Sitting, Walking and Looking Pretty

There's a different kind of working girl walking the dance floors, restaurants and pool decks of Las Vegas. She gets money, too, but not for sex. Her job is just to be there and be friendly.

She's called an atmosphere model.

"Every (club) does it," said Leana Hildebrand, lead agent at Impact Models, who noted she has provided atmosphere models to the hotspots Pure, Tao, LAX, Jet, Tryst, Blush, Privé, Caramel and the Foundation Room in the past year.

"It's to create an atmosphere of beauty," she explained. "They're just there to be beautiful and mix and mingle."

Spokespersons for each of the clubs mentioned either denied the practice, said it is used minimally or did not return phone calls.

Atmosphere models -- who are all women -- earn an average of $200 per night, plus free drinks and (if hired by a restaurant) food. They're hired in packs of 10 to 50.

"If I'm gonna have a $30 million nightclub, for me to spend two- to four-grand a week to ensure an atmosphere, I'm gonna do it," said a night life veteran who hired atmosphere models for clubs, restaurants and pools operated by the Light Group from 2005 to 2007, but did not want his name mentioned in this article.

"It's the same thing as a beautiful curtain, a nice piece of art in a room, great lighting or a good-name DJ," the former Light Group executive said. "It's decoration."

Of course, in this town, decoration is ultimately about sales.

"Most of the spenders are male, and in order to keep the spenders there, you need women to keep them happy," said the former Light Group executive. "If you have a group of four guys who come in, how are you going to get them to stay?

"They want to hang out with girls."

The venues also receive an image boost by appearing to attract models just because of their hip factor. In the cutthroat world of Las Vegas night life, no venue can afford to be branded as unhappening.

"I don't want to expose them, I feel bad," said Daniel Mahan, owner of Envy Models, "but yes, every club does it."

Mahan said his company, which is based in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, occasionally provides atmosphere models.

"But we don't really like it," he said. "It's not something that we really focus on."

Mahan explained he prefers to keep Envy known for higher-regarded modeling services such as runway and catalog.

Paying beautiful women to populate casinos is nothing new. In 1957, entrepreneur Scott Griffith opened Nevada's first modeling agency, and his main calls were for Strip decoration.

"They supplied good-looking girls to hang around and dress the place up," said John Reiboe, editorial supervisor of the Las Vegas News Bureau from 1962 to 1991.

Before that, the job fell to dancers and showgirls.

"They were instructed to hang around the bar between shows and after the second show," said Harvey Diederich, who managed publicity at the Frontier, Hacienda, Sahara and Tropicana hotels from 1952 to 1956.

The Review-Journal found one modern ad seeking atmosphere models -- placed on MySpace by Red Models for "an upcoming Palms event." (A spokesman for the hotel said he was unaware of any Palms-Red relationship, adding that the agency could have been approached by any private entity renting hotel space. A Red spokeswoman refused to comment.)

Most calls for atmosphere models go out on the down-low. Venue managers or promoters send text messages to trusted modeling agents, who then contact the girls they represent. The agents receive an average of 20 percent of the fee paid.

"I usually have a good rapport with the club managers," Hildebrand said. "I'll submit who I'm interested in booking, and they'll approve based on the picture.

"But I don't usually send anyone who doesn't have the personality to back it up."

Atmosphere models -- most of whom work weeknights, when business is slower -- don't always just stand around. Frequently, they're sent over to VIP tables.

"(Guys) will get the impression that these are girls they can go home with," the former Light Group executive said, "so they'll spend more money. 'These aren't the waitresses that are working,' they figure, 'so maybe these are girls that I can actually take home.' "

Hildebrand said she instructs her models to say they're at the club to celebrate either a bachelorette party or one of their birthdays.

"The club's reason for hiring the girls isn't anybody's business," Hildebrand said. "Who's to say the wiser?"

Atmosphere models are instructed only to have a good time and be friendly. If pressed to produce a phone number, the decision is theirs.

"The venue's not going to tell them not to do it, or that they have to do it," said the former Light Group executive. "They're not call girls."

Mahan said he doesn't see the practice as dishonest.

"It's not," he said. "To me, you spent a lot of money on the decor. So why not spend it on who's in the club?"

Spokespersons for Tao, the Foundation Room, and for Jet and Caramel, denied hiring atmosphere models -- as did a spokeswoman for Tryst (although she said that Blush once hired them for a birthday party "at a customer's request").

A spokeswoman for Pure Management Group, which owns Pure and LAX, said it "only hires models for fashion shows and similar special events."

A spokewoman for Privé did not return calls by press time.

Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0456.