Tell a straight person this is a place where men can have endless anonymous sex in an array of private cabins, darkrooms, glory holes and communal areas, and their fascination will know no bounds. These places are generally unique to gay men, though some saunas holds nights for lesbians. The size of the steam room is beside the point. You’re not going there to open up your pores, but to open up another part of your anatomy – or someone else’s depending on your preference. Get lucky, and you may bump into a porn star; but on a bad day you can pace the corridors for hours looking for that elusive fuck.
Mopping up the mess after a heavy session can be an arduous task. Even if you possess a wipe-down mattress. Far better to jump in the shower and cleanse yourself in hot bursts. And while you’re at it, why not go for round two or three? Or perhaps flip things and commence your shagathon under those gushing jets. But be warned. Shower sex is not as easy as porn makes out. Here’s our advice on steaming things up sexily and safely.
These gatherings can include any number of partners. The important thing is that it’s consensual. In recent years sex parties - at least for gay men - have often involved the consumption of ‘Chems’ to enhance the sex. Know the risks and be careful what and how much you take. LGBT people are wonderfully relaxed when it comes to group sex: heterosexuals may call it ‘swinging parties’, we call it ‘afternoon tea’.