It’s not always as easy as it should be for people to accept that bringing two awesome things together usually makes something even more awesome. Who could forget the great peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate/chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter debacle of the 1970s?

Lucky for everyone, Vegas – and the Rio in particular – is historically very open to blending two concepts that already work. A restaurant and a nightclub? Put them together! A bowling alley and a nightclub? Put them together! A gentlemen’s club and a pool? Put them together!

And, with that, Sapphire Pool at the Rio was born.

Combining Sin City’s supersize Sapphire Gentlemen’s Club with a pool area at the Rio, Sapphire Pool is every bit as sweet as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and actually flourishes in the sun, instead of melting into a mess.

Located near the back of the Rio pool area, Sapphire Pool is sectioned off from the other areas by serviceable bamboo fencing. This allows guests to partake in a little Brazilian-style bathing, which is the Rio’s way of saying that catching some rays while topless is definitely allowed. (The rest of the Rio pool area requires a top, so if you happen to wander away from the haven of Sapphire Pool, make sure you cover up.)

For the equivalent of a gentlemen’s club VIP room, look no further than Sapphire Pool’s cabanas. Complete with a personal host, TV and refrigerator, these seven cabanas are an opportunity to get a lot more space for just a little extra coin. If going all out isn’t your style (or you’re saving the big bucks for your night on the town, instead of your day by the pool), consider one of the 12 Sapphire Pool daybeds. Located poolside and complete with an adjustable umbrella, the day beds are a happy medium between standing all day and full-on pampering yourself. There are also padded lounge chairs scattered throughout the pool area.

But it’s not all taking in (and being a part of) the scenery at Sapphire Pool – with three cascading waterfalls and two Jacuzzis, people actually enjoy taking a dip, too.

Poolside and club mainstays – that is, drinks and music – are also in supply at Sapphire Pool, where a female DJ spins Top 40 and hip-hop, while specialty cocktails like build-your-own mojitos and Caipirinhas (a Brazilian favorite) are served up by bikini and sarong-clad cocktail waitresses.

All right, all that said, maybe it’s not exactly rocket science that a pool and a gentlemen’s club work so well together, but then, did you come to Sin City for really abstract and oddly-matched concepts? Or did you come to have some fun?

-- Review by Jamie Helmick