Splashing out! Iconic Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle visited by Lady Gaga, Clark Gable and Cary Grant offers swimmers the chance to take a dip for $1,450

  • Hearst Castle's Neptune Pool in San Simeon California will open its doors for four dates in July
  • The cost is $500 for a foundation membership and $950 for the swim
  • Forty tickets are available for each of the Neptune Pool events and 20 tickets for each Roman Pool swim 
  • The nearly 90-year-old Neptune pool, that holds 345,000 gallons of water, has undergone a $10M renovation in recent years  
  • Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. have all swum in the pool
  • It was also the set for the original Version of Spartacus and Laurence Olivier is seen in the film strolling by the water
  • It was designed and enlarged twice by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst 

The chance to swim in one of California's most iconic pools - Hearst Castle's Neptune Pool - is up for grabs when it opens briefly to the public next month.

The Foundation at Hearst Castle is offering those willing to pay $1,450, a dip in the pool frequented by the likes of Lady Gaga and a whole host of Hollywood's Golden Age celebrities, including Clark Gable.  

The cost is $500 for a foundation membership and $950 for the swim. 

The recently restored Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle is pictured on October 4, 2018 following a $10 million restoration project

The recently restored Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle is pictured on October 4, 2018 following a $10 million restoration project

The pool is nearly 90 years old. It is marble lined and features serpentine tiles

The pool is nearly 90 years old. It is marble lined and features serpentine tiles 

The Neptune Pool in the process of refilling in August 2018 after being empty for over four years after cracks emerged

The Neptune Pool in the process of refilling in August 2018 after being empty for over four years after cracks emerged

The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, is pictured circa 1960

The Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, is pictured circa 1960

The exclusive opportunity to swim in the outdoor Neptune Pool is available on just four dates in July.  

Two other nights are reserved at the indoor Roman Pool. 

Forty tickets are available for each of the Neptune Pool events and 20 tickets for each Roman Pool swim.

The nearly 90-year-old Neptune pool that holds 345,000 gallons of water was refilled in August 2018 after being empty for over four years. 

The Roman-themed pool, which features Baroque and Art Deco sculptures, was constructed in the 1920s.  

It was designed and enlarged twice by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst and the architect Julia Morgan, the first licensed female architect in California, into the pool that it is today, according to the Hearst Castle website

It's marble lined and features serpentine tiles. The pool is 104 feet long, 58 feet wide and 95 feet wide at the alcove. 

A scene featuring Sir Laurence Olivier as Crassus in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick directed "Spartacus" was shot on location at the Hearst Castle Pool

A scene featuring Sir Laurence Olivier as Crassus in the 1960 Stanley Kubrick directed 'Spartacus' was shot on location at the Hearst Castle Pool

Sir Laurence Olivier as Crassus strolls by the pool in a scene from the film. Over the years a long list of famous names have swam in the clear blue waters including Carole Lombard, Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin

Sir Laurence Olivier as Crassus strolls by the pool in a scene from the film. Over the years a long list of famous names have swam in the clear blue waters including Carole Lombard, Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin

Clark Gable (pictured above) also swam there along with Johnny Weissmuller, star of 'Tarzan'

Clark Gable (pictured above) also swam there along with Johnny Weissmuller, star of 'Tarzan'

It is 3.5 feet deep at the west end, 10 feet at the drains.

Over the years a long list of famous names have swum in the clear blue waters, including  Carole Lombard, Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin.   

The pool was also the set for the original Version of Spartacus. It was the first time they allowed a movie to be filmed there and Laurence Olivier was on set. 

Top sporting athletes also used the pool for practice. 

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played water polo there and the 1920s Olympic gold medalist swimmer and star of 'Tarzan,' Johnny Weissmuller swam in the pool. 

Hearst himself played in the pool alongside his pet dachshund.

The castle has been in William Randolph Hearst's family since 1865. 

Hearst incorporated ancient Roman fragments he snapped up in Italy in 1922.

He later added nymphs and mermaid sculptures, the work of the Parisian artist Charles-Georges Cassou. They were commissioned by Hearst in 1930, as reported by The New York Times.  

Brooke Shields took a dip in 2009 when she attended a Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation Neptune Pool Party. Dan Aykroyd got his toes wet at the same event.

While it was closed, the pool was temporarily refilled for Lady Gaga to shoot her music video G.U.Y, in its sumptuous surroundings (scene shown above)

While it was closed, the pool was temporarily refilled for Lady Gaga to shoot her music video G.U.Y, in its sumptuous surroundings (scene shown above)

Lady Gaga also filmed a scene in the indoor pool in 2014 (pictured above)

Lady Gaga also filmed a scene in the indoor pool in 2014 (pictured above)

At nearly 90 years old, renovation work and repairs have been carried out over the last few years.   

The pool was drained for renovation along with plumbing repairs and conservation of its Art Deco sculptures in 2008. 

Six years later it was drained again after cracks started to form at the height of a drought. 

A renovation project to fix the leaks was launched by State Parks in 2014. 

The project that cost $10 million was funded by Proposition 84 and the State Parks and Recreation Fund.

Dan Aykroyd attending the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation Neptune Pool Party on October 3, 2009

Dan Aykroyd attending the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation Neptune Pool Party on October 3, 2009

Brooke Shields took a dip on October 3, 2009 when she attended the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation Neptune Pool Party

Brooke Shields took a dip on October 3, 2009 when she attended the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation Neptune Pool Party

The restoration work wasn't straight forward with the serpentine green tile found to contain naturally occurring asbestos that was ruled to be hazardous and had to be removed by professionals. 

While it was closed, the pool was temporarily refilled for Lady Gaga in 2014 to shoot her music video G.U.Y in its sumptuous surroundings.  

By the end of 2015, historical surveys, permitting, and environmental reviews were completed and the construction contract was awarded in 2016, according to Hearst Castle.

Crowds view the recently restored Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on October 4, 2018, in San Simeon, California

Crowds view the recently restored Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on October 4, 2018, in San Simeon, California

During the renovation process more than 9,000 square feet of marble tiles were removed, the concrete shell was replaced and thousands of new marble tiles fitted that were sourced from the original quarry in Vermont.

In 2018, a similar V.I.P. experience was held in the pool when guests paid more than $1,000 for a swim.

This event was held to celebrate the completion of the huge renovation project, the largest in the pool's history.

 

  

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