Sweatbox

Hi guys, I have to start by saying that I have never been to sweatbox before and reading through the comments I am not sure whether I should give it a try I read that on Mondays under-​25s get in for free, so I was thinking of trying it next Monday which would also come after a five exams session! I was wondering if anyone could suggest what is the best time to go to sweatbox on Monday? When does it get crowded?
Also, having lived in London for 5 years and travelled extensively across the world, I have to say that London gay clubs, especially Soho’s are hugely overrated. What really strikes me is how they can smell so bad, be so unstylish and generally do not have a nice luxurious atmosphere. Even Communist China as much better gay clubs which I took full advantage of during summer Whenever I get out with my straight friends I seem to find plenty of posh, nice places. However when it gets to gay places immediately they get cheap and smelly! I think that gay men in London as a category are hugely undeserved! By the way, if anyone does know nice, stylish places you are welcomed to suggest them: I haven’t come across them in 5 years!
Having said this, see you all next Monday at sweatbox! dan.

Overall, the sauna itself is a great place in the heart of Soho. Especially nice on a cold day. But the front door staff let the standard drop. I was treated with disdain and cold suspicion ”read the sign no open bottles.” Fair enough, but arrogance is not the right way to deal with customers in this way. ”We’ll keep your water bottle for you, THIS TIME.” For someone who goes to a sauna once in a while (cf. once a week) the individual policies aren’t well known/​remembered. When leaving to collect my water bottle, i waited quietly and patiently at the ”wrong” window only to be told sarcastically ”OTHER window”, eyes rolling. To sum up, I won’t be going somewhere again where I don’t feel welcome.

People are so weird when it coms to writing gay sauna reviews. It’s all euw the towels are too small or there was gum on the floor when really if we’re honest none of us give a f**k about such things we’re all just looking to get laid.
And if you can’t get laid in this place in my experience always the busiest and horniest sauna in London then you must be truly minging! And probably why you want to blow off steam on here because you didn’t get to blow anything else.
Besides I’m always a bit dubious about faceless reviewers with just one review to their name you gotta wonder what that’s about.
For my beer Sweatbox is just fine. OK it’s looking a bit battered of late but that’s mostly because it’s always so busy! My favourite thing is that the guys are all of a fanciable age (18 – 40) rather than the oldsters that haunt most of the other saunas nowadays. Mind you I’m not a twinkie-​chaser and unless you are, I’d avoid their Under 25 nights on Monday I went a few weeks back and it made me feel very old indeed (which I’m not!!!)

I work on Oxford st so often pop in here on the way home from work. Always have a great time and don’t think they deserve some of the criticism I’ve seen here on Qype. My favourite nights are Mondays since they started the twinks get in free policy. The place is rammed with cute guys and very little attitude. I always seem to do well and I’m not exactly a chicken anymore!

Les saunas anglais en général n’ont rien à envier aux saunas français. Accueil franchement limite, on se sentirait presque gêné de payer. A l’intérieur, il y avait 4 octogénaires dans le jaccuzzi et le sauna était… froid. Un comble quand même. Quant à la propreté c’est vraiment le strict minimum. Quoique les toilettes étaient impeccables et c’est appréciable. La salle de gym est grande, très rouge, a l’air pas mal équipée, mais je m’y suis pas attardé. Point positif: la présence d’une «chillout room», pièce très colorée avec un petit bar, des poufs un peu partout, des canapés, magazines et dessins-​animés. Sympa, mais on vient pas là pour boire un jus d’orange devant la télé.
Entrée 10 livres pour les –26, 15 il me semble pour les + 26, plus une caution vestiaire de 5 livres.

This is on balance the best Gay Sauna in London– –slightly more trendy in design than the others (the famous Chariots Shoreditch is beyond tacky) and better value for money with the weekend rates and 24hr pass.
Let’s face it, going to saunas is something of a lottery in terms of clientelle who you hit it off with, so the opportunity to hop in and out during a given period of time is a tangible advantage over all the competition.
Foam party on Saturday sexes up the atmosphere (oddly enough, people are less sexy stripped of clothing in an exclusively Gay setting) and Sunday afternoons seem quite busy.
Unfortunately the steam room can lack intensity in busy periods because of people constantly going in and out, and the all important COLD shower is easy to miss: a bucket of cold water hidden in a dark corner of the Steam room.
Please, no more Gay Saunas in LOndon… there are far too many! I quite like the idea of getting away from ghettos so perhaps a night which permits the opposite sex as well :-)

is there a sling in sweatbox
over in london in november, heard some really good things about sweatbox so will be paying a visit.
paul

I visited just a week ago and, sad as it is to admit it, I am very new to the gay sauna lifestyle being an older, overweight and not very hip!
I previously visited Chariots in Shoreditch (the week before) which I found to be a very intimidating, seedy and generally ‘grubby’ venue. In contrast I found the Sweetbox to be a very stylish, friendly place; The staff were very friendly — from the outset. The layout — although a bit quirky spread over two sub-​basement floors — was, after a bit of exploring, OK. But, signage could be improved; A map of the layout posted at strategic places would be nice. The showers (although adjustable) could provide cooler temperatures for ultimate comfort! Standard towels would a better idea rather than little rags with a logo embroider on them but, they are readily exchanged for fresh, dry ones. The clientèle were of all ages and generally quiet friendly but, the younger ‘Adonis’ types could be more friendlier but, you would find that anywhere…
Update: I will trying out the well-​equipped Gym!
In summary:
Facilities — ¹⁰⁄₁₀ (the painted concrete floors in the hot rooms were basic but functional and, the previously reported problems with the glass doors were no-​more)
Signage between floors & layout diagram — ⁴⁄₁₀ (This floor X, Up to Y, Down to Z would suffice on the landings)
Staff — 9.5÷10
Cleanness — 9.5÷10
General atmosphere (excluding Adonis types) — 9.5÷10
7÷08÷10 Update
Well, I tried out the gym; it was quiet but well equipped — Excellent.
But, there is a piece of detail that has resulted in me cutting the Sweatbox overall star rating from 5 stars to 2; The Sweatbox advertise an all-​in price £39 per month standard membership (no contract or joining fee) for gym & sauna use. But, when I enquired it turns out to be ‘slightly’ different; you have to sign-​up to direct debit and give one month’s notice if you wish to terminate. Come on — this is little beyond The Pale!
Other than this slight of hand, my otherwise glowing comments stand.

Went there last Saturday (18^th July)
WOW! I Never had such a good time in a sauna (apart from the green house in Birmingham), the staff treat you like you are in a private members club and for the guys THERE WERE HOT! and i was Cruised so many times (and im 42 and not so gym fit), there also had a foam party there not sure if it was a one off, it was so easy chatting to guys as its such a frendly space, its more of a club then some of the dirty sauna i have been into in London
I going back on the 1^st Aug as there are having there 1^st birthday party and i have been told there will be a bar there and a DJ
ps. check out the qx mag as you can get in cheaper, forgot how much sorry

mmm! Chariots Shoreditch offers a gym of sorts so not sure that Sweatbox is such a unique concept. But the gym seems OK. As for the sauna — think its a case of spoiling the ship for a ha’porth of tar. Initial impressions are quite smart and glitzy, but on closer inspection serious quality comprises seem to have been made. Four months on, these are becoming all too apparent. First big problem is the sauna area floors — should be tiled or some other suitable finish — where as in fact, its just painted, non too well finished concrete — looking decidedly grubby and slippery. The glass doors to the saunas and steam rooms are binding with the frames. And the Jacuzzi was not working when I went. full of tepid water but no bubbles.
Also there is a bar/​refreshment area in the ‘chill-​out’ area but that was unmanned and devoid of refreshment.
So overall as a sauna experience — nowhere near as good as the better Chariots — so unless Sweatbox buck their ideas up, I can’t see it being viable — borne out by the decidedly low number of punters — on a late Saturday afternoon.

Are you gay? Do you live in London? Do you love working out? How about having sex? How about having sex like some sort of locker room porno?
Well, then Sweatbox may be for you! London’s newest gay gym and sauna is open. I won’t say I’ll be joining any time soon, but it’s nice to know that even in today’s whorish gay world there is some sense of propriety: the gym area is strictly clothes-​on.
The other areas… not so much. But that’s what you’re there for anyway. So, make your pecs look good for a bit and then go get your nipples played with. If you’re in to that sort of thing… You dirty gay.