This gay bathhouse owner spilled the tea on what it’s really like to run a sauna
Long live the time-honored tradition of the gay sauna.
Mark
Long live the time-honored tradition of the gay sauna.
Since their inception during the Greek and Roman empires, bathhouses and LGBTQ+ people have been inextricably intertwined.
Over the years, they transformed from clandestine places to explore then-forbidden desires, to the go-to spot for parties, and now, a pillar of our communities.
The apps may have put a damper on foot traffic, but these steamy and sticky gathering places are filled with as much action (and bodily fluids) as they were during their glory days.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Just ask Glenn McNamara, owner of Sauna X by 357 in Sydney, Australia.
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Midler talks about building a following at a “steam bath for homosexuals”.
“It’s a very essential part of the queer community,” he recently told SBS’s “Queer Renegades” podcast.
“People come to scratch an itch. They come because they’re horny or they want to have sex in a place that isn’t someone else’s home [or] they don’t want to risk doing something in public.”
Of course, ahem, itch-scratching isn’t allowed in every room. As McNamara revealed, his labyrinth-sized building — which features slings, glory h*les, mirrors, and steam rooms — has one strict rule: No sex in the spa. LOL.
“You’re more than welcome to have a pash, maybe even some oral, but preferably no fluids,” he said. “But no f*cking in the spa because it’s not a sanitary thing to do.”
Fair.
Thanks to social media, there’s been more candid discussion about the sensational (and occasionally unsavory) aspects of gay bathhouses than ever before.
Take, for example, that employee who posted a viral TikTok about a “hung” 92-year-old man and reminded us that there’s no expiration date on a good hookup!
Or that content creator who recounted his Equinox steam-room encounters with duplicitous daddies in excruciatingly delicious detail.
While these types of run-ins are a daily occurrence for owners like McNamara, he stressed that the biggest part of his job is the boring stuff. Like laundry. LOL.
“I’m usually [there] early because I have to meet a tradesperson,” he explained. “I’m constantly ordering cleaning products. The TV breaks down, buy a new TV; install the TV. If the beds get cracks in [them], buy a new bed.”
Womp, womp.
That said, McNamara’s favorite part of the job isn’t the salacious intel or the satisfaction of delivering a deep clean. (And trust us, he revealed there’s a very laborious cleansing process that occurs every morning.)
It’s providing a safe place for “queer people to be themselves and be around other queer people.”
His establishment in Sydney, in particular, is frequented by men who have been visiting spas since the ‘70s and ‘80s, and are much more satisfied by connecting with friends than they are connecting with, erm, you know what we mean.
“There’s a gentleman, probably in his 80s, who comes in with a huge trench coat,” McNamara shared. “Always very well-dressed. He has two slices of cake, coffee, and watches movies. And for him, that’s that safe queer space for him.” Awww.
Nevertheless, McNamara (who ditched a 20-year career in corporate for his gay spa gig) acknowledged that the “next generation” of LGBTQ+ men will ultimately decide the fate of these places.
Still, he believes “there’s always going to be a need for a gay male-only space.”
And if you aren’t sure if the gay spa is a place for someone like you, worry not.
According to McNamara, who admitted to being “a chubby guy myself,” it’s far from a “chiseled body”-only space. “Let me tell you, that is not the ideal,” he said. “People are into different body types.”
Duly noted!
‘White Lotus’ star Sam Nivola says he loves this NYC bathhouse & we’re all wondering the same thing
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We’re sure the bevy of scantily clad eye-candy doesn’t hurt either.
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The breakout star of Season 3 recently shared his “favorite” place to visit in Manhattan is the Russian & Turkish Baths.
