The walls of the Minus 5 Ice Lounge are blocks of ice, inlaid with signs that read "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" and "What Happens in Vegas...", both carved from ice. There's a Mandalay Bay sign (made of ice), the face of a woman winking seductively (made of ice), a 12-foot-long bar (made of ice), and walls adorned with abstract designs of multicolored ice. In one corner, an ice chapel beckons those impulsive and hot-blooded enough to get hitched.

It's 72 hours before the grand opening, and the bar is still unfinished—a cacophony of chain saws, belt sanders, and air compressors. In the middle of the room, nearly hidden under a black and purple snowsuit, Heidi Bayley is crouched over, chiseling small pieces off the "cushions" of a giant, round bench. Its 31 precut pieces are labeled like Ikea parts (round chair, back rest, piece A, piece B) and were designed to fit together right the first time, mostly. Bayley is just taking off some errant edges.