You know those YouTube videos with that manly Old Spice guy and his hilarious responses to Twitter fans? Of course you do. So does everybody, it seems, because Old Spice body wash sales have increased 107% in the past month in part thanks to that social media marketing campaign.

Already published stats from video analytics company Visible Measures that made it clear that the Old Spice guy was a hugely successful initiative from marketing firm Wieden + Kennedy, achieving millions of viral video views quicker than past hits like Susan Boyle and U.S. President Barack Obama’s election victory speech.

The statistic of the 107% sales increase over the past month comes from Nielsen, which also revealed that sales increased 55% over the past three months. Individual products that were slipping in sales saw spikes after actor Isaiah Mustafa showed them off in the TV and Internet video ads. Those numbers were cited in an article at BrandWeek.

The campaign began with simple TV ads, which then went viral on YouTube. The follow-up program in which Mustafa recorded funny videos in response to fans, bloggers and Twitter influencers hit it out of the park in the zeitgeist. Adweek quotes Visible Measures’ Matt Cutler saying that the total web views for all Old Spice brand videos have reached 110 million, “surpassing the reach of traditional broadcast.”

Adweek also reports that Old Spice is working on a new campaign, but that it’s “unrelated” to the Mustafa videos. That’s a tough act to follow, but we don’t think anyone at Old Spice is complaining today.

Update: Some readers have pointed to news stories saying that sales for Old Spice went down. Not exactly.

The earlier reports of drops in sales referred to the Old Spice product Red Zone After Hours, which experienced a 7% drop. WARC, the source for that story, also acknowledges Nielsen’s data, saying, “Despite reports to the contrary, Nielsen data shows that sales of the Old Spice Body Wash range as a whole rose by 55% over the last three months, and by 107% in the last month alone.”

We will acknowledge the point that there is simply a timeframe correlation between the boosts in Old Spice sales and the ad campaign.

ORIENTATION for new employees of Zynga, the fast-growing maker of Facebook games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, can be a heady affair given the company’s outsize ambitions — all of which are embodied in Mark Pincus, Zynga’s 44-year-old founder.

In a pep talk this month, Mr. Pincus told his company’s newcomers that he had set out to build an enduring Internet icon, one that was synonymous with fun.

“I thought, it’s 2007, and this can’t be all that the Internet is meant to be,” he said. There has to be more than “a garage sale, a bookstore, a search engine and a portal,” he added in a good-natured putdown of the Web giants eBay, Amazon, Google and Yahoo.

And lest there be any doubt which of those giants Zynga aims to match, Mr. Pincus said the opportunity to build an online entertainment empire was “like search before Google came along.”

So far, he seems on track. The Zynga Game Network, as the company is officially called, is the hottest start-up to emerge from Silicon Valley since Twitter and, before that, Facebook. Unlike Twitter, which has meager revenue, Zynga is on a path to pocket as much as $500 million in revenue this year, according to the Inside Network, which tracks Facebook apps.

While Facebook needed four and a half years to reach 100 million users, Zynga crossed that mark after just two and a half years.

Zynga’s empire is made up of cartoonish online games that even Mr. Pincus acknowledges are goofy. And most striking, given its financial success, is the fact that the games are free to everyone. Zynga makes money, by and large, only when a small fraction of its users pay real money for make-believe “virtual” goods that let them move up in the games or to give their friends gifts.

For instance, in FarmVille, its most popular game, players tend to virtual farms, planting and harvesting crops, and turning little plots of land into ever more sophisticated or idyllic cyberfarms. Good farmers — those who don’t let crops wither — earn virtual currency they can use for things like more seed or farm animals and equipment.

But players can also buy those goods with credit cards, PayPal accounts or Facebook’s new payment system, called Credits. A pink tractor, a FarmVille favorite, costs about $3.50, and fuel to power it is 60 cents. A Breton horse can be had for $4.40, and four chickens for $5.60. The sums are small, but add up quickly when multiplied by millions of users: Zynga says it has been profitable since shortly after its founding.

The company has ballooned to nearly 1,000 employees, up from 375 a year ago, and now has some 400 job openings. And investors, including Google and the Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, have put about $520 million into the company. Though some of the money was used to buy out early investors and employees, it’s still a huge sum in Silicon Valley.

Zynga has been valued at more than $4.5 billion, putting Mr. Pincus, who has retained voting control over the company, on a path to become Silicon Valley’s next billionaire. And, not surprisingly, Zynga has caught the attention of people beyond Silicon Valley.

At a recent gathering of media and technology moguls, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the C.E.O. of DreamWorks Animation, was asked what he would do if he were to start his career over. “I said I would like to be Mark Pincus,” he recalled in an interview. “He has nailed the next killer app, the next compelling thing that’s going to happen” in media.

THERE have been some bumps on Zynga’s road to success. The games are programmed to send updates to players’ Facebook friends when certain actions are completed, like planting or harvesting crops. Six million Facebook users, who grew tired of constant updates about their friends’ games, joined a group called “I don’t care about your farm, or your fish, or your park, or your mafia!!!”

Facebook started restricting the messages, and Zynga’s traffic dropped sharply. For instance, FarmVille had a 26 percent drop, to 61 million monthly users, in July from a peak of about 83 million in March, according to AppData.com.

Mr. Pincus says he expects growth to resume with new games like FrontierVille, which a month after its release on June 9 had 20 million players. And Zynga investors say the drop in traffic had little effect on revenue because many players who dropped out didn’t buy virtual goods.

Even so, some analysts and investors question Zynga’s ability to keep producing hit games in an ever more crowded field. “There are only so many potential customers and only so many categories,” says Rick Heitzmann, a managing director of FirstMark Capital, a venture capital firm that has invested in online game companies, though not in Zynga. “And they are burning through categories quickly,” he adds, noting that Zynga already had games for pets, farms, restaurants and other subjects.

For now, however, it is hard to argue with Zynga’s record.

Its games have 211 million players every month, according to AppData.com. Though that figure counts a user for each type of game he plays, it makes Zynga about four times larger than its nearest rival, Electronic Arts. Playdom is third, with 41 million users.

“I have a very high-stress life,” says Alena Meeker, 32, a financial analyst at a major brokerage firm in San Francisco. “I love relaxing with the games.” Ms. Meeker, who plays several of Zynga’s games, says she devotes about an hour a day to them and spends $20 to $40 on virtual goods every week. She says she uses the games to connect with friends, co-workers and family.

Nathan R. Van Sleet, who lives in Oakland and is unemployed, says he plays YoVille, a game in which users create avatars and interact with others in custom-decorated homes, for up to 16 hours a day. Because he is hearing-impaired and doesn’t know sign language, online forums of YoVille players have allowed him to connect with various people.

“If it were not for the forums, I would have missed the opportunity to meet these people,” Mr. Van Sleet said in an e-mail.

Mr. Pincus points to these kinds of testimonials when he says that the games, while simple, have a higher purpose: connecting people. The company also donates some proceeds from virtual goods to earthquake relief in Haiti and other causes.

While some traditional developers grumble about the social-game phenomenon, which they see as a step backward in sophistication, the popularity of Zynga and some of its rivals has made the multibillion-dollar video game industry take notice. In November, Electronic Arts bought the Zynga rival Playfish for as much as $400 million. But some analysts say that most other traditional gaming companies are falling behind the trend that is taking the industry by storm.

“The only one that can catch up is Electronic Arts,” says Michael Pachter, a research analyst at Wedbush Securities.

BY the standards of Silicon Valley, where people like Mr. Andreessen, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin built Internet empires while still in their 20s, Mr. Pincus is something of an aging whiz kid.

Clad in jeans and a T-shirt, Mr. Pincus could easily blend in with Zynga’s new recruits, a group of hoodie-wearing, 20-something engineers and product managers.

A serial entrepreneur, he sold his first company, Freeloader, an early Internet broadcast service, for $38 million, and took public his second, a business software maker called Support.com. He owns several homes and an airplane. Yet five years ago, around the time his third company, a social network called Tribe.net, was headed for failure, he groused in an interview that he had not yet made Silicon Valley’s “A-list.”

With Zynga, Mr. Pincus believes he will finally get his due. He talks of building a “digital skyscraper,” a company whose services are so indispensable that someday we will look back and wonder how we managed to do without it.

As he has carved his path in Silicon Valley, he has earned a reputation as a visionary leader. Yet he is also known for his sharp elbows and irreverent style, an image he does little to dispel. He often brags about being fired from a consulting firm job for having little patience with his bosses. “I didn’t believe in paying dues,” he said in a public talk.

He’s open about his distrust of many venture capitalists, and doesn’t want to be at their mercy. “We were profitable before we raised any money,” he says. “I think that gives you a better chance to sit at the table with your investors as a peer, not an employee.”

He says he once barred the partners at one firm that had invested in Support.com from attending meetings “because they were not adding any value.” With a touch of pride, he adds that a Silicon Valley firm turned down an investment in Zynga, telling him he was “not coachable.”

Now that Zynga has shone a spotlight on Mr. Pincus as never before, his bravado has come back to haunt him. While speaking to entrepreneurs in Berkeley last year, he said: “ I knew that I wanted to control my destiny. So I funded the company myself, but I did every horrible thing in the book to just get revenues right away.”

Bloggers seized on those comments as an example of questionable ethics at Zynga after critics said the company was allowing deceptive advertisers into its games. Without being clear, some ads, for instance, signed up players for subscriptions to costly text-messaging services. TechCrunch, the technology blog, called the practice “ScamVille,” and some users filed a class-action lawsuit against Zynga. The company has since filed a motion to dismiss the suit, and a hearing is expected in September.

Zynga has since pulled the ads, and Mr. Pincus now says he was misunderstood. He says he was trying to convey to would-be entrepreneurs that they needed to earn revenue quickly to gain independence from investors. “I never meant to imply you should do anything unethical,” he says.

And he says he recognized that with Zynga’s success, he needed to temper his attitude. “As the company has had more exposure and visibility, I have had to realize that more people take what I say seriously,” he says. “I’ve had to grow up.”

AS Zynga has emerged as the most successful maker of Facebook applications, its relationship with the giant social network has become more complicated. First, there was the brouhaha over the notification system and the drop in traffic. Then Facebook said it would push all applications to use a virtual currency, Credits, on the site, and take 30 percent of proceeds. Tensions mounted, but the two companies eventually settled their differences. In May, they announced a five-year partnership expanding the use of Credits in Zynga games.

Ethan Beard, who heads Facebook’s platform team, acknowledged the strains. But he said that the relationship between the two companies now was “very, very strong.”

Still, some analysts predict more friction ahead, as the balance of power between the two companies shifts.

“Most people think Facebook would have been a phenomenon without games,” says Mr. Pachter, the Wedbush Securities analyst. “I am not sure that’s right. Twenty to 30 percent of visits to Facebook are to play games.”

Zynga, which is said to be contemplating a public offering, clearly does not want to have all its eggs in the Facebook basket. It recently signed a sweeping agreement to bring its games to millions of users on Yahoo. And Mr. Pincus shared the stage with Steven P. Jobs, the Apple C.E.O., at the unveiling of the iPhone 4 to announce that FarmVille was available on the handset.

In addition, Zynga’s $520 million in financing includes a recent infusion of $300 million through two, roughly equal investments from Softbank and Google, according to people briefed on the investments who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Zynga’s finances publicly. Google and Zynga are also in the early stages of exploring a collaboration, these people said. Zynga and Google declined to comment or confirm a Google investment.

When Mr. Pincus first envisioned Zynga, most investors and peers doubted that a gaming start-up could become the next big thing. But the success of games like FarmVille has silenced the critics.

“Zynga has the most revenue, growth and happy customers of any three-year-old venture we’ve ever backed,” says John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm that has backed Amazon, Google and Netscape.

Asked how big Zynga can become, Mr. Pincus has a difficult time hiding his ambition.

“I am drinking the Kool-Aid more than anyone,” he says.

Not a bad showing at the stampede this year, as usual there where lots of pretty girls and families out for the 10 day event.

I took a short video with my LG phone's video camera (claims to shoot HD) and im quite impressed with the output although i personally

suck at shooting video (note the black screen toward the beginning) but all in al with a little more practice i'm sure i'll be able to take much clearer

vids next time. The big feature missing is a stabilizer but over all it's a pretty useful cam to have on me at all time.

Fans of LEGO will be excited to learn about the first massively multiplayer online game based on the LEGO play experience: LEGO Universe launches to young and old alike on October 26 on both the PC and Mac platforms.

In the game, players are challenged to use the element of “imagination” to solve problems and build solutions for fighting back the Maelstrom, an evil force that must be pushed back in order to restore harmony to the universe. As in other MMO titles, your character adventures through the game’s universe completing quests and accruing new equipment, which determines your Lego minifigure’s stats in lieu of more typical character leveling and experience point progression systems.

Beyond the story-driven gameplay, LEGO Universe also features an extensive building and behaviors system that lets players create and animate their own LEGO environments complete with a scripting language that gives life to their creations. Think of it as the online equivalent of the LEGO playtime you may have enjoyed as a kid, with the ability to imagine almost any creation and see it realized on screen. Plus, you’re able to inhabit and enjoy your own created LEGO corner with any friends you see fit to invite into your customized world.

From what we’ve seen of the game so far, developer NetDevil have done a superb job staying true to the spirit and mentality of the LEGO brand while simultaneously creating a new virtual online version of a franchise many of us have known and loved since childhood. LEGO Universe is a family-friendly title that we suspect will end up captivating a good chunk of adult players along with the more obvious younger demographic of brick enthusiasts.

LEGO Universe launches October 26, with early access commencing October 12 for players who pre-order the game. The $39.99 title includes a free 30-day subscription to the massively-multiplayer title, which will run you a $9.99 per month subscription cost thereafter. Check out a video demo from the game’s Creative Director Ryan Seabury below, along with some screenshots in the companion gallery.

What do you think of the game so far? Do you have any thoughts about this most modern iteration of the LEGO pantheon?

LEGO Universe Demo and Gameplay

Building Tools

Castle Building

Castle Friends

Forbidden Valley

Maelstrom Spider

Nimbus Station

Property Friends

Property House

Property Tractor

Space Station

AZURE at The Palazzo Las Vegas

Open: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in pool season.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: The usual charge is $20. As at many adult pools, the fee does not include use of lounge chairs.

Cool pool amenities: Nibbles by Wolfgang Puck, including $35 lobster salad and Sunday brunch; poolside massages by Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

Best for: Those seeking a sophisticated pool with more serenity than most. Its tagline: "Where the high high-profile keep a low profile."

Information: azurelasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: It's small (around 400-500 guests max) and in a garden setting, with a rotunda overlooking the Strip, comfy terrycloth-covered lounge chairs, not known as a party pool. However, hunky actor Gilles Marini ofSex and the City, Brothers & Sisters and Dancing With the Stars fame did host a Memorial Day fete and visited again last weekend. Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl and E! network anchor Giuliana Rancic have been spotted.

Bare Pool Lounge at The Mirage

Open: Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless: Yes.

Entrance fee: Women, free; men, $20 Monday-Thursday and $40 weekends. Local men free Mondays.

Cool pool amenities: Plunge pool for VIPs in an elevated cabana area overlooking the action; unlike many other adult pools, use of chaises is complimentary Monday through Thursday.

Best for: Oglers and socializers in mid-20s to mid-30s.

Information: barepool.com

The skinny on dipping: At this small pool, feasting eyes on exposed flesh — openly or discreetly — is a draw. It was built so everyone can see most everyone. There's not as much privacy for VIPs as at some other pools, but Britney Spears, Courtney Love, Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas and Orange County Desperate Housewife Gretchen Rossi have been spotted here.

Beach Club 25 at the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Topless:  Yes.

Entrance fee: Women, free; men, $10.

Cool pool amenities: High up on the 25th floor; you don't have to pay for lounge chairs.

Best for: The value-minded who don't need all the "ultra-lounge" bells and whistles.

Information: stratospherehotel.com

The skinny on dipping: Don't expect to see celebs and Woodstock-style revelry. Enjoy the views over Vegas.

"Ditch Fridays" bashes at Palms Casino Resort

Open: Fridays from noon to 7 p.m. from May through Labor Day. The party is for those 21 and older, but younger hotel guests may enter but not drink. At other times, the pool welcomes kids.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: $25; local women and hotel guests are free.

Cool pool amenities: A VIP area with glass-bottom pool; in-pool loungers to dance on; poolside bungalows that rent by the night.

Best for: Young party animals in their 20s and 30s who don't mind being shoulder-to-shoulder and trying to carry on a coversation while music blasts.

Information: palms.com

The skinny on dipping: Started in 2006 to draw locals looking to get a head start on the weekend, it attracts a diverse crowd and has evolved into a tourist attraction, too, maybe because of The Palms' MTVReal World fame and the resort's cameo appearance in rapper Lil Wayne's hit Lollipop. Name entertainers such as rapper Sean Paul add to its allure.

Encore European Pool at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas

Open: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for Encore guests 21 and older from April through September; more limited hours in fall and winter.

Topless sunbathing: Yes during the day; not on the Sunday nights through Labor Day when partiers at XS nightclub can take swims, too.

Entrance fee: Guests only during the day, and it's free to them. Sunday nights, there's a nightclub cover charge of $20 for women and hotel guests, $30 for men, to swim. Locals get in free Sunday nights.

Cool pool amenity: An underwater ledge where poolgoers can sit and keep cool; gaming tables; and how many nightclubs let you take a dip?

Best for: Sophisticated adults during the day; upscale clubbers Sunday nights.

Information: encorelasvegas.com; xslasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: This curved pool is larger than its counterpart at sister property Wynn Las Vegas.

Encore Beach Club at Encore Las Vegas

Open: Friday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday evening pool party starting at 10 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: Women, $30; men, $40. But prices may vary.

Cool pool amenities: Three linked pools, dancers on pool shower platforms, two-story VIP bungalows and a gaming pavilion.

Best for: Upscale fun-lovers.

Information: encorebeachclub.com

The skinny on dipping: New on Memorial Day Weekend, it is aiming for the hip, hedonistic vibe of Ibiza, Spain. Melded with the new Surrender nightclub and revamped SWITCH restaurant, it has a separate entrance on The Strip. Paris Hilton danced opening weekend; Sam Worthington of Avatar fame stopped by.

Fortuna and Venus at Caesars Palace

Open: The Fortuna gaming pool in Caesars' just-revamped Garden of the Gods (non-guests can come play) is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Venus Pool Club is open daily in season (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; 11 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday). Pool season at Caesars can run from March or April until September or October.

Topless sunbathing: At Venus Pool Club, except during special events such as the Memorial Day Weekend concert with Snoop Dogg.

Entrance fee: None at Fortuna; typically $10 for women and $30 for men at Venus. Free to locals on Monday and Tuesday. The price goes up for special events.

Cool pool amenities: Swim-up blackjack at Fortuna. Caesars has a Garden of the Gods room special from $110, including beach bag and $25 credit toward pool food or drinks.

Best for: Gamblers (Fortuna) and those who like the lush pool lounge life (Venus).

Information: harrahs.com/gog; venuspoolclub.com

The skinny on dipping: Venus, a spacious area separated from the rest of Caesars' redone, bigger Garden of the Gods pool complex, is hidden behind cyprus and olive trees and a wall. It attracts celebrities, including sports stars, Kardashians and Hiltons. Fortuna is not topless and is next to a family pool. It has five shaded swim-up blackjack tables and a semi-circular waterfall.

LIQUID Pool Lounge at ARIA Resort & Casino

Open: Daily, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: No.

Entrance fee: Women, $10; men, $20 most days. Women, $20; men, $40 on Saturdays. Locals free Thursdays.

Cool pool amenities: VIP cabanas with banquettes, TVs and plunge pools; Super Soaker squirt guns provided for VIP partiers.

Best for: Party people in their 20s and early 30s.

Information: liquidpoollv.com

The skinny on dipping: Opened in March, this CityCenter splashatorium has a state-of-the-art, nightclub-style sound system that projects sound horizontally to heighten the "ultra lounge" experience and limit annoyance to guests outside its walls. A Grand Cabana where stars hold court is within the sight of poolgoers.

Moorea Beach Club at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Topless sunbathing: Yes.

Entrance fee:  $10 for women hotel guests Mondays through Thursdays; $20 on weekends. Male hotel guests $40 Monday-Thursday; $50 on weekends. Non-hotel guests are $125 daily. Holidays: women hotel guests, $30; men, $60; non-hotel guests, $150.

Cool pool amenities:  Mandalay Bay guests can walk next door to the resort's sandy beach and swim there, too (not topless, of course). Moorea's star villa — musician John Mayer hung out here — has a stripper pole, mirrored ceiling and a round bed overlooking the Mandalay Bay beach. It can rent for $2,000 a day.

Best for: People not looking for a wild party scene. Moorea's friendly staff aims to keep the mood classy. Convention-goers love it, and it attracts a wide range of ages.

Information: mandalaybay.com

The skinny on dipping: Moorea, named after an island in French Polynesia, opened seven years ago. Expect to see convention-goers on break from Mandalay's big convention center discreetly eyeing mammaries. The atmosphere is intimate and upscale, with teak chaises topped with red cushions and servers in nautical-themed red-and-white two-piece suits.

"Rehab" party at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Open: Sundays from 9 a.m. until sunset from April through September.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Generally, $20 for women, $50 for men. Reduced rate for male locals. Local women and select guests are free. Entrance fees can vary; hotel guests bypass the line via a separate entrance.

Cool pool amenities: An elevated VIP cabana area with great view of the pool that's dubbed "Rodeo Drive;" center island great for show-off dancing; "Rehab" shots of alcohol in a syringe.

Best for: Young, hard-core partiers or anyone who likes an outrageous bash.

Information: rehablv.com

The skinny on dipping: This is Vegas's monster pool party, which has been called "Spring Break on Steroids." Now in its seventh year, it attracts an average of 4,000 locals and tourists a week and is fodder for a reality show on the TruTV channel. Expect a 3-acre tropical pool complex, strippers shimmying on their day off, a whole lotta grinding and making out, outrageous tattoos, rowdy drunks and a rock-festival-happy mood.

Skybar at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Open:  Noon to midnight Friday-Sunday. Noon until sunset Monday. Swimming not allowed after 8.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Free to hotel guests; $20 for nonguests. Locals who work in the hotel, casino and nightlife industries are free on "Relax Mondays."

Cool pool amenities: An infinity pool by the bar has "windows" on the bottom to reveal bathers to those in an HRH Beach Club below. The bar has Italian furniture and cool views of The Strip at night. Another pool is surrounded by cabanas.

Best for: Those looking for a quieter, more sophisticated atmosphere than that at Hard Rock's Rehab.

Information: hardrockhotel.com

The skinny on dipping: The third in a chain of cool lounges — it's sister to the first in L.A. and second in South Beach, Fla. The look is contemporary and chic.

TAO Beach at The Venetian

Open: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in spring, summer and early fall. It's a swimming area by day; an extension of TAO nightclub Thursday through Saturday nights, with no swimming allowed at night.

Topless: Yes, Monday through Thursday only.

Entrance fee: $20 for non-local males Saturday and Sunday.

Cool pool amenities: There's a staffer who mists guests with cool water, and food from the TAO kitchen, including sushi, and $8 red mango frozen yogurt. You also can get a "sun recovery" massage for $85, and even get married.

Best for: A clubgoer crowd (no drinks allowed in the small pool). Celebs including Jamie Foxx and Reggie Bush have populated the cabanas. Pamela Anderson is scheduled to host a birthday party for herself July 10. No surprise, Paris Hilton has been there, too.

Information: taolasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: An intimate extension of the popular TAO nightclub, the space is small but sophisicated, with Asian-inspired furnishings and décor and cabanas with Balinese daybeds.

Sunset Pool at Wynn Las Vegas

Open: Daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. April through September; more limited hours in the offseason.

Topless: Yes.

Entrance fee: None. It's for Wynn and Encore hotel guests 21 and over only.

Cool pool amenities: "Lilypad" round loungers surrounded by water that usually rent for $300 and up; gaming tables.

Best for: An upscale visitor who doesn't want rap music or crowds.

Information: wynnlasvegas.com

The skinny on dipping: Tucked away and surrounded by topiary, it attracts an upscale crowd who swim (there are lap lanes, rare for an adult Vegas pool), sun, listen to pop hits and gamble at tables by the popular sunset bar. Servers wear one-piece suits and can't have visible tattoos, signaling that this pool is more dignified than others.

WET REPUBLIC at MGM Grand

Open: Daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from March to October.

Topless: No.

Entrance fee: Generally during the week, men pay $20, non-local women, $10. Local women free. Rates may rise on weekends and for special events.

Cool pool amenities: In-water loungers; VIP bungalows with daybeds and dipping pools overlooking the action.

Best for: Young and noisy partiers. A deejay is always on duty. Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and reality TV's the Kardashian sisters have been on display here; rapper Diddy has performed; weekly bikini contests on Fridays are currently popular.

Information: wetrepublic.com

The skinny on dipping: A WET REPUBLIC on a Vegas boulevard declares war on nightlife. The music is high, there are two saltwater pools, special events abound and the space gets packed. Spring for a cabana if you can. It can hold about 1,600 people, and food isn't exorbitant (four sliders with bacon and cheese are $16; Thai chicken salad, $17).