Group Finds Adventure, Unity In Trek To Hidden 'Social Pool' In Mojave Desert
STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — A number of local friends were given keys and a set of coordinates to take part in a one-of-a-kind desert adventure to find a pool installed somewhere in the middle of the Mojave desert.
Austrian artist Alfredo Barsuglia created the pool, calling it "the Social Pool," as a means of discovering just how far people would go in the pursuit of leisure.
For Anastasia Lewis, it was an easy decision.
"I saw the pool online, and the geometric form of it just kind of pulled me into it," Lewis said.
People waited in line to try to get reservations.
After a month-long online reservation, Lewis headed to the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Hollywood, a former residence for Barsuglia.
Given only a key and coordinates, with the location of the pool being top secret, the adventure commenced. Gathering her friends, Lewis entered the coordinates into a GPS locator, and they were off after making a few snack and supply stops.
"We were there, tracking every 200 plus miles of the journey through small towns and into the desert," Lewis said.
After some time, their journey took them to a dirt road, at which point the party was required to leave the car and trek through the desert.
Then, as if a mirage, the water appeared in the middle of the desert amidst the sand and plants, much like an oasis.
They had reached the Social Pool.
However, they found more than water by the end of their journey.
"We kind of figure out why they call it the social pool," Lauren Ribera said. "It's smaller and kind of gets us all together."
"I feel like it really bonded us as friends," Mackenzie Greer said. "I feel like the social aspect of the pool really started when we first got in the car and started driving here today."
The Social Pool itself, meanwhile, is scheduled to remain at its current location in the Mojave desert through September. However, due to its popularity, visitors must have reservations to get in.
GPS coordinates and keys to the pool can be picked up at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in West Hollywood, and to visit the location, you must make a reservation at the Social Pool's website.