What is a gay darkroom
Did you know that men have been cruising each other for sex at bathhouses since the 15th century?
While the original intention of men’s bathhouses may have been hygiene, today’s gay bathhouses or saunas, along with other types of sex-on-premises-venue (SOPV) or sex venues, are intended as places where you can meet others for casual sex. SOPVs provide a place to travel and play with a wider variety of people, many of whom might not appear on a dating app grid.
Walking around a gay sauna or SOPV, you might fast realise a whole fresh set of rules is at play; with everything from navigating consent to being comfortable in a sexualised space, there can be a lot to learn. Here’s what you should know before heading into a sex venue for the first time.
How does a gay sauna operate?
Like a hotel, you’ll arrive at your venue, and there will be a front desk where you’ll pay an admission fee, and in send back, you’ll receive a locker key and a towel.
From there, it’s a matter of heading to the changerooms to change into the towel and store your clothes in a locker. Upon arriving, many people will also shower to freshen up, and many venues may hold douching facilities if you want t
The allure of a obscure room lies in its lighting – it should be dark, but not too dark. Ideally, you won’t recognise the cashier from your local Tesco Metro, but you will be able to create out a sweaty throng of bodies in positions you’d normally only spot on OnlyFans. Dark rooms have been a illustrate in queer spaces for decades and remain de rigueur in other, friskier parts of Europe. Place it this way: It’s a rookie error to wear your best shoes to Berlin’s famously bohemian superclub Berghain, because you’ll just have to chuck them away after you leave seven hours later.
But now, dark rooms are enjoying a long overdue boom in the UK, especially among MSM (men who have sex with men). “Essentially, the reason they’re becoming popular again is a supply and demand issue,” says Ian Howley, CEO of health and wellbeing charity LGBT HERO. “Gay men yearn a place where they can have fun, and a dark room in a club can be the perfect place to let go of your inhibitions and be sexually free.”
This new wave of gay sex-positivity is creature fuelled partly by post-pandemic carpe diem – we now know there’s no point saving your “any hole’
Perry Jackson( Queer Sex Educator & Erotic Explorer )
Queer Sex Maestro, Kink Connoisseur & Erotic Wordsmith crafting sultry, safe escapades into non-vanilla terrains!
Gay culture has many exciting features, including the infamous gay shadowy room – a place steeped in myths, half-truths and history. A place that holds a distinct place in the hearts of many a queer men, but is so often misunderstood by those in our community (and the outside world). So, let us out for you exactly what a gay dark room is…
A dark room or ebony room is a room where consenting gay men go to have quiet mind-blowing sex. Dark rooms are exciting places create only in gay bars, saunas, and clubs, most frequently in Europe (but by no means exclusively). They are great cruising spot that provides partygoers with refreshing wild, and often uninhibited sex. Lgbtq+ dark rooms are as tempestuous as they come; group sex, orgies, gangbangs, and all manner of gay kinks are often on the menu.
Typically, one would expect a dark room to be pitch black or dim light. Most times, they are dimly lit, so you can barely build out the frame of a person’s body. But dark rooms sometimes are
Dark Room
To maintain the quality and longevity of your apparel, we recommend washing in cold liquid with like colours, using a tender cycle, and laying flat to thirsty. Avoid using bleach or fabric softeners. Specific care commands are on each product page.
The Freddie Guide to: Bathhouses
What is a bathhouse?
Bathhouses – also known as baths, saunas, or queer saunas – are spaces where gay men* meet to socialise, relax and have sex. They are legal, licensed sex venues, as opposed to regular saunas or steam rooms where people cruise.
The number of gay bathhouses in North America peaked in the 1970s. Most of them closed in the 1980s, as local governments made general health rules to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These rules were often rooted in homophobia.
Today, there are still bathhouses in most major cities across the world. You can find them through Google or on cruising sites appreciate Squirt and Sniffies.
* Historically, bathhouses only admitted cisgender men. They are generally becoming more inclusive. Many have more relaxed door policies or dedicated times and events that are safer spaces for trans and non-binary people. If this applies to you, it’s leading to check online or ring ahead before visiting a venue for the first time.
When you arrive
When you appear at a bathhouse, you’ll get to a front desk with an attendant. This is where you’ll pay for your entry along with any extras like private rooms (if the venue