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Dallas' swankiest hotel pool makes splash as TikTok's 3rd most popular U.S. swim spot

There’s no better cure for the unbearable summer heat than a dip into the chilly waters of some of Dallas' best pools. And you can’t forget to snap a cute photo for your TikTok and Instagram feeds. The place to be this summer? The pool at The Joule.

The distinctive cantilevered pool, which sits on the 10th-floor of the hotel overlooking downtown Dallas, is the third most popular U.S. pool on TikTok, according to a new report.

The study by BonusFinder.com analyzed data from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to find the most mentioned, photographed, and viewed pools from around America. The Joule finished 14th in the overall rankings for "most picturesque U.S. pool," which included pools from across the country, earning a score of 8.82 out of 10.

But it came in third among TikTok users alone, garnering over 122 million views.

First place went to Mirage Pool at the Mirage, Las Vegas (over 754 million TikTok views), and second place went to the historic Neptune Pool at the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California (over 350 million TikTok views). Right behind the Joule, two Vegas pools, The Backyard at the Red Rock Casino and the pool at Resorts World, rounded out TikTok's top 5.

"The Joule's unique 8-foot cantilevered pool provides guests the sensation of swimming out beyond the hotel's edge - equally voyeuristic for those swimming or those standing on the street below," touts the Joule's website. "With 360 degree views of historic Downtown Dallas, The Joule gives 'hanging out by the pool' a whole new meaning."

Lucky for Dallasites, you don't have to be a hotel guest to visit the pool. Limited day passes can be booked, Sundays through Thursdays.

When it comes to over rankings for "most picturesque," a popular Austin swimming hole made a splash. Austin's Barton Springs was named fourth most picturesque overall, and was actually the most Instagrammed pool in the U.S., the study says.

The study revealed that videos of Barton Springs had been viewed over 28.5 million times on TikTok and hashtagged over 15,000 times on Instagram.

In total, Las Vegas hosts six of the top 10 most photogenic pools on BonusFinder’s list. Mandalay Bay Beach and The Mirage in Las Vegas were deemed the No. 1 and No. 2 most photogenic pools, and just above Barton Springs in the third place rank was The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Other pools on the list were found in Glenwood Springs, Colorado (No. 6) and Atlantic City, New Jersey (No. 10).

The top 10 most photogenic pools in the United States are:

No. 1 – Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
No. 2 – The Mirage in Las Vegas
No. 3 – The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California
No. 4 – Barton Springs in Austin
No. 5 – The Tank at Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
No. 6 – Glenwood Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
No. 7 – The Backyard at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas
No. 8 – Stadium Swim at Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas
No. 9 – Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas
No. 10 – The Water Club at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey

One other Texas pool earned ranks outside the top 10: the Marriott Marquis Houston (No. 18).

Fintan Costello, the managing director at BonusFinder.com, said Americans are “turning their attention to where they can kick back and enjoy catching some rays by the poolside” with their spring break and upcoming summer holidays.

“Luckily, the study shows that the U.S. is blessed with some of the best and most picturesque pools in the world and there are plenty of idyllic escapes that can be found across America, without ever having to leave the country,” he explained in a statement.

The full study can be found on bonusfinder.com.

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Stephanie Allmon Merry contributed to this report.

Photo courtesy of The Joule

The Joule's pool is cantilevered out over downtown.

Swimming Pool Texas Hotspot barton springs

Sando News

Japanese-style 'sandos' pop-up finds permanent home in downtown Dallas

Sandoitchi

Sandos by Sandoitchi.

A popular sandwich pop-up has found permanent quarters in downtown Dallas: Sandoitchi, which serves Japanese "sandos" with creative fillings, will move into the space near the Joule at 1604 Main St., next to/under the Joule Hotel. It's the space that was previously occupied by La Tarte Tropezienne, the French bakery that closed in 2021.

Sandoitchi has already started to use the space for pop-up events, with a remodel in the works for later this year, says spokesman Keith Tran.

"We've had a great partnership with Headington Companies, who own the space, for more than a year, doing pop-ups at Midnight Rambler and at the Eye Ball," Tran says. "Their marketing team has been working to bring energy to their spaces and this gives us the benefit of having a permanent location."

Sandoitchi was founded in 2020, part of a wave of pandemic foodie pop-ups, but has persevered long past the pandemic both with its consistency and its ever-evolving menu of trademark sandos and other Japanese eats.

Their sandwiches are served on soft, rich milk bread, with fillings that include egg salad, Nashville-style hot chicken, pork katsu, and even Japanese wagyu topped with caviar, as well as dessert sandos filled with fruit and cream.

Their branding and packaging are sharp: The sandwiches are trimmed neatly, like finger sandwiches, and come in cute little boxes that display the ingredients winningly.

They also come with serious culinary firepower: Chef Stevie Nguyen worked at Uchi in both Dallas and Houston before heading to New York where he worked at Momofuku Ko, the two-Michelin-starred crown jewel in superstar chef David Chang's culinary empire. Nguyen shows off his techniques in a number of ways, including by using three different egg preparations to make his egg salad and coating the chicken with an umami-packed "wet shio koji solution."

They use social media skillfully and have won legions of fans, not just in Dallas but also at road-trip pop-ups to the West Coast and cities such as Houston, Austin, Fort Worth, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City.

They plan to continue doing pop-ups — for example, they have one this weekend in Orange County, California. But there's something to be said for having a home.

"Our model was built during and post-COVID, but with the return to normal, it's tougher to find spaces to host pop-ups," Tran says. "Our team includes high-end chefs with strong pedigrees who continue to evolve and remain creative, and we want to have a home base."

The location will definitely require some retrofitting; they'll start serious renovations at the end of the summer. In the interim, they're hosting pop-ups at the space, usually on weekends, over the next month or two.

"We've been experimenting, we recently tried doing breakfast — it's been a valuable opportunity to gather data on what does well," Tran says.

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Eric Sandler contributed to this story.

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Japanese-style 'sandos' pop-up finds permanent home in downtown Dallas

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