Insi London's biggt gay sna

Contents:

• INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA
• CHARTS RIP: WHAT WAS LIKE WORKG AT BRA’S BIGGT GAY SNA
• ONE TIME A GAY SNA
• GAY SNA EXPERIENC
• GAY SNAS LONDON
• THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS
• LONDON GAY MAP
• COVENT GARN HEALTH SPACENTRAL LONDON SNA FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN.LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSCOVENT GARN HEALTH SPA

INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA

Charts is a gay sna that’s somehow stood firm and risted the velopers for nearly 20 years. Amidst a vastatg year for gay venu London, alarm bells were set off June when was reported that the se might make way for a luxury hotel, but thankfully for s patrons, there’s been very ltle follow-up. ‘It was found 1997, ’ says staff member Lewis, ‘when fdg a fy, welg place to be openly gay or explore your sexualy was perhaps tougher than is now.

For the uniated, a gay sna is, as our listg onle stat: ‘like a leisure centre, but wh sex’ – a place where men cise and hook up. ‘That always ma me giggle – the last thg a gay du to a sna for is a mouthful of fish.

‘Some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia’.

CHARTS RIP: WHAT WAS LIKE WORKG AT BRA’S BIGGT GAY SNA

Speakg of hair, you might image that wh that zty, naturel activy gog on, a gay sna would be ked lube and all manner of curly follicl. There are still a lot of gay or bisexual guys who aren’t out. Sadly, I fear some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia.

If was a straight swgers’ club, might be seen as cheeky, racy, darg, but bee ’s a gay spot, ’s more likely to be nsired sleazy and gross. One of the last throwbacks to Shoredch’s glorly sleazy past, the sprawlg gay sna Charts closed last weekend after servg 20 years as a cisg venue for gay men London. My official tle was Spa Assistant, but realy I was jt a cleaner, wh some add specifici that only apply to a gay sna.

ONE TIME A GAY SNA

As a gay man I’m more than ed to the wonrs of the rear end. I am a straight guy and out of cursy vised a gay sna London. Another "straight" guy suckg tallywhackers a gay sna and then eakg out.

Wow, who knew straight guys were gettg so much gay actn! Gay Sna Experienc | Hip Foms. I am thkg of gog along to a gay sna.

Have you had any gay sna experienc? You may be a gay sna, but that do not mean that you have to say 'y' to each and every offer you receive. Is weird that I would love to be a fly on the wall a gay sna?

GAY SNA EXPERIENC

No not really, means you like heat and watchg gays. I'm not really to gay porn at all though....

Pipeworks Gay Sna ClubWele to Stland’s bt and largt Gay Sna club.

London is home to the most active Grdr ers on the pla, meang that if you're lookg for a genuely gay cy, you n't do much better. The actn to be had London extends beyond the datg apps, wh the cy boastg world-class gay clubs, a treasure trove of cultural sights, and a historil theatre scene. It's no secret that Soho is the ma gay district London, and this sizeable and central area of the pal is ltered wh fantastic gay clubs, bars, and gay-iendly hotels.

GAY SNAS LONDON

The nightclubs and bars the gay East London hotspots of Dalston and Haggerston are cidly edgier than those central’s Soho. If you’re cravg a ls high-octane eveng, be sure to vis the Royal Vxhall Tavern, which wears the crown as London’s olst gay bar.

THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS

Before ronavis h, Charts Vxhall claimed to be ​“Europe’s largt gay sna” for men wantg steam, queer mararie and a potential subterranean hook-up. Charts Vxhall was the last survivg outpost of a gay sna cha which at s 2005 peak had six branch dotted across London.

Losg Charts is a major blow for London’s queer male muny, but gay snas across the UK have weathered an credibly ttg 12 months. “Gay snas n of the possibily of sex, but whether people actually have sex when they get here is a pletely different thg, ” says Stephen Gunn of Mantire Spa Plymouth.

In 2021, gay snas are faced wh the same toxic cktail of threats as any other LGBTQ venue.

LONDON GAY MAP

But when we talk about savg our val queer spac, gay snas tend to be exclud om the nversatn. Nick Batt, owner of Pk Broadway Southampton, says a lol rad statn was terted hearg about his stggle to survive the panmic as a small bs owner until he said he ran a gay sna.

Even wh the LGBTQ muny, gay snas have a lgerg image problem. In 2016, gay magaze Attu published an op-ed tled: ​“Perhaps the time has e for gay snas to close – and that’s fe.

Pl Town, manager of The Locker Room South London, says is rctive to pigeonhole all gay snas as ​“expensive knockg shops”. Clearly, gay snas exist so that men have n sex wh men a space that isn’t their home, a hotel or a cisg spot. Sce I started visg gay snas a ago, I’ve seen steam room i, group jack-off ssns the showers and men wag expectantly large leather slgs.

COVENT GARN HEALTH SPACENTRAL LONDON SNA FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN.LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSCOVENT GARN HEALTH SPA

In my experience, gay snas are sexy, sex-posive spac where not everyone ends up havg sex. “Nobody ever talks about the lonely olr gay man, ” says Pk Broadway’s Nick Batt.

​“Maybe their partner’s passed away and they want some pany, but they don’t feel like they belong the [gay] bars bee you’re visible those plac if you’re over 40. ” Batt also says his sna provis a safe space for gay and bi men who aren’t out. ​“I’d say up to 70 per cent of our ctomers don’t live what you’d ll a ​‘gay liftyle’, ” he says.

​“I’ve had ctomers e up to me and say: ​‘My mum died yterday and she never knew I was gay. Gay snas like London’s Pleasuredrome, which pre-Covid opened 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, n also bee a refuge for vulnerable and homels young men. Dean, a 25-year-old queer man om London, says he ma his first viss to gay snas around seven years ago ​“out of sheer necsy”.

Dean adms that gay snas were ​“ no way an idyllic sanctuary” and says he sometim felt sred sleepg such a sexualised environment. Other young gay and bi men vis snas bee they offer relatively hassle-ee hook-ups.

Tom, a 23-year-old gay man om Edburgh, says that pre-Covid he popped to gay snas once every uple of months bee felt ​“slightly kky and different and excg”. Whereas the mastream LGBTQ scene ​“favours cis, whe, affluent gay guys, you see a different si to the muny at snas – people you wouldn’t see bars”.

Jack, a 25-year-old gay man om Plymouth, says he would normally vis his lol sna once a week simply to ​“chill out and have fun” while ​“meetg new and different people”. Acrdg to the Metropolan Police, the last nvictns for nng a 'disorrly hoe were brought 1990 agast two men who ran a gay sna Streatham (they were imprisoned for three and six months rpectively) of the boys here are actors between jobs, but there are also office workers who are to the gay club scene a big way and who nnot fance this liftyle solely out of a regular wage. He do have is a very good atmosphere and I often go to 'Tra (a gay club) wh the boys after work on Saturday night.

Covent Garn Health Spa is premier London male-only sna for gay & bi men.