Ever wondered which sauna the sexy boys of Soho go to? Well, it’s Sweatbox.
Sweatbox is in Soho, the hotties stumble here for some post-night-out fun. It’s one of the busiest saunas with a younger crowd than most and a sexy social vibe. They’ve thrown amazing foam parties, have a member list containing the names of most UK gay porn stars and they never close. With their big birthday party coming up we spoke to Jason from Sweatbox to find out more…
How has Sweatbox changed since you first opened?
When we first opened Sweatbox it was all lovely and shiny and new. Everything worked – it was just missing one thing: customers! We were so quiet in the early days but now we’ve moved to the opposite extreme. I think we must be the busiest sauna in London – we regularly reach capacity – which means 240 guys inside.
How would you describe the venue to a Sweatbox virgin?
We call ourselves Soho’s Scene Sauna. By that I mean we’re very much part of the Soho scene – the guys you see about in the bars and clubs are the guys you’ll meet at Sweatbox – except they’ll be naked or in tiny little towels. We don’t think going to a sauna should be anything to be ashamed of and so coming to Sweatbox tends to be a much friendlier and far less furtive experience. My advice to nervous sauna newbies is always come early before we get too crowded – it’s less daunting. And if you’re not sure what to do plonk yourself in our Jacuzzi, which affords an excellent view of all the boys taking a shower – a perfect way to pick up a few pointers!
What do you think is the biggest misconception about the venue?
Some people think that because we have a fully-equipped, full-size gym upstairs that the sauna is going to be just a little steam box in the corner of the changing room and they’re really surprised how big and well equipped the sauna complex is.
How do the Sweatbox customers change during the course of a week and day?
It’s pretty much the same every day – we tend to get a much younger crowd than most saunas – especially on Hard Up Mondays of course, when the Under 25s get in for free. But there’s a young crowd every day nowadays. In terms of time of day, obviously we’re busiest in the evenings but because we’re so central we tend to get quite a few tourists keeping us busier than most during the day. Everybody that comes to Sweatbox gets a 24-hour pass so we often get tourists returning in the morning after having visited at night when we’re rammed. Sometimes they seem astonished that we’re not quite as busy on a wet Wednesday at 11am in the morning and we have to politely point out that we’re not all on bloody holiday!
What have you got planned over the birthday weekend?
It’s going to be great: we have Brent Nichols and John McHugh on the decks and the porn stars of Alphamale will be there handing out drinks, wearing nothing but a skimpy waiter’s apron. Confirmed so far are Adam Dacre, Jonny Kingdom, Kayden Gray, Darius Ferdynand and last but not least, Justin King. A few of their mates will probably be joining them too. At midnight they’re allowed to clock off, throw the aprons away and join in the party.
What have you guys got planned for the future?
Actually the party gave us an idea. At Sweatbox we’re very concerned with what a tough, stressful life porn stars lead. They work so hard for our viewing pleasure and we felt it was time to give something back. So we’re offering free memberships to porn stars. After a hard day toiling in front of those studio lights we thought it only fair that they can come over to Sweatbox, sit in the steam room, relax, unwind and put their legs up.
• Sweatbox’s 5th Birthday Party, in association with Alphamale Media, will be on Saturday 14th September from 9pm at Sweatbox, Ramillies House, 1-2 Ramillies Street, Soho, W1F 7LN. The first 50 under-25s get in free. Sweatbox is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
