A Really, Really Wild West

Deep in The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo, there is an entrance to a saloon. It’s a right friendly atmosphere with little to indicate what’s about to happen at the Atomic Saloon Show, but one way to loosely describe it is Deadwood meets The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The cabaret-circus brings audiences back to those thrilling days when cowboys and cowgirls dabbled in cross-dressing and wore chaps out for a night on the town. Legend has it that proprietor Boozy Skunkton once owned a hotel on land the government figured was perfect for a secret atomic test site, so the flamboyant flame-haired impresario went in search of the perfect place for her menagerie of “abnormally sexy but sensationally amoral” entertainers.

As there is no city more abnormally sexy but sensationally abnormal than Las Vegas, Skunkton set her sites on an unused but hidden music hall rumored to be available at The Venetian. She found kindred spirits at established immersive entertainment shows Absinthe at Caesars Palace and Opium at The Cosmopolitan, and reached out to those shows’ producers, Spiegelworld. With the addition of British comedy director Cal McCrystal, they talked of many things, of Blazing Saddles and America’s Got Talent, of Westworld and nuns who twirl rings.

Skunkton took the whole adults-only shebang to Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, where the entertainers strutted their stuff for the first time. Pioneers of polka-punk Mr. and Mrs. O’Calamity, who were in Riverdance before an unfortunate incident in Michael Flatley’s dressing room, not only choreograph the show but introduced Irish hand dancing to festivalgoers. Superbly muscular Italian acrobat the Abdominal Outlaw made audiences gasp as he demonstrated the benefits of zero percent body fat when working the aerial pole. A hula-hooping seductress, hand-balancing man of the cloth and whip-wielding whiskey smuggler all made their debut.

Atomic Saloon Show drew standing ovations and critical acclaim at the Fringe. If it succeeds in Las Vegas, it may set a precedent for productions being previewed before audiences expecting world-class entertainment at places like Edinburgh. One thing is for sure—no other production on the Strip has combined blasphemy with ping-pong balls. –Matt Kelemen

The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian & The Palazzo, 7 & 9 p.m. Sun. & Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. Mon.-Tues., $96.34-$161.74 plus tax and fee, 18+. 702.414.9000

Step Into Style

With more than 200 specialty boutiques that wind around 1.2 miles of retail space, Miracle Mile Shops offers the latest in fashion. Cover yourself in head-to-toe style from brands including French Connection, Lucky Brand, Supreme, Guess, H&M and Urban Outfitters. Grab a bite as well at the many varied restaurants. –Kiko Miyasato

Planet Hollywood Resort, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat. 702.866.0704

Pamper Yourself

Located on Westgate’s third-floor pool deck, Serenity Spa is one of the city’s hidden gems. And while the space is intimate, the menu is packed full of holistically healing treatments for the body and mind. There’s also the adjacent salon for mani-pedis. Enjoy treatments like the anti-aging Essence of Youth facial or the Himalayan Salt Stone Massage, which relieves tension and promotes mind/body balance. –KM

Westgate Las Vegas, 6 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. 702.732.5648

Photo by: Kelly McKeon

Bloomin’ Bounty

The flowers are in bloom and arranged in a stunningly beautiful autumn display at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The free-to-view attraction was inspired by the designer’s travels to India. View 25-foot tigers, exotic elephants and floral sculptures made up of more than 2,000 blooming roses. It’s the perfect way to snap some social media pics to welcome the fall season. –KM

Open 24 hours daily. 702.693.7111