Bathhouse Blog

June 8, 2011

As mentioned in a February posting, The Cage, a gay sauna in Londonderry, Northern Ireland had just opened amid controversy among the religious right.

This month it has just been granted full planning permission by the city council. They will be able to make upgrades and improvements to the building housing the gay sauna. However that is not sitting well with protesters and critics of the gay sauna.

The Cage

The loudest opponent since day one has been a Protestant fundamentalist pastor by the name of Mark Bradford. He is from the Bethnal Baptist church, and has compared The Cage to a skin infection (carbuncle) on the city. He says

There is no mention in the application for a dark room, a cinema or private cubicles but this is what is being advertised. While I and other ministers have quietly gathered over 400 signatures on a petition protesting against this place, I will not rule out taking our protests to the streets now and I will not stop until this carbuncle is removed from the city

Bradford doesn’t rule out organizing protests and picketing outside The Cage until they shut their doors permanently.

To read more go to I’ll take gay sauna battle onto the streets, vows angry pastor.

April 27, 2011

Gone – The Disappearance of Aeryn Gillern is a documentary about a young American in Vienna who vanished without a trace. The story follows his mother’s single handed determination to find him. It recently had a showing at The Tribeca Film Festival.

Aeryn Gillern had everything going for him. Great job with the UN Industrial Development Organization in Vienna, a wonderful partner and great friends. But on October 29th, 2007 Aeryn visited a popular gay sauna in Vienna, Kaiserbrundl men’s sauna. He checked in, but never checked out. He disappeared into thin air, leaving behind his clothing and belongings.

Gone – An Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2011

Aeryn’s mother, Kathy Gilleran, is a former Ithaca policewoman. With her 20 years of experience on the force, she used everything she had to find her son.

Kathy would later discover that on the night Aeryn disappeared from the spa, a fight broke out among a group of tourists at about 10 PM. As mentioned his clothes and personal items were left behind. But Aeryn vanished. Did he walk out of the sauna totally naked? In an interesting twist, a video camera belonging to the sauna has also disappeared.

Kathy Gilloren talks directly and emotionally to the camera. This is one heartbreaking documentary, but an important one. This is a story needed to be told.

To learn more about this case and documentary go to their Official Website and their Facebook page.

March 21, 2011

Chariots On Fire. No not the movie but the gay sauna located in Shoreditch, East London.

It was severely damaged in a fire in the early morning hours of March 20, 2011. By the time fire-fighters arrived on the scene more than 150 men had been evacuated without sustaining any injury.

It took more than 30 fire-fighters to get the blaze under control. When the smoke cleared much of the ground floor of the business was destroyed by the fire.

An investigation into the fire is under way. A worker at the sauna says that the sauna would now be closed for at least two months.

February 15, 2011

A new gay sauna has opened in Derry or Londonderry, the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland

The Cage offers a sauna, steam room, cinema and private rooms for consenting adults. It is owned and operated by Barry McGonigle, who actually moved from Belfast to open up this venture.

The Cage

According to McGonigle, there were 22 visitors to the sauna on opening weekend. A small number for now, but hopefully the number will increase when more and more men become familiar with a gay sauna in Derry. Time will tell.

July 26, 2010

Part of a Winnipeg bathhouse has reopened following a deadly arson that killed two men last fall.

The main floor and basement of Aquarius Men's Bath are open but the second floor, where the fatal fire was set, remains closed to patrons as it undergoes renovations, the bathhouse's website states.

Aquarius Men's Bath

To read more click to the arcticle here

May 24, 2010

Former Australian rugby player, turned sports reporter, turned general commentator (and occasional boxer) Paul Kent recently went undercover at Ken’s of Kensington. After the scandal of politician David Campbell (see previous entry), Kent stripped off his clothes, donned a towel and walked the halls of Ken’s of Kensington to see what all the fuss was about.

Below is Paul Kent’s first hand account. One clarification though, Kent writes that to ‘follow (someone out) of a room is to indicate agreement to hookup.’ NOT TRUE. You spend so much time walking in and around the hallways. Just because you happen to follow someone out a room, does NOT mean you want to hook up with them.

Paul Kent is straight, so he doesn’t understand the unwritten rules. But I didn’t want a newbie to get the wrong idea upon making his first trip to the baths.

This story appeared in Australia’s The Daily Telegraph Read and enjoy!

May 22, 2010

Australian transport minister David Campbell has resigned after being secretly filmed leaving gay sauna. Apparently he had been living a double life for 20 years. No surprise for most of us to go to the tubs. One in five men are either openly gay or leading secret double lives. As all of us have seen our share of closeted, married men over the years. So instead of rehashing this story, let’s focus on the gay sauna that David Campbell allegedly visited, Ken’s at Kensington pictured below

Ken’s at Kensington

Click to read the article Barber’s chair but no haircuts, and towel-free Friday nights written by Louise Hall

April 01, 2010

A man has died after falling down the stairs of a sex club in Sydney’s CBD.

The 35-year-old man was leaving from the first-floor exit of Sydney City Steam on Sussex Street when he fell and hit his head, police said.

Click the following link for info to this story. Man dies after falling down Sydney sex club stairs written by Glenda Kwek

Photo: Glenda Kwek