34 Scene
HOTTING UP!
The Brighton Sauna is back and thriving! Jason Reid ‘investigates’ ) Saunas are embedded in gay culture and
history, going back many decades. Personally speaking, they’ve been part of my gay journey and many people I know, and I’m of the strong belief that our scene would be a much poorer place without them. I would also go so far as to say a less safe place. The decline of the gay sauna across the country over the past decade was bad enough, but when Covid struck and we were in the terrifying grip of a virus that knocked our collective sense of being for six, it seemed – for quite some time – that saunas would never open again. Thankfully, as the saying goes, this too shall pass and, although some saunas did sadly fall due to Covid, others like the Brighton Sauna have come back fighting.
“We’re a proud community-based sauna and want to continue that into the future – engaging with the community and vice versa” I went along to check out how they’re doing and get a feel of the vibe and facilities on a blustery Sunday, Naked Day, which is dubbed the alternative Sunday roast. Upon entering the venue, I was met with super-friendly staff – a credit to any employer – and dozens of men relaxing in the lounge area. There was a buzz of chatter over drinks being poured, which instantly made me think this was a place that made people feel at ease, even with their knobs out. A selection of drinks are available, both soft and hard variety, and there’s even a hot and cold food menu. The lounge area is comfortable, open plan with ample space to relax, plus a TV and internet. Also on the ground floor there’s a cinema room showing porn.
Some of the extra touches that make this sauna special are the discreet alternative rear entrance, community focused approach, and on-site HIV and STI testing. Gillian Dean, HIV consultant at the Lawson Unit, has been working closely with the sauna. “The idea of creating a ‘smart’ vending machine followed conversations with the sauna’s owner in 2016, who felt that some service users weren’t engaging with existing testing opportunities, and would prefer a more anonymous way of obtaining an HIV test. The compact machines are wall mounted or supported on a sturdy stand, touch screen and involve the user providing anonymous epidemiological information, before being provided with a code on their phone which releases a test. Initially they were designed to provide HIV self-tests, but in response to user feedback and the coronavirus pandemic, were upgraded in 2020 into full sexual health machines dispensing both STI kits and HIV tests. We are immensely proud of this initiative, which wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement and support of the community, and the Brighton Sauna in particular.” It’s heartening to see such a socially conscious approach being adopted by a gay sauna. On the lower ground floor there’s a wealth of facilities including secure lockers, plenty of showers, a spacious sauna with an added dark area, a clean and constantly warm steam room, orgy bed with TV, dozens of private rooms, two slings, glory holes over two sections (one in a dark room), and a jacuzzi. Massage is also available, and day and weekend passes – meaning customers can come and go as they please during the specified time.
The Brighton Sauna feels safe – that’s an incredibly important factor when visiting a sauna – and I could tell it’s run by people who have the best interests of their clientele at heart. I sat down with owner Paul Gray to find out more about the evolution of the business, the impact of Covid and what the future holds… How long has the sauna been open, when did you take over, and how has it been going? The sauna has been running since 2009. I took over in 2013. Since then we’ve been constantly renovating. Why all the renovating? Because it was looking old and tired, and we want to keep bringing the sauna right up to date. Not only cosmetically; we also replaced most of the electrics and plumbing, and there’s now all new heating systems. A constant work in progress? It is. We’re getting to roughly where we want to be now. Within the next two years we’re going to be installing a custom-built Jacuzzi downstairs. And that should be just about it, for a few years. I think if you do not update your business, people will simply go elsewhere. People want to see a funky, clean and tidy sauna. That’s what I think our customers expect. We don’t leave anything broken for more than a day, and that’s the way it should be. The pandemic must’ve been devastating for you? Horrible – that’s the only word for it. We didn’t know if we’d reopen again. Not because of the financial hit; it was more to do with what the government was doing. Because they grouped us – saunas and sex entertainment venues – in with nightclubs. They could’ve very well turned round and said you’re not opening again. So we left the refit until the last four months before we reopened. It was all a bit of a rush. We were lucky, we survived it, and we’ve had great
