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!

[latintopxxx]

i will miss babylon...loved the fact it was more than a sex venue...i could spend the whole day there...relax by the pool...enjoy a few drinks...moren than adequate restaurant...not going to pretend itb was great food....good sex...id arrive around 10am...leave after 7pm...enjoyed the occaional foam party..

[Oliver2]

Has anyone got any news of Sansuk in Pattaya?

[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.

[gerefan2]

Has been closed for a few years.

They had a notice on the door saying opening in either January or February but it never happened and the notice disappeared.

Was still closed when I left Pattaya at the end of March

[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.

[pong]

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

YES, was there in once. Dirty, unkempt, empty-as so often, but it must have been some 20 yrs ago as around that period I often went with a sweet guy from one of the bars close by and we simply used it as short time room. It was too short lived to be able to attract stable patronage-plus that normal Thai (certainly in that time) would shun this area completely.
Oh-before that, so must have been <2000, a bar of great fame set up new and even bigger/greater building further on in that soi-opposite where Nature Boy later came. Name does not now spring to my mind, but it was famous. Also failed miserably in a very short time-none would come over there.

And what about The Colony? did you ever go there?
Perhaps, but I´ve quite forgotten where this one once was

xyz-added in between

[Armando]

Oh-before that, so must have been <2000, a bar of great fame set up new and even bigger/greater building further on in that soi-opposite where Nature Boy later came. Name does not now spring to my mind, but it was famous. Also failed miserably in a very short time-none would come over there.

As discussed earlier, that was Barbiery in its second incarnation after it moved out of Suriwong. Whereas at Suriwong it was a wonderful and hugely successful bar, in that large building opposite Nature Boys it was a disaster. For reasons which I totally fail to understand, the owner got every single thing wrong and it quickly died.

[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)