Yes, you read that correctly. Adelaide now boasts a swimming pool burlesque bar to add to the repertoire.

Nineteen Ten is Adelaide’s latest rooftop bar, boasting a glittering cosmopolitan skyline and a bubbling, turquoise-tiled pool.

The art deco design of the bar screams early 1900’s glam, and prohibition-style cocktails, Cuban cigars, and gin and tonic menu further enhances this. The sequinned walls and skyline add a touch of now, rounding out the room and making the space feel old-world but perfectly placed in 2018.

Featuring a baby grand piano, licensed swimming pool, fireplace, and a retractable roof, the bar exudes vintage glamour.

And if you thought that the rooftop pool was extra, wait until you see the burlesque performers dancing on top of it (via a custom glass stage).

Burlesque darlings Desert Rose, Penelope Shum, and Chelsea Whitbread captivate the room with their fire-eating sequin-clad routines. Yes, fire eating.

The bar offers a cosier setting that most, something that works perfectly in a city like Adelaide, where there’s about two degrees of separation between you and the person walking past you.

Nineteen Ten only allows 50 guests at any one time which, coupled with the secretive entryway, gives it an intimate and exclusive feel. It’s not your standard Adelaide dive.

It’s something a little bit more mysterious; ostrich feathers, a luxe glass elevator, and plush private seating spaces add to the intrigue of the bar.

The curated selection of performers currently features three house burlesque performers and a house jazz band. The in-house jazz band features Anthony Costanzo on bass, Andrew Casey on piano and vocals, Ryan Casey on trumpet and vocals, Lou Howard on trombone, and Zed Crawford on drums.

The list will expand in the future with talented artists performing everything throughout the course of 2018, including circus burlesque, vintage burlesque, soul tunes, and blues music. And, of course, a healthy dose of jazz.

“Adelaide has progressed significantly since things like the Adelaide Fringe began, with the small bar movement and extension of creative festivals, allowing our city to explore the incredible talent of local and international artists, “ says Fafi D’Alour (stage name), aka Nineteen Ten’s General Manger, Fiona Smith.

“I saw this as an opportunity to assist in developing an Adelaide-based high-class speakeasy, showcasing international and South Australian wine, beer, and spirit producers alongside world-class entertainment every week of the year,” she continued.

The bar’s name, Nineteen Ten, pays homage to the Minsky brothers, who created the burlesque movement in the 1900’s in New York.

“Minsky’s Burlesque” is considered the grandfather of burlesque. Those familiar with the history of burlesque will be pleased to note several Minsky tributes dotted around the rooftop.

While Nineteen Ten is an open bar situated on a rooftop, it miraculously manages to fend off the winter chill Adelaide is experiencing at the moment. Rest assured that there is simple heating from both the fireplaces and well-placed heaters, and the cool weather won’t detract from your experience.

The bar is now open for live jazz from 8pm Thursdays and live burlesque from 8pm Fridays and Saturdays. In the summer, Nineteen Ten promises chilled-out Sunday sessions in the licensed swimming pool.

Words by Liberty Petersen

WHERE: 143 Hindley St, Adelaide