Is Babylon Sauna rumored to close soon? [Now permanently closed]

[Armando]

Yes, the old Babylon was the best, even if its maze of staircases was an intellectual challenge. The Obelisk was a pleasant environment- perhaps even luxurious- but didn't seem much of a hunting-ground for falangs. I believe it was closed by the police.....I don't know why.

I was at Obelisk a few times. I specially liked the jacuzzi on the roof. The problem I thought was that it was spread over ten small floors and therefore you could spend quite a time hiking up and down the stairs. It did have one tiny lift that could squeeze in about 4 people. But if you were on a lower floor and just missed it to get up to the top, you might have had to wait 4 or 5 minutes to be able to access it for it seemed to stop at every floor.

In addition to Obelisk, there were other saunas before Babylon opened. I have memories of Volt which I believe was one of the first. It was located off Asoke in a soi to the left as you went up towards Rama 9. I enjoyed a few visits there. There was another on the right at the end of a small one-way soi off Ploenchit just before you came to Soi Chidlom. It only lasted a couple of years or so.

I never experienced this first version of Babylon, but I guess it must been what gave Babylon the reputation of the "sauna-to-go" in Bangkok.

When the original Babylon opened it was a revelation. The owner was clearly rich for to the left of the entrance was a large glass-fronted cabinet with antiques. At week-ends there would always be queues at reception, mostly of youngish Thai guys because not many farang had discovered it in its first 2 or 3 years. In addition, on the left there was a waiting room with chairs - also full. As it became more popular, the owner added an additional section to the right with more cabins, yet another staircase which led down to a small coffee shop. This was in addition to the main restaurant above the reception area. A nice touch was that at weekends there would often be a guitarist or flautist playing quiet music.

Not many seemed to be aware that on the left as you entered the restaurant there was a closed in area. This was actually a massage room with a decent sized bed. I recall it was looked after by the sweetest guy named Gung. Although it was a sauna with so much free sex, I happily found myself in the arms of Gung a few times!

Was there any more enjoyable time than sitting with a drink in the open air at one of the bar tables on the top floor with a parade of gorgeous Thai boys in towels constantly drifting past? At the southern end of the balcony area was a series of large showers and many of the lads had not dried themselves properly, droplets of water still glistening on their smooth bodies!

[Oliver2]

Babylon was the first Thai sauna I visited and, having being "out" for only about three years, the availability of young Thais- and their surprising interest in me- was a revelation. I'd been happy to pay for my enjoyment but being with guys who actually wanted it was far more enjoyable.

Do you remember a short-lived sauna a few metres along from Solid Boys, off Soi Tarntawan?

And what about The Colony? did you ever go there?

[Armando]

Do you remember a short-lived sauna a few metres along from Solid Boys, off Soi Tarntawan?

And what about The Colony? did you ever go there?

I had been out for quite a bit longer and had good memories of Le Continental and another sauna in Paris, as well as one of the Thermos saunas in Amsterdam. The many Vietnamese in Paris probably converted me exclusively to Asian boys! My first sauna experience was actually in Boston when a friend took me and had to guide me around as I was very much a novice then. Once in Madrid I did check out one of that city's saunas. Unfortunately hairy men are a turn-off for me and all the patrons seemed to be tanned and very hairy!

In Bangkok I remember the bars near the location of Solid but not a sauna. Also I heard of The Colony - and The Beach - but never visited them. If I recall correctly, they were a little further out than Asoke and because of the traffic that was about the limit of my wanderings until the Skytrain opened. As soon as Babylon opened, i had no desire to visit others.

Heaven near the river end of Silom was easy to get to and was certainly open by 1995. Although the facilities were quite basic, it did have a little garden with a jacuzzi and a lot of handsome guys used to be there. If I was staying close to the river, I'd sometimes pay a visit. Thereafter, with the closure of the first Babylon and the opening of the Skytrain with a stop at Soi Aree, Chakran was very easy to get to. I really enjoyed my visits there until I decided my interests in saunas was waning.

[Daveuk]

Has anyone got any news of Sansuk in Pattaya?

Sad to hear of the demise of the Sansuck in Pattaya. A friend, a resident gay expat tells me that there is no talk of it reopening when tourism really begins ( Maybe September/October). It had declined pre-Covid in early 2000 when I last went there like a lot of the Pattaya infrastructure and my visits had become a lot less frequent since discovering the place in 2005 when you could always find a good crowd of farangs and Thai boys around the pool and circulating in the dark maze upstairs seeking and finding sex in the cubicles. I stayed there a couple of times in the adjoining guest house although bringing offed boys back was not convenient due to the distance from the bar areas of Boystown or Sunee.

[Oliver2]

If it has closed for good, I shall be sad. I recall Punya's story as an entrepreneur well; he was always a charming host and would go out of his way to talk to P and me. He must be heart -broken after all the work and expense.

Pad and I would always ensure that we'd call in for one evening during our stays in Pattaya; the restaurant was reliable and sitting around the pool as dusk fell was a pleasure for us both. And I thought the pool much better than those at Babylon and House of Male (Chiang Mai)

[Daveuk]

If it has closed for good, I shall be sad. I recall Punya's story as an entrepreneur well; he was always a charming host and would go out of his way to talk to P and me. He must be heart -broken after all the work and expense.

Pad and I would always ensure that we'd call in for one evening during our stays in Pattaya; the restaurant was reliable and sitting around the pool as dusk fell was a pleasure for us both. And I thought the pool much better than those at Babylon and House of Male (Chiang Mai)

Very much agree Oliver. The extensive development of the Sauna and the guesthouse must have cost a lot and it’s a pity that such a excellent asset for us gays is no more. I think it was during my second visit in about 2006 that Punya showed me round the place and talked about his previous life and relationships.
Yes the pool was better than the one at Babylon and sitting round it either on my own or with a boyfriend in the warm dusk evening air is a happy memory for me.

[colmx]

I'm pretty sure from FB posts that Punya fully intends to reopen sansuk as soon as it's legally allowed and there are sufficient tourists to keep it afloat

So I suggest that we don't write it off yet!

[Andy]

Sansuk has always been a happy memory for me - a cozy atrium by the pool and a dark maze with the only place for free sex in Pattaya ;-) But in recent years, before its closure, there were fewer thai boys and much more elderly farangs seeking help on all issues. In addition, some plumbing facilities and furniture fell into disrepair and were not repaired. I think in this regard, the sauna has become as much a victim of dating apps as go-go. In any case, I hope that they will still be able to open and prove themselves in the best possible way.

[Oliver2]

Many falang visitors , perhaps most, don't have pools at their hotels and so Sansuk's was always a draw. Add to that a decent and well-priced restaurant. It meant that even without large numbers of young locals to meet, it was still a decent place to visit before the bars opened. And that was certainly true of P and me. He liked the fitness room as well. I didn't.
I hope Colmx is right.

[Blueskytoday]

Many years ago..I went to a sauna,,forget the name, help??? I took the sky train all the way down Sukhumvit to the end..then a taxi for a min or two,,,,anyone recall, maybe it is still there...Tks..