season we have continued to list it in our Cool Pools section, but with a recurring caveat in the notes explaining that it's still "closed for remodeling."
Your email inspired us to call yet again and not give up until we found someone with a more satisfactory answer, which this time around we finally did. The helpful lady with whom we spoke confirmed that Club 25 is, indeed, currently at some stage of an ongoing renovation which, we gather, involves relocating pretty much everything aside from the pool itself (i.e., bars and so on), but that this work-in-progress has been on ice since 2011 and is likely to remain so at least through the next year, although the project has not been abandoned and will resume at some point... While not much of an answer, it's a little more than we knew before.
Pools are always one of the harder amenities to keep up-to-date with, in large part due to their seasonal nature. We endeavor to keep an accurate tally of certain fundamental features, including: whether or not a venue is open to non-hotel guests (with or without a fee); if it hosts regular parties and/or concerts; if topless sunbathing is permitted; whether or not there is poolside or swim-up gambling, and so on. It's common for a pool to open with a relaxed attitude toward admission policies and fees when it's early in the season and demand is low, but they often become stricter about being guest-only as more hotel guests wish to use it. This year, however, has been particularly frustrating, with radical changes happening on a weekly basis, often without the knowledge of any member of staff you get to speak on the phone with. Hence, we've received inaccurate or inconsistent feedback on multiple occasions, or else have verified everything one week, only to learn that it's all changed a few days later.
To cite a few examples, The Voo adult pool at the Rio assured us early in the season that it was "toptional" and still clearly advertises this fact on its web page profile, but don't be fooled! Apparently, some landscaping modifications have taken place in the aftermath of the abortive Sapphire Pool experience a few years back, which now mean that the area is visible from the main hotel pool, where children are at play, so no more topless sunbathing. ToplessVegasOnline author Arnold Snyder verified this in-person last weekend, and was still charged 20 bucks admission to this adult-only oasis, but when was asked the front desk today, they still assured us that The Voo was European-style.
In a move that is definitely a case of swimming against the flow, the main VooDoo Beach pool, meanwhile, advertised an admission fee early on this year, but has since dropped it and is allowing anyone in for free (at least, it is today; who knows about tomorrow?!). The Pond at Green Valley Ranch told us that it would be open to the public for a fee this year, but it isn't and, as far as we know now, has no intention of becoming so. And M Resort's Daydream party pool quietly introduced a pastie policy last year that we never heard about (it can't be fully topless on account of certain Henderson ordinances), but then this year equally sneakily cut its hours to become weekend-only, a matter of days after we'd verified that it was open almost daily.
That's just a brief snapshot and don't even get us started on the naming of pools (Encore, Flamingo, Hard Rock, Wynn, yes, we are talking to you!). So, while we will continue to monitor and update our Cool Pool listings as the season progresses, we advise anyone planning on making a special trip somewhere definitely to call ahead in order to verify current policy (and, if at all possible, speak with someone at the pool itself, since the front desk/concierge staff frequently are not kept in the loop, even though they're the ones you call for information). Whatever happens, do not place your trust in a hotel's website information, as the case of the Rio's definitively-not-topless Voo pool demonstrates quite clearly. For information specifically on European-style sunbathing options, ToplessVegasOnline.com is your one-stop shop, since Arnold Snyder will be visiting, reviewing, and re-visiting the venues in this niche all summer long -- all that's required of you is to remember to pack the sunblock.
