The Sip n’ Dip lounge is one of those places that inspires the “Is it really tiki” conversations. Honestly, any bar that serves a tropical and has a back wall that looks out under the water of a pool is worth a mention here. I mean even GQ noted this place as one worth visiting. The fact that there is a LIVE MERMAID show is even better.
Like most bars in the country, the Sip n’ Dip has been closed since most states began their shelter in place orders. Located in Montana, the Sip n’ Dip was being allowed to open as that state started to allow certain businesses to open back up under specific social distancing guidelines.
Sanda Thares, the owner of the Sip n’ Dip, wanted everything to be as close to normal as possible but also wanted to be respectful of the rules so she contacted her stat’s health department asking for guidance about the mermaid show.
As is usual with anything involving bureaucracies she got conflicting responses. The Governer’s office said yes. The Cascade County health department said no, believing pools couldn’t reopen until the third phase of the gradual reopening of the state’s economy.
After some back-and-forth in which the governor’s office noted hotel pools could reopen for registered guests with social distancing guidelines, the county OK’d the mermaid entertainment as long as only one mermaid was in the pool at a time, Thares said. There’s usually two.
So starting this week, one mermaid will be swimming behind the glass for bar patrons to watch. As per the information on their website, the hotel pool will be closed to guests during the mermaid show.