Gay saunas in the UK: London, Manchester, Brighton and beyond
Steam rooms, spa pools, private cabins and themed nights: a selection of gay saunas in the UK, from London and Manchester to Brighton, Birmingham, Sheffield, Plymouth and Carlisle, with first-visit tips.
A gay sauna is a place to unwind, sweat and meet other men: dry sauna, steam room, spa pool, a bar or café, and usually private cabins. Our directory lists more than 30 gay saunas across the UK, from big-city venues open around the clock to smaller local addresses. Here is a selection city by city, plus what to know before your first visit.
How does a gay sauna work?
You pay at the desk, get a towel and a locker key, shower and head in. Most UK saunas are men-only and 18+, and many run themed days or nights, from bears and naked nights to under-30s offers. Some also have a gym, massage rooms or a roof terrace. It is worth checking the venue's website or app before you go, since opening hours and themes change during the week.
Gay saunas in London
London has five addresses in this selection, spread across central, south and east London.
- Pleasuredrome sits in railway arches near Waterloo station and is open 24 hours a day, all year round. It has a spa pool, several steam rooms and dry saunas, a bar, a massage suite and private rooms and pods, with a reduced entry rate for under-30s.
- Sweatbox Soho is a men-only gym and sauna over three floors just off Oxford Street, with bookable private cabins, massages and a mobile app for entry.
- Covent Garden Health Spa, on Endell Street, has a sauna, steam room, spa pool, wet room and private rest cubicles, plus massages and a licensed bar, a few minutes from the West End theatres.
- The Locker Room in Kennington spreads over two floors with a large sauna, a steam room, a dry sauna and private cabins. It advertises a Bears Night every Tuesday.
- Sailors Sauna in Limehouse, next to The White Swan pub, offers saunas and steam rooms, a spa pool, cabins, lounges, a snack bar and a roof garden, with themed days such as Big and Cuddly on Mondays.
All London addresses are on our London page.
Gay saunas in Manchester and Brighton
In Manchester, Basement Complex has occupied the basement of a former Victorian mill in Ancoats, close to the city centre, for more than twenty years. Facilities include a dry sauna, steam room, two spa pools, a licensed bar, lounges and a large dimly lit area with private cabins.
In Brighton, The Brighton Sauna is a men-only venue on Grand Parade, opposite the Royal Pavilion and a short walk from the bars of Kemptown. It has a dry sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, private cabins and a café area, with a discreet rear entrance off Grand Parade Mews.
Gay saunas in the Midlands and the North
In Birmingham, YUMBO opened in 2026 on Hockley Hill, at the edge of the Jewellery Quarter. A ground-floor LGBTQ+ bar open to everyone sits below a sauna for gay and bisexual men, with a steam room, dry sauna, jacuzzi, cold plunge and private rooms, and Cruise evenings on Fridays and Saturdays.
In Sheffield, Club Zeus Sheffield opened in August 2026 on Saville Street East, north-east of the city centre. It offers a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and a fully licensed bar, and also runs as a members' social club with weekday karaoke, quiz and bingo nights.
Further north, Sweat Sauna in Carlisle, Cumbria, is set in Atlas Works, a former factory on Nelson Street. Walk to the end of the building and through the archway with big blue gates: the door is in the corner, under the fire escape.
Gay saunas in the South West
In Plymouth, Manticore Spa is a city-centre sauna on the top floor of the building shared with the Genting Casino, entered from the rear. It has a dry sauna, steam room, licensed bar, cinema room, a lounge with city views and private cabins, plus Naked Mondays, Blackout nights and a T-Girls and Admirers afternoon.
First visit: what to know
- Bring ID. Entry is 18+ and some venues ask for photo ID or a membership.
- Check the theme. A naked night, a bears night and a quiet weekday afternoon feel very different.
- Shower first, towel on. Shower before using the sauna and steam room, and sit on your towel.
- Consent always. A look, a nod or a step back says yes or no, and no means no straight away.
- No phones. Keep your phone in the locker: privacy matters to everyone there.
- Sexual health. Bring condoms and look into PrEP and regular testing at your local sexual health clinic.
More addresses on the map
All the venues are on our gay saunas page, with a map and directions. On the move, the Around me feature shows the nearest addresses, and our LGBTQ+ venues page lists cruising bars and fetish clubs across the country.
