Tao in Vegas

You may feel a little overwhelmed by the 60,000 square foot Tao complex that includes a massive nightclub, a restaurant, an ultra lounge and a rooftop beach club. You may feel intimidated by the line outside, which is the physical proof that if Tao were a high school student it would win Most Popular, Prom Queen and Most Likely to Marry Jake Gyllenhaal.

You may feel the tension (emotional, physical, sexual) when you see the almost-naked models in flower petal-filled bathtubs at the entrance, and you may feel your jaw drop when you realize that really is Pam Anderson sipping on a cocktail and chatting up a Manchester United soccer player. Everyone who is anyone is at Tao, and it’s all happening here—the word Tao actually means “that in virtue of which all things happen or exist.” So deep. With everything happening and existing all at once, we recommend taking it one step at a time.

Check out the scene in the ultra lounge, which features a towering 20-foot hand-carved golden Buddha, an infinity pool full of Japanese koi, waterfalls and walls made with century-old wood and stone and swathed in velvet and silk. Sample the sushi or lobster wontons in the restaurant, which must be doing something right since it’s the highest grossing restaurant in the country.

Then hit the club, which aims to please with two main rooms packed with gorgeous go-go dancers, nearly as gorgeous guests, three good-looking bars and private sky boxes that come with espresso machines and European Bottle Service. Last, but certainly not least, visit the 40-foot long rooftop terrace that boasts a breathtaking view of the Vegas lights and Venetian canals and on Saturdays a pool light show with floating Chinese lanterns and four 14-foot tall fire columns. If the music, the crowd, the dazzling décor and insane energy get to be a little too intense, just take a deep breath, let your eyes wander over the rock gardens and hundreds of Buddha statues and candles and tune into your inner Nirvana.