The Pool Crashers report: Hotel Joule

by Jill McCoy

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Perfection. That's the word.

DOWNTOWN DALLAS — According to oxforddictionaries.com, the Joule effect is “the heating that occurs when an electric current flows through a resistance.” By this definition, the temperature at The Joule in downtown Dallas would be white, white hot. And judging by the $27 fee to valet my car, they know it! It took mere seconds for my valet, Guss, to distract me with his sparkling personality and infectious good humor before I happily handed over my keys, smiling as if I had just gotten the deal of the century.

Jill McCoy

"Why are we down here when we could be up there?"

Looking up 10 stories from Main Street, you can see what appears to be a large aquarium jutting 8 feet out from the edge of the building. Instead of sharks and stingrays swimming inside it, passersby can see a woman doing lazy laps in a Juicy Couture swimsuit. Standing on the hot asphalt in the sun and looking up, it occurred to us that we were on the wrong end of this cantilever (yep, I totally stole that word from their website) and headed up to get changed.

Now this is where I confess. We didn’t technically “crash” this pool. Some earlier reconnaissance work revealed that between the security staff and the elevators, which simply won’t move without a full body scan and FBI clearance, the Joule Poule is impenetrable to outsiders until the hour of 6 p.m. Since this would interfere greatly with the rest of my investigation, not to mention my tan, we decided we should make a night of it.

And this is where I fear my words will begin to fail me – even without mentioning the swanky lobby or the lovely little over-night room. The Joule has managed to fit an absolute sanctuary onto its rooftop surrounded by skyscrapers. The view is beyond description, if concrete and steel turns you on. Even if you have a fear of heights, you will find yourself inching closer to the glass as the day progresses and the beverages flow, just to take a peek at all the poor souls, way down there, trying to make their way home from work at the end of a long, hard week.

Jill McCoy

The sun was out, the crowd was hot.

It’s also easy to get comfortable on the numerous choices of Arabian-inspired furnishings. Scented misters came at us from every angle, keeping us cool and smelling fresh. The water in the temperature-controlled pool was chilled to perfection. Wait staff were not only stunningly beautiful but were also friendly and gracious. (Take that W Hotel!)

With a full bar, great music, and good food from Charlie Palmer, a girl could start to think about settling down and retiring her floaties. Everything about the Joule Poule whispers in my ear, “Why you want to think about other pools, guuurl? Stay right here for-eva and I’ll take reeeal good care of you …”