{"id":1436364,"date":"2025-06-05T16:44:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=1436364"},"modified":"2025-06-05T16:45:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T15:45:20","slug":"gay-sauna-etiquette-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/love-sex\/gay-sauna-etiquette-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"A beginner’s guide to sauna etiquette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Things get a little hotter than usual in the bathhouses we’re talking about. In this guide, we explain the dos and don’ts \u2013 and why the gay sauna is a queer cultural staple. <\/span><\/p>\n

WORDS BY\u00a0KATIE BASKERVILLE<\/strong>
\nHEADER IMAGE FEMME<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Hot, horny and rooms full of male bodies, gay saunas are, without a doubt, an absolute <\/span>cruising<\/span><\/a> staple and have been for thousands of years. For millennia, these communal and private spaces have been tucked away from the hetero-centrism of our world. Their popularity has seen them pop up everywhere, from ancient Rome to modern-day Soho, as much-needed places for sexual exploration and community for gay and bisexual men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gay saunas and steam rooms (or bathhouses as they’re sometimes referred to) aren’t without their risks, though. Knowing how to navigate the boundaries of others can be a subtle and instinctive art, especially when many of the cues are non-verbal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you’re a first-time visitor to a gay sauna or know your way around, this guide breaks it all down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why gay saunas are significant to gay culture<\/span><\/h2>\n

Social bathing traditions are found in many cultures throughout the world: from hammams to the baths of Ancient Rome and Greece.We don’t have a definitive answer to when gay and bi men started queering these rituals, producing modern gay sauna and bathhouse culture, but we can trace the practice back literally hundreds of years.<\/p>\n

One of the first iterations we know of goes back to\u00a0Florence, Italy 1492<\/a>. However, this period was also marred, as many historical timelines are, by homophobic discrimination and prejudice. Even in 13th-century Italy, gays couldn’t catch a break, and many men found in these spaces were sentenced to death for practising sodomy.<\/p>\n

A public bathing culture emerged in Europe among the well-to-do classes and spread to the social elites in Mexico in the 19th century. Elizabeth Garner Masarik, PhD and Averill Earls, PhD claim on their podcast, <\/span>Dig: A history podcast<\/span><\/i><\/a>,<\/span> that at this point bathhouses began to be enjoyed among wealthy men in the country as a luxurious spot to be pampered.<\/p>\n

While same-sex encounters weren’t necessarily something that Mexican authorities were too bothered by and are described in the podcast as something of an afterthought, it didn’t stop the Mexican government from shutting down bathhouses entirely in the 1910s.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the 1920s onwards, queer saunas and bathhouses made their way across North America, becoming immensely popular in the 1970s thanks to the era of free love. However, the sobering impact of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic, which began in the 1980s and continues today, meant bathhouses and saunas once again became synonymous with sin, obscenity and danger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, one more global pandemic and many years later, the humble gay sauna stands as a testament to its historical and cultural significance as a bastion of community and sexploration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What to expect at a gay sauna<\/span><\/h2>\n

Over the years, saunas have changed quite a bit to cater to the vast array of tastes and sexual appetites of the gay and bi community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But for those who’ve never stepped foot in one before, the experience may feel daunting and anxiety-inducing. You might be wondering if there’s a place you can douche, or whether you have to have sex when you’re approached by someone. Fret not, we’ve answered your worries below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What facilities are available in gay saunas?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Depending on what you’re looking for, i.e. whether there’s a specific “vibe”, kink or fetish you’re exploring, things can vary from place to place. That being said, you should find the following basics covered.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Detailing his first-ever experience in a gay sauna, TikTok user @thejohnagenda goes into detail about what you’ll find.<\/span><\/p>\n

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@thejohnagenda<\/a> Was hot but kinda not \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83d\udca6 #gaysaun<\/a> #sweatbox<\/a> #gaytiktok<\/a> #storytime<\/a> #randomthoughts<\/a> \u266c original sound – \ua4bb\u273a\u210f\u2135<\/a><\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n