Romance and Roulette: Why Vegas Is for Gay Lovers

 We had already finished our third couple's massage, one for each day we were in town. It turns out that starting your day at the spa makes everything easier. At Encore at the Wynn, the masseuse dramatically swung open the door to the spa with a grand "Welcome!" As we walked down a golden carpet flanked on both sides by a stone garden, the giant Buddha at the end of the walkway signaled we were about to enter a higher plane.

At one of Vegas's gay pool parties, I ran into Josh Strickland, star of Planet Hollywood's Peepshow. "Incredible" is how he and his boyfriend described the Encore spa. "And there was no problem that two guys were getting a massage," Strickland said. My husband and I found the same thing at Aria and the Cosmopolitan, where they even leave you afterward, alone in a private suite with a steam shower, oversize tub, and other amenities to enjoy however you wish.

There's a big-screen TV too, but you won't need it.