Coyote Ugly Saloon a casual place where crowd provides atmosphere

Often, people who come into Coyote Ugly Saloon at New York-New York have seen the movie of the same name.

Those people usually have certain expectations, says the club's spokesman, Bradley Owens. They think their experience will be as wild as the movie's depiction: women dancing on the bar, spraying guests with liquor and seltzer, bartenders cutting men's ties off of their necks.

It does get a little raucous, Owens says, but within reason.

Based on the original Coyote Ugly bar in New York, the Las Vegas version opened in 2001 and has enjoyed the kind of publicity that only a feature film can deliver, Owens says.

The bartenders are all women, and they dance on the bar, just like in the movie. Throughout the night, they cool the crowd down by spraying them with soda water. Female guests sometimes donate their brassieres for the infamous display above the bar.

"We don't encourage it," Owens says about the bra donations, adding that the club doesn't turn them down. Nudity is not allowed on the premises, so the undergarment has to be tastefully donated.

Men come in expecting to have their ties cut off, which the bartenders do in the movie to help the guys loosen up. Coyote Ugly isn't the sort of place to wear a business suit.

"You can tell they bought the tie with the specific intention of having it cut off," Owens says. "They'll ask the women to do it. Some of them show up in suits and get razzed by the crowd, but they seem to enjoy it."

Coyote Ugly isn't a typical Vegas club. There are no VIP areas, only a bar and tables with no chairs. The jukebox stands in for a live DJ, Owens says, with the crowd providing the atmosphere.

Admission is $10 per person after 9 p.m., but if you come in for happy hour between 6 and 9 p.m., you can get in free. The dress code is casual. Women can wear anything, but men should avoid sports apparel and sleeveless shirts.

The saloon opens daily at 6 p.m. and closes around 2 a.m. For more information, call 740-6330.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@ reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.