What is your attitude towards saunas?
Ronan (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 21:09 GMT

I would be interested to hear what you guys think of saunas. At the ripe old age of 28, I went to one for the first time last month. I have been back twice. I found it great to have anon. sex but I wouldnt like to be doing it every week. There were a lot of guys in there from the scene who I recognised but there were also a lot of other guys there presumably who are not out. I told some of my mates and got different reactions from approving (and swapping stories) to interested to slightly disapproving. What do you guys think?

Also I would be interested to hear about good saunas (and bad) in London and Manchester.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 21:23 GMT

If you're enjoying it (and staying safe), why not?
(But I protest against the idea that the age of 28 is 'ripe old'. )
Chariots near Liverpool Street is good (or so I'm told...).

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
Ronan (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 22:00 GMT

I am being safe but i was shocked to see that there is so much unsafe sex going on in saunas. Hopefully I dont sound like some right wing reactionary/ naive kid but every guy I had sex with only used a condom because I insisted.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 22:47 GMT

What's right-wing about using a condom? I should think you were quite right to insist.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Wanderer through eternity (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 23:02 GMT

i agree with tintin though I wouldnt use the saunas personally just cant bring my self to the idea of anon sex

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® TisFrank (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 23:41 GMT

Ronan,

Saunas can be great, a wonderful leveller once you have your clothes off you can be anybody!

They can help reduce stress

I must say that a condom MUST be insisted upon!

take your own supply in to make sure you have some.

As you are only 28 you will find casual sex easy!

Just be safe and enjoy!

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 23:42 GMT

Ah! The first of the Three Wise Men hath appearéd.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® TisFrank (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 23:47 GMT

will send you that £5 in the post

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
Anon - for obvious reasons (in the United Kingdom) 27 Dec 2002 at 23:51 GMT

The last time I was in a Sauna (3 years ago - there aren't many that cater for 'that sort of thing' around here) condoms were supplied.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® TisFrank (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 00:00 GMT

Agree anon,

condoms were coming out of the woodwork and lube too.

One thing to have them another to use them.

London has now 10 gay saunas

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
Salty (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 00:01 GMT

I prefer a dip in the pool or some time on the sun bed - I don't go in for sweaty Scandinavian pastimes.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Dylan1 (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 12:04 GMT

I don't think I would like a sauna. I've never been to one.

Roger goes to two in Manchester that he likes, H20, above Clone Zone, and Basement, which I think is off dale Street.

I don't mind anonymous sex, but I don't like the idea of people watching or trying to join in.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® TisFrank (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 13:14 GMT

I'm a firm believer in doing it behind closed doors where two guys can concentrate on DOING IT together
without restraint/or with restraint

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 13:39 GMT

The emphasis is on the word 'firm'.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tisfrank (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 15:17 GMT

firm or even hard at it!

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® wilf. (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 15:31 GMT

You are common at times Frank. My first experience in a sauna was only just over 20 years ago, and was at Cliff House Hotel in Torquay, I must say I really enjoyed it, although looking back it could have been rather dangerous, because safe sex wasn't really promoted then or it was just starting to be, John disliked it, but I have a more promiscuous nature than him, even if I don't generaly gave way to it.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Guy (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 15:37 GMT

20 years ago wilf?!!! when you were 10?! I'm shocked!!!

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® wilf. (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 15:45 GMT

Yes, well I was ever a forward child.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Andy, anywhere but guildford (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 17:48 GMT

so long as u r safe enjoy it

have fun - sex is fun or it should be

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Novice (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 23:33 GMT

I imagined saunas to be places where men with towels wrapped around their waistes, sit in hot steamy rooms, staring vacantly into space. Now it seems that through the fog, you can see coupling men in enough detail to identify whether they are using condoms or not. Saunas are not as boring as I had imagined. If condoms are used, I hope that the heat and steam does not compromise the effectiveness of these prophylactics.

How do you know someone likes you, or does it stick out a mile? What is so enjoyable about anonymous sex? Do you ever get a chance to talk to your conquests, or is talking forbidden? Do grey haired, owlish men sit around watching? It must be nice to know that you are entertaining people as well as pleasuring yourself.

Have you had sex within a relationship, and how does this sex compare with anonymous sex? I don't suppose that everybody likes the same dish day after day. If you decide to return to a sauna, perhaps you could ask some of the men why they go there and why they are reluctant to use condoms. When you have a large enough survey, you can report back to us. I would ask these questions after sex or it might affect your success.

Maybe some of the men who visit saunas are already HIV+ and so think they are beyond risk (although the mixing of viral strains might have an adverse affect on their immune systems).

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
Littlehampton (in the United Kingdom) 28 Dec 2002 at 23:37 GMT

I once came across a copy of Attitude in a sauna; luckily it was an old copy.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Tintin (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 03:10 GMT

It's all happening in Littlehampton.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
Trent (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 09:21 GMT

A few of you may remember a thread that I started a couple of years ago when I was at Unni about how my sex life was in tatters, because I was working in a sauna part time to support myself. In that I said I did not want sex because all I saw all day was cocks, a bit like working at Cadbury's and eating as much chocolate as you wanted.

Since I stopped working at the sauna I have returned a few time but it does not have to same appeal as it used to before I worked there. I have seen the place with all the lights on, I have cleaned all the spunk off the floors, I have seen grown men cry when they have found out they are HIV+ and only have had sex at the sauna and I have met a couple of people who have become firm friends, in fact I share a house with a guy I met in the sauna, so there are good and bad sides to saunas. Just be carefull.

Trent xx

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Satyricon (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 15:23 GMT

Gay saunas are vile, disgusting, disease-spreading knocking shops frequented by the desperate, the virus-racked and the married voyeurs all hoping against hope to score with some rent boy with an arsehole like a clown's pocket.

Well, you did ask for my attitude.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® wilf. (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 16:16 GMT

Thats written a lot of us off then, to be honest I think Sat is partly right, I only ever went to the one place at the Hotel, and the only people using it were fellow holiday makers like ourselves, none fitting Sats description as far as I could tell, there may have been a married man or two taking a scret holiday, but most were young chaps. However I do know from several people how ghastly a gay sauna can be, very seedy indeed, having never experienced that or likely to I cannot comment.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® MalB (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 16:29 GMT

I've never been to a gay sauna. I've only ever been to a sauna for a sauna, and not even that recently.

If you enjoy it, are safe and careful (not just about the sex itself) then why not?

However, I take even more objection to the description of "28" as a "ripe old age".

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® wilf. (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 16:34 GMT

Indeed Malb, the lad's quite mad, larks a mercy, he'd have ME with a walking stick being 30.

Re: What is your attitude towards saunas?
® Val (in the United Kingdom) 29 Dec 2002 at 16:46 GMT

mmmmm.. being 'had' with a walking stick, only if you are 28 or under? Count your blessings Wilf!