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An article published by "QVegas" magazine:
Diamonds in the Desert
It is my belief that to have a successful business, there are numerous qualities and characteristics one should have. Knowledge of business and a personable personality are among those qualities. Having visited with Randy and Mike, owners of Hawks Gym and The Rack, it is clear they both possess those qualities and much more. It is rare for a woman to enter into the depths of Hawks Gym, but I was given that chance the other day. As one of the only gay owned and operated businesses in the Las Vegas Valley, Hawks Gym is both a gym and a private men's social club dedicated to meeting the needs of gay and bisexual men. An estimated 150-180 towels are used on any given weekend and membership is high, with 1300 active members.
Randy and Mike met four years ago at the now closed Wet Lizard. They moved to Salt Lake City, UT and promptly realized it was not the town for them. After returning to Las Vegas, with the help of Mike's mother who passed away this year, they opened Hawks Gym on August 31, 2002. They celebrated their two year anniversary with a party that began at 8pm and continued on through the night, giving away $1000.00 worth of prizes, food, discounted lockers and private dressing rooms.
Hawks Gym has a total of 23 private dressing rooms and 64 lockers. Up front, there is a clean semi-large room that is called the smoking lounge, with a couch and TV. Just outside the smoking lounge stands the workout equipment, which they intend on adding to in the near future. Further into the club, there is a shower room, where they layed the tile themselves, an aerobics room, a meditation room, which can hold up to 20 men, a large clean room that has free billiards, darts and snacks in a vending machine, a gymnastic room, which includes a ballet bar and mirror and a few other rooms that are a must see. Each dressing room is equipped with a TV that sows various movies and videos. Having never been in a men's social club, I asked Mike what the dressing rooms were for,"It is a place where they can dress and undress, dress and undress over and over again" He laughs as he explains it to me.
They both tell me that they provide a safe and clean haven for those that seek one. Walking through the club, listening to them talk and banter with me and each other, I'd have to agree wholeheartedly. Up front, you can purchase various soft drinks, water (no drugs or alcoholic beverages are allowed) and other items, like body jewelry and massage oil. These items and more eclectic ones can also be found at The Rack, located just next door to Hawks Gym.
After seeing the club and visiting their newest room, my personal favorite, a 1200 foot dungeon which will include a St. Andrews Cross, a 7 foot spiderweb of chain, spanking bench, bathroom with 2 showers and a locker area, we spoke briefly about the new addition. The dungeon will be accessible to both men and women, private parties and other special occasions. They hope to have it open by the anniversary party.
Randy and Mike are two people that are personable, fun loving and witty. They employ between 10-12 gay men and currently have one transsexual, Blair, who is the assistant manager. They call her "the hostess with the mostest." They are two of the most accepting and tolerant men I have ever met. They continuously give back to their community, through donations to various charities as well as helping surrounding businesses and organizations. They are true diamonds in the desert.
