How About a Sauna Report for Bangkok?

[Guest fountainhall]

Now that we no longer have Michael’s Brazil sauna reports to look forward to, I was wondering if anyone could do a similar summary of Thailand saunas.

 

I used to be a sauna-goer on my many visits to Thailand before I came to live in Bangkok. I think my first one was named Grey’s Club – run, if memory serves me correctly, by the same people who ran the Apollo go-go bar in Silom Soi 4 (now Sphinx). And I think it was somewhere near Victory Monument. Soon, by the mid 1980s, I had discovered Volt Sauna off Asoke and then the ten-storey Obelisks with a jacuzzi on the roof. Thankfully it had a lift, but the constant going up and down stairs worked wonders on leg muscles.

 

There was also a little sauna in a soi off Ploenchit close to what was then the President Hotel (now a Holiday Inn). I particularly remember its New Year’s Eve party in 1986 when I won one of the prizes (about the only time I have ever won a prize for anything)!

 

Babylon came next at the start of the 1990s. I loved the old one at the top of the soi where Pandanus restaurant (now closed) used to be. It was always packed with guys, the staff were great and for me it had a nicer ‘feel’ about the place than the expanded version now further down the soi. In fact, I plain don't like the new one. Maybe I prefer something a bit more intimate.

 

Heaven followed soon after – and I understand this has now had some renovation, if not a face-lift. It always seemed a strange location for a sauna, but even when not busy, it was usually possible to have a good time. And then came Chakran off Soi Aree. With its Moroccan style, I reckon I liked this one best of all. It was lovely just to get a drink, lounge by the pool and watch some amazing eye candy. Of course, there were usually guys who wanted to spend time with farang - which also helped with the enjoyment. On some evenings, the management would curtain off the jacuzzi and steam room areas and make them no-towel zones. Definitely fun! Now I’m told Chakran is almost exclusively Thai-for-Thai, or at least Asian-for-Asian.

 

I more or less gave up going to Bangkok saunas half a dozen years ago. Since then, I have been to Babylon maybe 3 times, and liked it less each time. But that may just be because I did not manage to hook up with anyone I was particularly keen on. In Chiang Mai, I still go to House of Male. It always seems there are some Thais just waiting for older farang to turn up, especially on the buddy nights when there are a lot of students getting in on a 2-for-the-price-of-1 promotion.

 

Yet, outside Thailand, I also still go occasionally to saunas I like in Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo. And as I shall be in all 3 cities in May, I know I will have some good times. Which makes it all rather strange that I have given up going here in Bangkok!

 

But these are reminiscences. What of the present day sauna scene in Bangkok? I know of Sauna Mania off Soi Convent – never been! I know there are quite a few in the Ladphrao area – never been! And I’m sure there are some in other areas. How many welcome farang? And how likely is that the Thai patrons will be interested in farang rather than just other Thais or Asians?

[pong]

the usual listing sites list them- as so often discussed they vary a lot in how accurate/uptodate they are. BKK-big city has aorund 30+ now-and most are in far away suburbia. Total nr seems to be slowly going down.Open/close at a speed nearly equal to those m2m-msg places. I prefer gayscout for listings. For the latest news-and special evens etc- go to the Thai sites like gthai.net or aboutg. They also have for those able to read Thai some reviews.

They all let farang in-but in what extent you may have fun Inside varies. OTOH Ive never been disappointed in provincial sauna's, success ratio far higher as in BKK.

The labels that some say be As2As or whatever are only the incidental experience of incidental people- I have never ever encountered ''policies'' like in the US. And its completely variable- exp. of person 1 on THU may be totally different from person 2 on SUN or TUE. Ditto for Thai being ''interested'': it all remains a lotteree. But visiting farang in faraway places are also as rare as wins in the lotteree anyway. From some reports I get the idea, that many are quite small and mainly used as ''friends hookup'' like the corner bar in EUR. Times to go for best are also very variable-some right after work, others nighttime weekends.

The cfs site has for me the best and long collection of reviews and hints and descriptions.

Some also offer massage-by staff-with quoted prices and tips. BRasil really remains an exception in the way they have MBs available. There are 2 such in Espana (Mad and Barca) and the odd ones former in Germany have all driven those guys out.

[Guest fountainhall]

I appreciate your comments about personal experience. I'm sure sites like cruisingforsex have a lot of information, but it seems to me it takes quite a bit of time to find it. What I was hoping was that someone with personal experience of Bangkok saunas could give some detail here in one thread about individual saunas - personal experiences like Michael's in the Brazil thread.

[ChristianPFC]

I went to several gay saunas in Bangkok (Babylon, Chakran, Farose 1 and 2, Heaven, 39 Underground) and have others on my list of places I want to visit, but hook up on average 1 out of 5 visits.

 

 

Apart from the low hook-up rate, I don't like dark and wet, which most saunas qualify for. In dark rooms there is usually a lot of groping (and other stuff), but it's pointless to me, as arousing as going to a pig sty in the dark and grope the pigs.

 

 

Haven been to Babylon last Saturday after a long absence and was pleasantly surprised that there is enough light by my standards in the labyrinth. And plenty of customers as well, I surely will be back soon.

 

 

I recently started running in the gyms, so if I don't hook up it's not a total loss of time and money.