BRIGHTON SAUNA

HOTTING UP!

By Jason Reid

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 feedback from customers since reopening. But now we’ve got loads of added pressures as a result of Covid, as in building insurance – our insurance pre-Covid was £1,800, now it’s £9,000. A lot of saunas haven’t been able to get any insurance at all. The insurers now want all the money upfront. There’s no payments over time.

And that’s all down to Covid?

Yes. There’s just two insurers. We’ve been absolutely screwed as gay businesses.

What Covid safety measures are in place?

We’ve massively increased ventilation throughout the building. There’s now ventilation on the top floor, and on the ground floor. The air is exchanged very rapidly now. We’ve also put in measures to protect our staff. Of course, we are limited in what we can do in these old buildings. Every one of us has to take responsibility.

Over the past decade or so gay saunas have been closing down at an alarming rate. What does it take to run a successful, long-lasting gay sauna?

Look after your customer base. They’re the ones who are going to come in week in, week out. You’re never going to please everyone. But you can always aim to please the majority of customers. If you keep updating and making the venue look new, it gives people confidence to use your business. If the sauna is fresh, clean, and the hospitality is top-notch, customers will be happy.

We are probably 20-25% up on customers compared to pre-lockdown. It’s a really good story. I’m not saying it’s levelled out there, but I’m hoping it will. We’ve relaunched the kitchen with new food. The lounge area is completely revamped. Where we had seating for nine people before, we can now fit up to 30 people in the lounge. The downstairs sauna was overhauled. Any issues there were have now been addressed. All the showers are now infrared. Providing customers with a safe and warm environment, and having good, friendly staff is paramount.

Saunas are safe spaces for many. What would you say to those hesitant about using them?

There is a grey area with some people who are in two minds about using saunas. That’s why we’ve tried to make ours not just a sauna experience – people can come in and have a drink, some food, meet other people. Dip your toe in as deep as you want to go. You’ll find it to be a clean, friendly, safe environment. Being in the sauna is safer than going cruising in the bushes. The Brighton Sauna is also the first in the world to install an HIV self-testing machine, in conjunction with the Martin Fisher Foundation. We took a pragmatic approach, and I approached the hospital – the Lawson Unit – and we decided to work together.

You strike me as very community minded – it’s not just all about business. I’d like to think so. I was a doorman in Brighton for many years. Hopefully I’ve picked it up from doing that. Also, my business is based in the community – the two are intertwined. We’re hoping to do more community-based fundraising with Chris Gull (Scene magazine MD) and the Ledward Centre.

Should all gay saunas be engaging with the community in this way?

Absolutely! It’s common sense. People from the local community are your core customer base. You have to engage with them. People also travel to come to saunas; we have new people come in every single day. But we have our hardcore costumers who turn up week in, week out and put money in our till. They are the ones that, hopefully, we’re getting it right for. We didn’t have too many bad results before the refit, but you can always go bigger and better. But we work with a limited budget.

What does the future hold?

We will be here for a long time to come. We’re a proud community-based sauna and want to continue that into the future – engaging with the community and vice versa, it’s a two-way street, coupled with hopefully a lot more fundraising for the LGBTQ+ community.

www.thebrightonsauna.com