Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SAUNAS AND GYMS
The following saunas are large sites, although there are more intimate venues around town.
There have been some high-profile incidents in London saunas so be safety-minded. They all
charge around £10-15.
SAUNAS
Chariots 1 Fairchild St, EC2, ! Liverpool Street;
63-64 Albert Embankment, SE1, ! Vauxhall; 101
Lower Marsh, SE1, ! Waterloo; 574 Commercial Rd,
E14, ! Limehouse; 292 Streatham High Rd, SW16;
T 020 7247 5333, W gaysauna.co.uk. London's
Roman sauna chain has five locations: the Waterloo
branch never closes, while the other four are open daily.
Expect steam, sweat and saucy videos, plus private rest
rooms to retire to with your man of choice. The
Shoreditch branch is the largest and has a heated pool.
Pleasuredrome Sauna Arch 124, Alaska St, SE1
T 020 7633 9194, W pleasuredrome.com; !
Waterloo. Facilities here include two saunas, two steam
rooms, dark areas and private rooms, plus café-bar and
spa. Mixed ages, fast turnover, highly rated. Open 24hr.
The Sauna Bar 29 Endell St, WC2 T 020 7836 2236,
W thesaunabar.co.uk; ! Covent Garden. Ver y
central, this friendly place offers the usual facilities,
along with masseurs, a bar and video entertainment.
Mon-Thurs 11am-11.30pm, Fri 11am-7am, Sat
noon-2am, Sun noon-11pm.
GYM
Sweatbox Ramillies House, 1-2 Ramillies St, Soho
W sweatboxsoho.com. There's a line of argument that
says lots of gyms in central London are gay gyms. Well,
it's a little more explicit at gym/sauna Sweatbox. If you
want to get pumped before a big night out, you can pick
up a one-day pass for £16 - it's valid for 24 hours so you
can make the most of it.
27
Thursdays to Saturdays, the queen of London's scene
nights, with big-name DJs and PAs. Popcorn Monday brings
the weekday pop fun till 5.30am, while Thursday is
amateur strip night Porn Idol.
NORTH LONDON
Bionic Changes venues E bionicclubinfo@gmail
.com . Relative newcomer bringing house beats from
excellent DJs to a cool Dalston crowd. Check the gay
press for details.
Club Kali The Dome, 178 Junction Park, N19 W clubkali
.com; ! Tufnell Park. Held on the third Friday of every
month, Kali is the world's biggest Asian music LGBT night,
offering bhangra, Bollywood, Arabic, r'n'b and dance
flavours for an attitude-free crowd.
Ì Vogue Fabrics 66 Stoke Newington Rd N16,
W voguefabricsdalston.com; map p.291. When they say
they're Dalston's favourite disco basement, they're not
kidding. Incredible array of nights attracting an artsy/fashion
crowd. Highlights including the does-what-it-says-on-the-
tin Naked Boys Reading and gay hip-hop party Gully.
THE CITY
WayOut Club Check online for location T 07778 157
290, W thewayoutclub.com. Long-established Saturday
night for the transgendered crowd and friends, offering a
warm welcome, changing rooms, video screen and
cabaret until 4am.
SHOREDITCH AND THE EAST END
East Bloc 217 City Road, EC1 T 020 7253 0367,
W eastbloc.co.uk; ! Old Street; map pp.192-193.
Retaining its cool as most of Shoreditch goes mainstream,
East Bloc brings electro beats to its cute basement site. Look
out for Thursdays men-only cruise night Butch.
Sink the Pink Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (see
p.403), 42-46 Pollard Row, E2 W sinkthepinklondon
.com; ! Bethnal Green. Silly, young and stupidly fun,
attracting a handsome, mixed and inclusive crowd on the
first Saturdays of the month. The guys run extra nights
around town too.
Unskinny Bop Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (see
p.403), 42-46 Pollard Row, E2 W unskinnybop.co.uk;
! Bethnal Green. Monthly alternative night that strays
out of standard indie to bring the best of everything from
pop to hip-hop. Born out of female festival Ladyfest, it's
particularly welcoming for girls. The team also DJ all over
town.
SOUTH LONDON
Bootylicious Club Colosseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, SW8
W bootylicious-club.co.uk; ! Vauxhall. Despite London's
large black community, this is the capital's only dedicated
gay and lesbian urban music/BME night, held every third
Saturday of the month and featuring r'n'b, hip-hop,
dancehall, house and classic vibes.
Ì Duckie Royal Vauxhall Tavern (see p.408), 372
Kennington Lane, SE11 T 020 7737 4043, W duckie
.co.uk; ! Vauxhall. Duckie's mix of regular live art
performances and theme nights, as well as cult DJs The
Readers Wifes playing everything from Kim Wilde to the
Velvet Underground, has kept the night going strong for
fifteen years.
 
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