Gene Simmons, the Kiss frontman, couldn’t wait to escape Southern California and move to Las Vegas. (Not unlike some of us here at ReallyRather.)
The rocker recently purchased a slick modern mansion, as well as a piece of adjoining property in the prestigious and private Ascaya development in Henderson, NV. Back in California, his Beverly Hills estate of 35 years is still on the market—at progressively lower prices.
It’s not exactly a fire sale, but the price has come down by 20%. The rocker has been trying to sell his seven-bedroom,13,405-square-foot mansion since October 2020, when it went on the market for $22 million.
After a little remodeling to de-Kissify the place, the home reappeared in March, with a price increase to $25 million. Right now, the price sits at $19,995,000.
If the 90210 digs look familiar, you’ve possibly seen the place on the singer’s reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels.
While waiting for a deal to materialize on one of the Gene Simmons mansions, he went ahead and invested in a luxe modern desert palace, paying $8.2 million for the Vegas-area home, which was built in 2016. Perhaps he used the negotiation skills he demonstrated on The Celebrity Apprentice, since the Nevada property had been listed at $8,499,000.
Measuring 10,871 square feet, Simmons’ new desert home is slightly smaller than his SoCal manse.
The size of the Vegas lot, about a half-acre, is also smaller than the Beverly Hills property, which covers a whopping 1.85 acres. However, Simmons augmented his desert splurge with the purchase of the empty, half-acre parcel right next door.
And while Simmons’ Beverly Hills estate is best described as modern Tudor on the outside and elegant traditional on the inside, there’s nothing traditional about his new home. It’s a gleaming modern masterpiece.
You enter via a walkway, which appears to float over a koi pond. A dining area also has access to the koi pond, through disappearing walls of glass.
Once inside, you’re greeted by towering, three-story windows that provide views of the sparkling Las Vegas Valley below.
The kitchen offers views, also via disappearing walls of glass. Other features include double islands, a peninsula that seats at least 10, as well as surfaces of natural stone, polished granite, and unfinished concrete. Red accents make the space pop, and it features an array of luxury appliances, including an all important built-in espresso machine.
Most rooms—with the notable exception of the swanky home theater—are designed to take advantage of the pristine desert views. Floor-to-ceiling windows are everywhere.
Among the mansion’s more fabulous features are a large game room with a sizable bar, and an indoor/outdoor living room with a sparkling bar of its own and a large, built-in saltwater fish tank. The home’s upstairs master suite comes with a private deck, walk-in closet, and enormous bathroom.
Outside, there’s an infinity pool and spa, an outdoor kitchen, and plenty of decks and other entertainment space that can be enclosed or easily opened to the great outdoors.
Gene Simmons, 71, is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s. He’s known for theatrical costumes, face paint, and an extremely long tongue. Classic hits like “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” have made the group one of the best-selling acts of all time, with more than 75 million records sold.
Get more info and photos on the glorious Gene Simmons mansions in our features on Realtor.com and on AtHomeInHollywood.com.