Traveling to Des Moines....what's there to do?

[BigDMike]

Iowa and specifically Des Moines has never been on my list though I was asked to attend a meeting in person this June so I booked my travel.  I found it amusing the airport, hotel and venue are all within minutes of each other so I'm guessing it's a pretty small place.

Of course, I came on here to see what providers and such are mentioned....everything I found was either outdated or referenced someone that was there temporarily.  In looking at RM and MF, it's pretty much void of anything but one provider.

For those with experience there....any recommendations or suggestions ?  Guessing there's no men-specific spas or related places...even a decent KSPA would be nice.  Any locals providers that I should look up and where?

Thanks

[+ azdr0710]

 

[BigDMike]

1 hour ago, azdr0710 said:

 

So this is what I’m in for….thanks 😕

[mike carey]

At least.

Nothing to do with monks, an apparently spurious derivation of the name, although your experience may be monastic.

[BigDMike]

45 minutes ago, mike carey said:

At least.

Nothing to do with monks, an apparently spurious derivation of the name, although your experience may be monastic.

So in other words I should have committed to attend on Zoom then instead?

[mike carey]

Just now, BigDMike said:

So in other words I should have committed to attend on Zoom then instead?

I was intentionally making light of the issue. There's always things worth doing in smaller cities, just this might not be the ideal forum to learn of such activities. I spent four months on a DOD course in Omaha, so I speak with some, dated, experience. (Don't @ me, @LukePhx!)

[+ azdr0710]

46 minutes ago, mike carey said:

your experience may be monastic.

of course, @BigDMike is trying to AVOID the monastic vow......we gotta find that corn-fed stud for him.....

AI Overview Iowa

is the top corn-producing state in the U.S., consistently ranking #1 by producing over 2.5 billion bushels annually, which accounts for roughly 18% of the total U.S. volume.

 

 

[+ nycman]

[TonyDown]

Sorry not aware of spas or providers.

For anyone going to DM, these were some highlights I have visited.

If you're into the arts, the summer opera festival is good, although it may be sold out.

The Arts Center has a world class art collection.

The Science Center can be fun, depending on the current exhibits.

There is a large sculpture garden downtown. Pappajohn Sculpture Park.   Very nice!

Nearby is Hoyt Sherman Place which is a funky music venue.  I saw Rufus Wainwright perform there when I visited DM.

Plenty of nice places to eat and drink.  A-Dong is nearby, popular for Vietnamese.  Big Grove Brewery is also nearby.  Fun place. Lot of beer choices, and tasty food. They had Rainbow flags flying when I visited, so it was gay friendly.  

Sherman Hill is a gay friendly historic district.  Very cool restored old homes.  It's near Hoyt Sherman Place.   

East Village is the funky, gay friendly part of downtown.  Very walkable trendy area.  Couple of gay bars.  The bartender at Blazing Saddles was friendly.  One could ask for advice on providers.

The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates is a museum and event center in the historic former Public Library building.  I toured this place and was impressed.  If I return to Des Moines I would like to visit again.  Tours are limited though.

I picked up a book on Des Moines architecture at the Art Center bookstore.  If you like historic architecture, take a look at Des Moines Architecture and Design by Jay Pridmore.  Besides the Hall of Laureates, the State Capitol and Terrace Hill are impressive.  Try for a tour.

There are a few micro brewpubs in town and even some wineries outside of town.

I've been to the Downtown Farmers Market, Saturdays.  It's huge.  Lot of T shirts and souvenirs which you probably don't need.

All that said, I doubt I would move to Iowa.  Des Moines seems to be languishing although outside of town, some of the suburbs are growing.

 

[wsc]

TonyDown paints a lovely picture of the area and it sounds charming. But for our purposes here, after perusing the RentMen offerings, I've concluded that Des Moines is more of BYOBoy kind of place. Happy hunting. Vespers starts at 7.

[Minneapolis]

Des Moines is a nice place to visit.  They actually have a good food scene and brew pubs.  It's family oriented city and you need to drive everywhere.  West Des Moines is the best part of the city, but there are a few restaurants downtown.  I haven't been to the gay bars there, but I'm sure they are your average midwestern gay bar.  It's not a typical small Iowa town.  I grew up in Iowa and I'm amazed how much it has grown over the years since I've lived there.

That said, if I was a straight family man, I would LOVE to live there--but I'm not.  Thats why I left.  Not a great singles scene, but if you are only there for a week, make the most of it.  And the cost of living is incredible.  You will get a lot of bang for your buck there.  

[+ poolboy48220]

Reminds me of a work trip to a small town (Springfield Ohio maybe?) shortly after I came out. I checked the phone book for "Gay" listings and the only number listed turned out to be some 'pray away the gay' hotline. I had better luck on later trips to other cities

[+ Just Chuck]

I lived in eastern Iowa in the nineties.  I really liked making the short drive to the progressive university town of Iowa City.  That’s a bit of a long drive from Des Moines.  You might find some fun in Ames, Iowa.  That’s the home of Iowa State University and had some fun restaurants and college bars when I visited there.

Iowa has taken a rightward conservative cultural shift since I lived there and central and the western 2/3rds of the state were always more conservative than the eastern side.   

[marylander1940]

19 hours ago, BigDMike said:

Iowa and specifically Des Moines has never been on my list though I was asked to attend a meeting in person this June so I booked my travel.  I found it amusing the airport, hotel and venue are all within minutes of each other so I'm guessing it's a pretty small place.

Of course, I came on here to see what providers and such are mentioned....everything I found was either outdated or referenced someone that was there temporarily.  In looking at RM and MF, it's pretty much void of anything but one provider.

For those with experience there....any recommendations or suggestions ?  Guessing there's no men-specific spas or related places...even a decent KSPA would be nice.  Any locals providers that I should look up and where?

Thanks

Have someone from Omaha drive to you or save your money and spend it somewhere else where you have better/more choices.

[BigDMike]

14 hours ago, mike carey said:

I was intentionally making light of the issue. There's always things worth doing in smaller cities, just this might not be the ideal forum to learn of such activities. I spent four months on a DOD course in Omaha, so I speak with some, dated, experience. (Don't @ me, @LukePhx!)

Of course...completely understand and I was being sarcastic too.  I travel A LOT for work and Iowa is a state I've never been to before so while I will have some "free time" that I'm certain I can fill....I was hoping for a more exciting fling along the way. 😉

[BigDMike]

14 hours ago, azdr0710 said:

of course, @BigDMike is trying to AVOID the monastic vow......we gotta find that corn-fed stud for him.....

AI Overview Iowa

is the top corn-producing state in the U.S., consistently ranking #1 by producing over 2.5 billion bushels annually, which accounts for roughly 18% of the total U.S. volume.

 

 

YES PLEASE! 😈

[BigDMike]

11 hours ago, TonyDown said:

Sorry not aware of spas or providers.

For anyone going to DM, these were some highlights I have visited.

If you're into the arts, the summer opera festival is good, although it may be sold out.

The Arts Center has a world class art collection.

The Science Center can be fun, depending on the current exhibits.

There is a large sculpture garden downtown. Pappajohn Sculpture Park.   Very nice!

Nearby is Hoyt Sherman Place which is a funky music venue.  I saw Rufus Wainwright perform there when I visited DM.

Plenty of nice places to eat and drink.  A-Dong is nearby, popular for Vietnamese.  Big Grove Brewery is also nearby.  Fun place. Lot of beer choices, and tasty food. They had Rainbow flags flying when I visited, so it was gay friendly.  

Sherman Hill is a gay friendly historic district.  Very cool restored old homes.  It's near Hoyt Sherman Place.   

East Village is the funky, gay friendly part of downtown.  Very walkable trendy area.  Couple of gay bars.  The bartender at Blazing Saddles was friendly.  One could ask for advice on providers.

The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates is a museum and event center in the historic former Public Library building.  I toured this place and was impressed.  If I return to Des Moines I would like to visit again.  Tours are limited though.

I picked up a book on Des Moines architecture at the Art Center bookstore.  If you like historic architecture, take a look at Des Moines Architecture and Design by Jay Pridmore.  Besides the Hall of Laureates, the State Capitol and Terrace Hill are impressive.  Try for a tour.

There are a few micro brewpubs in town and even some wineries outside of town.

I've been to the Downtown Farmers Market, Saturdays.  It's huge.  Lot of T shirts and souvenirs which you probably don't need.

All that said, I doubt I would move to Iowa.  Des Moines seems to be languishing although outside of town, some of the suburbs are growing.

 

Thank you so much for this wealth of knowledge.  I am staying right in downtown as is my event.  I have time the evening I arrive and before and after the meeting the following day before departing.  I will absolutely go check out some of these highlights.  Thank you so much 

[BigDMike]

3 hours ago, Minneapolis said:

Des Moines is a nice place to visit.  They actually have a good food scene and brew pubs.  It's family oriented city and you need to drive everywhere.  West Des Moines is the best part of the city, but there are a few restaurants downtown.  I haven't been to the gay bars there, but I'm sure they are your average midwestern gay bar.  It's not a typical small Iowa town.  I grew up in Iowa and I'm amazed how much it has grown over the years since I've lived there.

That said, if I was a straight family man, I would LOVE to live there--but I'm not.  Thats why I left.  Not a great singles scene, but if you are only there for a week, make the most of it.  And the cost of living is incredible.  You will get a lot of bang for your buck there.  

Thanks so much! Thankfully, I rented a car so I can get around....

[TonyDown]

6 hours ago, BigDMike said:

Thanks so much! Thankfully, I rented a car so I can get around....

You're welcome.

These are live theater events in June, if you enjoy theater.

https://www.desmoinesperformingarts.org/whats-on/events/2025-26/iowa-stage-theatre-company/im-gonna-marry-you-tobey-maguire

 

https://dmplayhouse.com/events/noises-off/

 

I saw the Des Moines Playhouse do Billy Elliott years ago.  I was impressed.

Edited 15 hours ago by TonyDown

[TonyDown]

8 hours ago, Just Chuck said:

I lived in eastern Iowa in the nineties.  I really liked making the short drive to the progressive university town of Iowa City.  That’s a bit of a long drive from Des Moines.  You might find some fun in Ames, Iowa.  That’s the home of Iowa State University and had some fun restaurants and college bars when I visited there.

Iowa has taken a rightward conservative cultural shift since I lived there and central and the western 2/3rds of the state were always more conservative than the eastern side.   

I got my engineering degree in Ames.   I agree, Iowa City is likely a much more comfortable place.  But Ames can be fun.

Back to the OP.

I concur with the prior post that mentioned Rentmasseur.  There are providers listed in DM,  but also one might follow up with profiles that leave reviews for DM providers they  booked.   That has worked for me, for SoCal massage providers.  

I still like my idea to stop by Blazing Saddles and ask the bartender about getting a massage.  Or you could go on REDDIT and ask around.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8zH--JMaig/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

Edited 15 hours ago by TonyDown