Birds (Gay Playspace) 1

OPENED 27 FEBRUARY 2016

Unit A2, 3rd Floor, Burlington House
(Street entrance marked "Burlington Arcade") 
90 - 94C Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon
Hong Kong
MTR:  Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit B1

Tel:  As at 29 February 2016,  no phone number
Web: http://ads.00069.com/Birds/
Opening Hours: Mon - Sun 13:00 to 24:00
Advertised Cost: HK$90.00.  After 8pm: HK$60.00



Apparently opened on 27 February 2016. 

Readers can go check it out and submit a review.

• Readers may submit reviews of gay saunas in any Asian city;
• We reserve the right NOT to publish reviews we deem suspicious, inaccurate or self-serving;
• FuelMix no longer gives personalized sauna advice; 

 Copyright © 2006 – 2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 

Talking To Adam 13 - Part 5

Cruising Hong Kong In 1985

An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong 

Written in 2016 For The First Time

A GWM IN HIS MID-60s REMEMBERS:

NOTE:  We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour.  We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.

8. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Harbour City

1.   In 1985, Harbour City was COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to what it is today. Many younger guys have no idea that it has been renovated and expanded 2 or 3 times since it opened in about 1982.  Hell, many younger gay guys in town, weren't even born in 1982 or were just toddlers in 1985.

2.   What really made Harbour City famous for gay guys in the 1980s, was Ocean Centre.  This opened about 1975 and what you see today inside, looks nothing like the original.  The interior, whilst still keeping its circular shape was narrower, cramped and the ceilings were pretty low.  Although it had good quality shops, it was not as high end or glam as it is today.

3.   But it was the toilets in Ocean Centre that had gay men and tourists talking in 1985.....they were massively cruisy.  They were getting the office crowd from Star House, Ocean Centre, the offices of Harbour City like World Finance Centre and of course the tourists not just from the hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui (who already knew about Middle Road Park) but also the tourists from the then Hong Kong Hotel, The Marco Polo Hotel and The Prince Hotel.  There were all ages, nationalities and body types and the action was incredible.

4.   What made Ocean Centre and Harbour City so popular with gay men in 1985 was the fact that there were so many toilets to choose from on the different levels.  If you met someone in Ocean Centre, then you would head to the very discreet and isolated toilets of Harbour City.  The standing joke was that those toilets had been deliberately designed by gay men for gay men.  It is no exaggeration to say that in 1985, every toilet in Ocean Centre and Harbour City was seeing action.  None of the toilets there had full time Attendants like they do now and they were open till about 10:30pm.

5.   Not only that, but you would meet cute guys who had the keys to their office toilets upstairs and of course around 8:30pm onwards, that would be the perfect time to go upstairs with them  to their toilets because the entire floor would be deserted.  I did that several times and on some occasions, there were groups of us.  It was very safe and discreet.

6.   Unfortunately, there were no mobile phones then and so it was very hit and miss whether you'd see them again.  Not everyone was comfortable giving out their office number, but some were.

7.  It's hard for some people to imagine or believe just how hot some of the guys were in 1985.  Since the gym culture was taking off, there was no shortage of local and overseas muscle boys and personal trainers who were cruising around Ocean Centre and Harbour City, plus gym built white guys with seriously good bodies.  Of course, the local Chinese knew all about the place too and at the time, were really into foreign guys.  One time, I met this amazing muscled Chinese dancer in his mid-20s.  This boy had the body of a god and was turning heads as he was walked through Ocean Centre in skimpy gym shorts and a tank top, showing off his hard work in the gym.  Turns out he was a dancer from the City Contemporary Dance Company and a Total Top.  Fine by me.  Whenever he would show up at Ocean Centre, there would be this line of 7 or 8 guys just following him around into every toilet in Harbour City.  Of course, he frequently got invited to the more private office toilets upstairs where he was a total exhibitionist while several guys serviced him.  It was like watching a porn movie.

8.  Those were really amazing times and the guys you would run into were less flaky.  There was this unwritten code of discretion. It's no exaggeration to say that many gay men were grateful that Ocean Centre and Harbour City existed.  Frankly, it kept them from going absolutely insane.

Copyright © 2006 – 2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 

Talking To Adam 13 - Part 4

Cruising Hong Kong In 1985

An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong 

Written in 2016 For The First Time

A GWM IN HIS MID-60s REMEMBERS:

NOTE:  We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour.  We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.

7. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Tsim Sha Tsui And Harbour City

Tsim Sha Tsui

1.   In 1985, the place to go was the Middle Road Park *** next to the Mariner's Club and opposite the Middle Road Multi-storey carpark.***

2.   Wow..!! You didn't even need to walk around and cruise ....all you had to do was sit on any of the benches facing the toilet that was in the corner facing Salisbury Road and the guys would come by.

3.   There were all sorts of men from young local twinks, to mature Chinese and whites, to very sexy 20- something Pakistani guys (some of whom would let you suck them for cash), young white guys living here and of course tourists.  It was amazing just how many tourists knew about this place.  Rumour was they had found out from the gay Flight Attendants.

4.   That park was open 24 hours and was really famous.  It's location was excellent for tourists, walking distance from the hotels in Harbour City, The YMCA, The Peninsula, (The Kowloon Hotel was under construction in 1985), The Sheraton, The Ambassador Hotel ***, The Imperial Hotel, The old Hyatt Hotel ***, The Holiday Inn Golden Mile, Chungking Mansions and all the recently opened hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui East, plus the New World Hotel*** and the Regent Hotel***.  Those 2 hotels were connected to the park via an overhead footbridge that spanned Salisbury Road.***

FuelMix says:

(1)  The Middle Road Park was demolished to make way for MTR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station, Exit K.  A new park was built on a podium above the station.  Entrance is via a staircase on the corner of Middle Road and Salisbury Road.

(2)  The Middle Road Multi-storey carpark was demolished and as at February 2016, is a construction site for a commercial, retail and hotel (?) tower.

(3)  The Ambassador Hotel used to stand on the corner of Middle Road and Nathan Road, across from the Sheraton Hotel.  It was demolished and is now the site of 26 Nathan Road, a commercial building.

(4)  The old Hyatt Hotel on Nathan Road was demolished and is now the site of I-Square. The new Hyatt Hotel is located in K11.

(5)  The New World Hotel on Salisbury Road was demolished and as a February 2016, is a construction site for a commercial, retail and hotel tower.

(6)  The Regent Hotel is now known as The Inter-Continental and as at February 2016 is due for renovation or demolition.

(7)  The Footbridge from the park that connected with the New World Hotel was demolished.  A new footbridge was constructed from the Podium-Level of the Park to the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront Promenade. It remains to be seen whether, as part of the redevelopment in that area, a new footbridge will also link the hotels under construction.

COMING UP IN PART 5:  8.  Cruising Harbour City
© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 

Talking To Adam 13 - Part 3

UPDATED 12 FEBRUARY 2016 FOR FURTHER READING...

Cruising Hong Kong In 1985

An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong 

Written in 2016 For The First Time

A GWM IN HIS MID-60s REMEMBERS:

6. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising The Streets Of Central
7. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui

NOTE:  We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour.  We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.

6.  Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising The Streets Of Central

1.   Back then, there was a circuit that every gay guy knew about - and it still exists today in a modified form.  How did they know about it..?  They'd spot other guys cruising or they'd find out about it through word of mouth on the streets or in the bars.  The "Central Circuit" was so famous that even Western tourists and US Navy sailors from the 7th Fleet in town for a few days, knew about it.  They guys you would run into cruising on the streets and public toilets of Central were some of the hottest I've seen, even 30 years down the track.

2.   Public toilets are an historical fact of gay life - around the world - for decades and then some.  There's no point being shocked or righteously indignant about it.  It is part of global gay culture and will always be a part of it. Str8 guys are Bi guys were and are in on it too. Just like locker rooms in the gym or gay saunas.

3.   In 1985, Hong Kong was a gay backwater.  Not only was gay sex illegal, but other than the 3 bars (see Part 2), there was really nothing. Technology had not developed sufficiently so there was no internet, no mobile phones, no apps, no chat sites, no free online porn, no instant messaging, no way to upload pics of yourself.  There were no exclusively gay shops, cafes, or saunas, no free gay mags that you could just pick up, no gay pride, no gay advertising, no gay radio station, no gay amateur sports teams, no gay film festivals, no gay STD testing.....nothing.

4.   ......Except the public toilets and the cruising circuit.  Gay men have a high sex drive.  That was their only outlet where they didn't have to sit at a bar and wait to get cruised - or wait for a Police raid.

5.   The circuit started at the toilets of Beaconsfield House in Queen's Road Central, opposite the HSBC Headquarters.***

*** FuelMix says: Beaconsfield House has been demolished and the site is part of Cheung Kong Centre

6.  From there it went up to the toilets on Ice House Street which still exist.  In 1985 that place was notorious, especially after work and late in the evenings. There were lots of white, good looking gym built office professionals and young Chinese guys.  It was so famous back then, that at 9pm in the evenings, you might find 15 - 20 people standing around there.  Considering that Central would be deserted at that time, if a non-gay person walked into that toilet and saw 15 - 20 guys standing around, they would immediately get suspicious.

7.  The circuit continued up to the top of Ice House Street, down the steep stairs next to the FCC and onto Wyndham Street.  That is where you could run into the gym dudes from Aero's Gym (see Part 1). Weekday evenings and anytime on weekends were almost guaranteed.

8.  From Wyndham Street to the corner of Wellington Street where Dateline was - but more importantly where the lane access to Lan Kwai Fong still is.  You know, where they have the steps going up and the toilets.  Back in 1985, the male toilet was completely different to what it is now.  It was a 2 storey building and both the lower and upper levels were very well known to gay men.  There was so much action going on there 7 days a week throughout the day and night. The Lan Kwai Fong toilets were strategically located right in between Disco Disco which was near the top of Lan Kwai Fong, and Dateline. The Police used to raid those toilets frequently because they knew the Disco Disco/Dateline crowd would be in there. With the redevelopment of Lan Kwai Fong,  none of them exist now.

9.  If you still couldn't find anyone interesting, you would continue walking up Wellington Street until the Pottinger Street steps. You'd take the steps down to Queen's Road Central and right there was another toilet built under the steps.  Back in 1985 it was very famous and attracted older guys looking for gym fit younger guys.*** I remember there was a middle aged Chinese guy who liked giving blowjobs to gym guys.  And he had a warehouse in the narrow lane right next to the Pottinger Street Steps.  He would take 3 or 4 guys into that warehouse and give them all blowjobs.  I was one of them and that warehouse hidden in the narrow lane was the perfect location.  I ended up there several times after work or after the gym.

*** FuelMix says: This toilet was demolished

10.   But wait....there's more.  You could check out the toilets on the corner of Queens's Road Central and Jubilee Street.

11.  Then come back up Pottinger Street, turn right on Lyndhurst Terrace and go down the slope into the market stalls and turn right into Gutzlaff Street where there was, and still is, a 2 storey toilet
which I was told was famous since the 1960s.***

*** FuelMix says: This is the area where the Central-MidLevels Escalator crosses Lyndhurst Terrace, just over the SoHo market stalls. It is the intersection of Lyndhurst Terrace, Cochrane Street and Gage Street.  There was no Escalator in 1985. The Escalator was opened in 1993.  As at February 2016, this area is currently a large construction site as part of an urban renewal project.  The market stalls and old shops are being cleared.  The ageing Gutzlaff Street toilets still exist - although it is unclear whether they will survive the redevelopment. 

The Central Escalator Sauna is located on the corner of Cochrane Street and Gage Street and has been at that location since about 1992.

12.  From there you would walk up any one of the lanes onto Hollywood Road and continue towards the toilets on Shing Wong Street and Bridges Street which were incredibly cruisy in 1985. Then continue past the Man Mo Temple down Ladder Street to the toilets there, come back down to Queen's Road Central, with your last stop at the underground toilets at the junction of Queen's Road Central and Wellington Street.

13.  So you can see, this was quite the route, starting from Central and ending near Sheung Wan.  Oh and one more thing.  In 1985, Hollywood Road, Elgin Street, Staunton Street, Bridges Street, Aberdeen Street were nowhere near as developed as they are now.  SoHo had not taken off as a shopping and restaurant destination.  There were tons of old residential buildings with dark staircases, no security gates and the residents were mostly elderly.  If you'd hook up with anyone in the toilets, you could bring them to any number of these buildings and get action in the staircases.  It was completely safe and very exciting.

14.  So.....what shall I tell you about now...?

COMING UP:  
7. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui

© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

Talking To Adam 13 - Part 2

Cruising In Hong Kong In The 1980s

An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong 

Written in 2016 For The First Time

A GWM in his mid-60s remembers:

NOTE:  We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour.  We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.

 

4. 1985: Gay Guys Cruising In Hong Kong.....Where..?

1.   Don't think for one moment that, just because gay sex in Hong Kong was illegal in 1985, it would somehow stop gay guys from cruising around town.   That's garbage.  Both the local Chinese and the whites living here knew exactly where to go.

2.  Moreover, the European and American tourists also knew the same spots because they were reading it in Bruno Gmunder's Spartacus Gay Guide. This was a thick little directory of gay bars, saunas, toilets and cruising areas around the world.  It was published annually, so the cruising information about Hong Kong was up to date.


5.  Hong Kong 1985:  The Cruisy Gay Bars

(1)  Disco Disco, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong

This place opened around 1979 and was set up by an openly in-your-face gay white guy. This place put Lan Kwai Fong on the map before Alan Zeman did. I remember when it first opened - it caused a sensation around town.  The early days of this club were amazing.  It was NOT billed as an exclusively gay disco, but out of nowhere the gay guys, both local Chinese and whites, showed up.  There were tons of str8s too plus actors, celebs and singers from the US and UK would show up. Even if the were str8, they were very gay friendly. The place would be packed and the gay guys would be dancing shirtless.  Their door policy was really cool....if they felt there were too many str8 people inside, they would give priority to gay guys and vice versa.  I just loved it.

The Police hated the place and raided it for drugs.  From the time it opened, we knew they were watching.  By 1985 the club scene in Lan Kwai Fong was developing and Disco Disco closed around 1986.

I'll never forget that place.  It made such a statement for gay men in Hong Kong.


(2)  Dateline, Wellington Street, Lan Kwai Fong / Central, Hong Kong

In 1985, this place was on the Ground Floor of an old building (now demolished) and was notorious as an exclusively gay bar.  It was on the corner of Wellington Street and Wyndham Street *** just down the hill from Aero's Gym - which I mentioned earlier was very gay - and 3 or 4 minutes downhill from Disco Disco.

*** FuelMix says:

As at February 2016, this is the present location of Standard Chartered Bank.  Before that, it was the Central location for the very gay California Fitness Gym which occupied several floors and looked out over Wellington Street.  They moved to L Place on Queen's Road Central.

This place was really, really cruisy especially on Fridays and Saturday nights very late - and dangerously so because of older white guys and very young local Chinese guys, some of whom were money boys.  Everybody who showed up at Dateline knew they were taking a huge risk - even if they were just by themselves.  There were some very well known white professionals working in Hong Kong who showed up there - including some working in the media.  There were also white tourist guys in their 20s who had found out about this place from halfway around the world.  Remember, there was no internet then.

Not only was it very cruisy, but you never knew if there were undercover cops in there, or lurking nearby around the corner.  If I wanted to hook up with someone, I would make an agreement that one of us would leave the bar first and head towards Star Ferry; and the other would leave later by a different route and head towards the Hilton Hotel***

*** FuelMix says:

Now the site of Cheung Kong Centre on the corner of Garden Road and Des Voeux Road

At some point near Statue Square, we would meet up. I would casually hand him a scrap of paper with my address on it and we'd take 2 separate taxis to my place.  That's how careful we had to be.  I can't remember when Dateline closed but I think it was the late 1980s or early 1990s. 


(3)  Waltzing Matilda, Cornwall  Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

This was a very cruisy narrow little bar that would get absolutely packed on Saturday nights.***

*** FuelMix says: 

The original Waltzing Matilda no longer exists and neither does Cornwall Avenue. The entire street, consisting of old low rise buildings was demolished.  It is now part of the pedestrian access under K11 / Hyatt Hotel, directly opposite the Holiday Inn Golden Mile on Mody Road.

The bar then moved to Humphrey's Avenue, across from ABC sauna, and was re-named Wally Matt Lounge.  It is now located near the corner of Austin Avenue and Cox's Road  and is a very popular gay venue especially on Saturday nights.

This bar would attract all sorts of guys of all different ages.  It was so fuckin' tiny and cramped, you could just barely get in the door.  It was hugely popular with Flight Attendants and you could meet some really hot guys from all over the world. On Saturday nites, guys would be making out with each other at the bar or in the booths.  It would be so crowded, you would be getting groped by strangers - assuming you were hot.

It had one tiny, tiny toilet right at the back of the bar that was quite dilapidated. If you made eye contact with someone, they would follow you into the little toilet for a little JO or suck action.  Everybody knew what was going on.  Occasionally it would get raided by the Police but none of the customers gave a damn and the place was consistently packed out on weekends.

COMING UP IN PART 3: 

6. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising The Streets Of Central
7. Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui

 © Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 

Talking To Adam 13 - Part 1

Cruising In Hong Kong In 1985

An Oral Gay History Of Hong Kong 

Written in 2016 For The First Time

A GWM in his mid-60s remembers:

NOTE:  We do not encourage any form of public indecency or illegal behaviour.  We are simply reporting one person's recollections from 1985.

1.  Hong Kong in 1985

2.  Aero's Gym, Wilson House, Wyndham Street, Central

3.  The Hong Kong Police's "Pink List" And The Gay Grapevine

4.  1985: Gay Guys Cruising In Hong Kong...Where..?
5.  Hong Kong 1985:  The Cruisy Gay Bars 
6.  Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising The Streets Of Central
7.  Hong Kong 1985:  Cruising Harbour City And Tsim Sha Tsui

1.   Hong Kong In 1985

1.   Let's pick 1985.  For some reason, I loved that year. I was about 34 and in great health.  I thought I was HAWT...!!  I was lean, kinda muscular in that 1980s way......tight little shorts, tank top, gym shoes, my metallic blue Sony Walkman with the cassettes of Tina Turner's comeback album, "Private Dancer", or ZZ Top's "Afterburner" or Prince and the Revolution, my Rayban aviator sunglasses.....woohoo...!!  The music from the 80s was just amazing and it's held up really well 30 years later.

2.   And 'coz "Miami Vice" was on TV, I'd dress like those dudes too....you know, pastel coloured pleated pants rolled up at the ankle, jacket with the sleeves turned up, T-shirt, loafers with no socks.  It was such a great time to be alive in Hong Kong...!!  The city was really taking off, money was being made, Exchange Square One and Two in Central had recently opened and everybody was going gaga over them, Discovery Bay on Lantau was new and hip, so lots of expats were moving there.  The MTR's Island Line (the Blue line) had just started.


2.   Aero's Gym, Wilson House, Wyndham Street, Central

3.   Oh yeah....and the aerobics and fitness craze was just starting to hit Hong Kong too.  I was going to a gym called Aero's in Wilson House on Wyndham Street.  Now that was a hot place!!  All those muscular white guys working in Central would show up there.....there was lots of eye contact.

4.   It also helped that the gym attracted celebrity clients like the Chippendale male strippers from the US who would work out there before putting on a show at California Restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong.  Jeez..!! Those guys were amazing to look at.  One time the actor Jean-Claude van Damme showed up to work out.  He had an incredible body and would work out topless. He was just getting famous. All the guys in the gym were horny. He knew the gay guys drooled over him and he was completely OK with that.  He'd smile and wink at us in between his sets.

5.   The locker room and showers were in the basement down a long flight of stairs. There was lots of JO, sucking and fucking action going on in the showers and the sauna.  The showers in particular were notorious for action because they had thick shower curtains and the showers were in 2 rows facing each other. Guys would hop from one shower cubicle to another for action, sometimes group action.  The management was fully aware of it and sorta encouraged it.  They knew it was a safe space, completely hidden in the basement and word about Aero's " gay reputation" spread through word of mouth.  It was a good fun crowd of expat and local guys.  Far less attitude than one sees in the gyms or saunas today.

6.   Then suddenly Aero's shut down in 1987.  Lots of gym customers lost their membership fee.  Fortunately, 2 gyms came to the rescue.  One was in Connaught Road Central in Crocodile House, can't remember the name but I went there a few times. It wasn't that great, mostly a local Chinese crowd. And the other was the gym in the Hong Kong Hotel Shopping Arcade in Canton Road, on the 3rd Floor.  That's the one I went too most of the time.

7.   Unfortunately neither of the gyms had the vibe of Aero's.  The gay gym crowd scattered.  Remember, California Fitness hadn't opened then.


3.  The Hong Kong Police's "Pink List" And The Gay Grapevine

8.   Everybody knew that gay guys were all over town and showing up at the gym.  But in 1985, gay sex was illegal in Hong Kong - even between consenting adults in private.  The Police were really aggressive.  They used their Special Investigations Unit to crack down on gay guys and arrest them.  They would send some of their best looking cops to the gym so that gay guys would cruise them.  The cop would play along, invite the guy to his "hotel room" and then he'd be arrested.  It was blatant entrapment, but people were too frightened to say anything publicly.

9.  The Police would also show up undercover at the public toilets and bars or worse, just raid them claiming to be looking for drugs.  But everyone knew their game. Since gay sex was illegal, there were no official  gay bars in town, but every gay guy knew there were 3 of them:  2 were in Lan Kwai Fong and 1 was in Tsim Sha Tsui.  It was no coincidence that these 3 bars were raided, sometimes more than once.

10.  Also, there were no gay saunas anywhere in town.  The first one didn't open till sometime in 1991.

11.  But that didn't stop the Police from putting people under surveillance and suspicion, putting their names on the infamous "Pink List" as it was called.  Many of the gay white professionals were a tightly-knit group, terrified of what the Police were up to or could do.  They were so scared of being exposed, or arrested or blackmailed, that some would flee to Bangkok on weekends and public holidays and hit the saunas and bars there.

12.  Since there was an underground gay grapevine, especially with the white professionals, it was common to meet for "dinner parties" at somebody's flat usually in a higher class area like the larger Mid-Levels flats, or the Peak, or Repulse Bay - which might turn into a drug-fuelled orgy - or charter a luxury boat and sail out of Hong Kong's territorial waters for a weekend of group sex. Some were arrested when they sailed back, either because they had drugs and underage boys on board, or because the Police had received a  tip off.

13.  In the 1980s, AIDS was sweeping the gay cities of the US and it was only a matter of time before it hit Hong Kong.  It was a very tough and paranoid time to be a gay professional white guy in Hong Kong.  Ironically, the local Chinese gay guys over 21 might have had an easier time, since it was well known that the Police were targeting white professionals and those hanging around with them.  And some of those hanging around them were skinny Chinese twinks about 17 years old.

COMING UP IN PART 2:   

4.  1985: Gay Guys Cruising In Hong Kong..Where..?

© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

Big Top Gym And Sauna 20

3rd Floor, Yuet Yuen Building

17 - 19 Mong Kok Road

Mong Kok

Kowloon

Hong Kong

MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit A2

Tel: 2628 6196

Website: Big Top Gym & Sauna

Note: Open 2pm to 8am the next day; 
On weekends and public holidays open 2pm till 10am the next day. 
Staff speak good English 



Received from a reader yesterday:

I went to this place on a Saturday afternoon around 4pm. The entrance was rather on Mong Kok Road than as its official Canton Road, opposite to the Dynasty Theatre. The entrance was discreet and the building where it situated in looked like it had a mix of resident and commercial purposes. It was a metal gate and was kept locked. On the right hand side there's a panel of buttons with which one called for the property owners to unlock the gate. The button of "Big Top Sauna" was clearly marked and after pressing it the answer was prompt without delayed embarrassment standing outside. There was still the security standing inside and there were two lifts available. 

The entrance of Big Top was just outside the lift. After ringing the door bell, the door opened and two members of staff were sitting in the reception , greeting.  They offered me to register with them then I would enjoy rewards of various discounts. For the locals, phone numbers would be used for registration and travel documents for the visitors. Otherwise, the full price was $138. 

1.   The Layout 

My first impression of this place was ,it's rather small. The decor was sort of similar to My Way. The first lounge after entrance was a gym room without any users. On the left were the lockers and right the living lounge. There were a couple of sofas and a payable coffee vending machine. Lockers were plentiful but be aware, The lockers were quite small and shoes were normally placed under the locker shelf or above. After changing, there's a dimmed corridor leading to the T junction to the wet area and the dark maze. On the left was the wet area where the showers and steam room were. The steam room had two entrances connected by a pitched dark, long narrow passage. It looked very interesting and cruiseable but it was not quite as busy as the dark maze.

The dark maze had two entrances too and the structure was roughly a circle with some cabins en route. It probably was as dark as the steam room and was only lit by some small screens playing porn videos.  


2.   Clientele 

It's rumoured that Big Top's target is to rival Hutong but according to the clientele , I don't think it's the case or it has managed to achieve that goal. There were around 30 guests when I got in and there was a stream of steady arrivals afterwards as well as departures. All Asian Oriental, mostly aged 30-50, all shapes and many Fuglies. Tons of attitude and standing modelling and what surprised me was sometimes it was the Fuglies that had the highest attitude and worst manner.   


3.   Verdict 

I don't think I will go back. I don't find this place entertaining. But for a registered member, the price might be very attractive.  


FuelMix says:

1.  It's been a while since FuelMix dropped into Big Top, but we would have thought that the crowd on a Saturday afternoon around 4pm would be pretty good.  Unless of course it got better on a Saturday nite, which is certainly possible.  And we recall Big Top can get packed on a Saturday nite.

2.  Big Top does not have an exclusion door policy and accepts all customers of all ages.  We've seen 30 -50s and beyond, whites and Orientals.  A gay sauna is like a casino.....you pay your money and you take your chances.  Big Top certainly does get a large number of twinks and college boys.  Perhaps the timing was off and they'll show up later on Saturday evenings.

3.  Yeah, Big Top can have tons of attitude as well as Stand and Model. But we saw that in My Way and Jungle - and there's apparently tons of that in Hutong too.

Thanks for the update.

• Readers may submit reviews of gay saunas in any Asian city. For a Guide on what the review should contain, click HERE
• We reserve the right NOT to publish reviews we deem suspicious, inaccurate or self-serving;
• FuelMix no longer gives personalized sauna advice; 

© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

Asian Cities Gay Sauna Reviews

Several readers informed us that our series on Hong Kong gay sauna reviews are the best on the Web. 

For 2016, we have been  requested to expand coverage to all Asian cities.

To date via readers feedback, we have published sauna reviews in these Asian cities:

• Seoul, Korea
• Shanghai, China
• Singapore
• Taipei, Taiwan

Just as readers took the initiative to submit their reviews on gay saunas in Hong Kong, we are now open to receive reviews and updates of gay saunas in any Asian city.


Guidelines

1. Full address, contact details, website and opening hours of sauna;
2. Date and time you were there and for how long;
3. Entry price you paid;
4. Attitude of staff;
5. Layout of the sauna;
6. Quality of decor;
7. Comments on Locker area;
8. Comments on Wet Area (showers, steam room, dry sauna, hot tub);
9. Comments on Dark Area;
10. Comments on Private Rooms;
11. Refreshments and Food;
12. Type of clientele - approx age range, body type, ethnicity, attitude or friendly, standing around or easily getting action;
13. Whether you got action;
14. Whether you'd go back; 

We reserve the right NOT to publish reviews we deem suspicious, inaccurate or self-serving;

Readers may submit their reviews via email to: fuelinjectedmale@live.hk
Subject Heading: [Name of Sauna and Name of Asian City]  
 

Fuck San Francisco or Arrogance..?

The last time FuelMix was in San Francisco, he was shocked at the decaying state of the city, the druggies, the homeless, the aggressive panhandlers, the general menacing urban attitude, the warnings from hotel security to be careful when going out in the evening....the whole downhill shittyness of it.  It was not the city he used to know.

Not being enamoured with whites, their behaviour or their politically correct culture, FuelMix shrugged it off and blamed his perceptions on his shadowy, allegedly bigoted self.  Perhaps he needed to be more tolerant, perhaps acquire a little humility - and then he would be the complete person.

Until this came along....an open letter dated 15 February 2016, addressed to the Mayor of San Francisco and others, penned by one Justin Keller, presumably white, founder of Commando.io. We'll leave it to the reader to reach their own conclusions.

Reported by the Guardian, 17 February 2016, San Francisco tech worker: 'I don't want to see homeless riff-raff '. Full letter here.

(Underlining and bold print by FuelMix):

I am writing today, to voice my concern and outrage over the increasing homeless and drug problem that the city is faced with. I’ve been living in SF for over three years, and without a doubt it is the worst it has ever been. Every day, on my way to, and from work, I see people sprawled across the sidewalk, tent cities, human feces, and the faces of addiction. The city is becoming a shanty town… Worst of all, it is unsafe. 

This holiday weekend, I had my parents in town from Santa Barbara and relatives from Denver and Rochester New York. Unfortunately, there was three separate incidents and countless times that we were approached for money and harassed. 

The first incident involved a homeless drunken man in the morning coming up to their car and leaning up against it. Another bystander got frustrated with the drunken man, and they got into a heated pushing and shoving altercation. 

The second incident occurred as we were leaving Tadich Grill in the financial district. A distraught, and high person was right in front of the restaurant, yelling, screaming, yelling about cocaine, and even, attempted to pull his pants down and show his genitals. 

Finally, last night Valentines, I was at Kabuki Theater inside watching a movie. About two hours into the film, a man stumbled in the front door. He proceeded to walk into the theater, down the aisle to the front, wobbled toward the emergency door, opened it, and then took his shirt off and laid down. He then came back into the theater shielding his eyes from the running projector. My girlfriend was terrified and myself and many people ran out of the theater. 

What are you going to do to address this problem? The residents of this amazing city no longer feel safe. I know people are frustrated about gentrification happening in the city, but the reality is, we live in a free market society. The wealthy working people have earned their right to live in the city. They went out, got an education, work hard, and earned it. I shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted. I shouldn’t have to see the pain, struggle, and despair of homeless people to and from my way to work every day. I want my parents when they come visit to have a great experience, and enjoy this special place. 

I am telling you, there is going to be a revolution.[Keller's emphasis] People on both sides are frustrated, and you can sense the anger. The city needs to tackle this problem head on, it can no longer ignore it and let people do whatever they want in the city. I don’t have a magic solution… It is a very difficult and complex situation, but somehow during Super Bowl, almost all of the homeless and riff raff[1] seem to up and vanish. I’m willing to bet that was not a coincidence. Money and political pressure can make change. So it is time to start making progress, or we as citizens will make a change in leadership and elect new officials who can.

Democracy is not the last stop in politics. In-fact, the order of progression according to Socrates via Plato in the Republic goes: timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and finally tyranny. Socrates argues that a society will decay and pass through each government in succession, eventually becoming a tyranny.

“The greater my city, the greater the individual.”

[1] I want to apologize for using the term riff raff. It was insensitive and counterproductive.**

[**pursuant to a backlash on Twitter]

Additional comment from Keller pursuant to readers reaction:

“The thesis of the post was that inaction by the city and officials is not working. We all as citizens of San Francisco need to figure out how we can improve the city and address the homeless and drug addiction problem straight on,” he said. 

“I in no way meant to vilify homeless or drug users, my frustration was that we as citizens don’t feel safe. The amount of violent crime is increasing, and it affects everybody. What specific measures is the city taking to proactively help the homeless and drug addicted?  

“Instead of crucifying me, we all as citizens should be crucifying the city and elected government officials for ineptness. The status quo is not working.”

FuelMix says:

Virgin On The Ridiculous

"Hey FuelMix!  Nice ass..!!".  The Skinny 30something Oriental With Glasses about whom FuelMix had gleefully written in his 2 posts, Thriller and  Straight, Not Gay, But Bent sidled up to FuelMix during his breaks at the squat rack and whispered, "You know I like looking at you when you work out.."

FM:  So you've said

S30OWG:  Of course I'm not gay and I would never say these things to you if you were gay...

FM:....Riiight....

S30OWG:  Not like that guy over there - look at him....he's wearing a T-shirt and full length tights without shorts. He's totally gay.  Only gay guys wear that stuff

FM:  Um....I sometimes wear a T-shirt and full length tights without shorts.....

S30OWG:  Yeah I know - but you wear UnderArmour gym tops and that looks hot. I can check out your nipples, your chest, your ass in those tights, your cock....heheheheheh.....

FM:  Dude, you are totally confusing me....You have no proof that guy is gay and you have no proof that I'm not gay.....How do you decide one guy in the gym is gay and the other isn't..?

S30OWG:  I watch them, look at their body movements how they dress, how they talk...pretty easy.  Since you're not gay, I can fantasize about you, look at your body, you already know I jack off to you yeah...'coz I told you a few times, remember..??  But you know I'm so not gay...

FM:  Yeah....whatever....I'm really confused...by the way, you still have a girlfriend..?

S30OWG:  Not now, she dumped me after one year.  I'm single now.

FM:  Did you fuck her..?

S30OWG:  No, she wouldn't let me, so I haven't got any practice

FM:  You're still a virgin..? 

S30OWG:  Sssshhh!!....Not so loud man!... Yeah, yeah, still a virgin - but I watch str8 porn and gay porn so I know what to do....

FM:  If you're straight, why do you watch gay porn..?

S30OWG:  To get ideas....you know, check out sexy guy's bodies, I love looking at hot guys, fantasizing and jacking off to them, come to the gym, look at more hot guys.  I don't have to be gay to watch gay porn and get turned on by it

FM:  True.  So.....you're watching gay porn, getting turned on by it, checking out guys in the gym, criticizing the guys you claim are gay, claiming you're not gay, never having had sex with men - AND still being a heterosexual virgin 'coz your girlfriend refused to have sex with you and dumped you......huh...??

S30OWG:  Yeah....Yeah.....that's right.  Do you think it sounds ridiculous..?? 

Copyright © 2006 – 2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved  

My Way Sauna 12

4th Floor, Kuo Wah Building
340 Hennessy Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong

MTR: Wanchai, Exit A4
Telephone: 25749098
Website: http://www.mywayjungle.com/ 

Note:
1.  My Way Sauna and Jungle Sauna are under the same ownership;
2.  Staff may or may not speak passable English;
3.  All prices and promotions are in Chinese on their website;
4.  My Way Sauna and Jungle Sauna are open 24 hours; 



There was no shortage of good looking local Chinese gym guys and muscle boys in their 20s and 30s. Plus chain-smoking skinny twinks.  At least that was the case when FuelMix dropped in on a Thursday evening around 8pm.  The place was absolutely packed.....remember, My Way (like its sister Jungle in Yau Mat Tei) is now open 24 hours.

And the fuckin' lighting in the locker area was so atrociously dim, it was a hazard to one's eyesight.

Did we say the place was absolutely packed..?  Oh yeah, we did.  Thursday evenings are Naked Nites and guys just kept coming through the door.  We knew the type....20s and 30-something college boys, and office-type gym bunnies.  All enrolled in Fitness First, Physical or California Fitness.  They'd been horny since 4pm, had their dinner at Cafe Coral or some cha chaan teng (sample menu below),

then showed up at My Way to dump a few loads before heading home to Mom and Dad with some vague excuse about being busy and / or working late.....

Make no mistake about it.  Given the crowd there, the cruising was hot and heavy.  Guys making out in the showers, the steam room, the dry sauna, and along the walls of the dark area as well as in the rooms.

My Way has an extensive Dark Area (rather like its sister, Jungle).  That evening, the staff had changed the configuration of the Dark Area and made it - initially - very confusing to navigate.

Despite the hot looking crowd, the attitude was not the greatest.  FuelMix certainly got attention from the GAMs with lots of stares, kisses, cuddles, gropes and compliments.....but....whenever another GAM would come into view, the first GAM would just run away.  It's as if they try really hard to keep up appearances that the place is or should be, GAM-centric.

It's not gonna work. 

Word is out that My Way attracts good looking guys and - if you're into them - there were some not-so-ugly 20-something white guys there that evening.  Put it this way, they'd gone to the gym and were not the bloated white specimens that show up in Central Escalator.

We've said this before.  My Way has a lot of potential.  Regardless of your age or race, make sure you have a decent bod before you show up.  Be prepared for attitude from the clients (none from the staff). It could take a while to get action.

FuelMix will go back. At this stage, he's pretty sure he'll get noticed, complimented and groped.  But, not being a chink, he's not sure whether he'll get full-on action.  We'll see and let our readers know.

• Readers may submit reviews of gay saunas in any Asian city;
• We reserve the right NOT to publish reviews we deem suspicious, inaccurate or self-serving;
• FuelMix no longer gives personalized sauna advice; 

 Copyright © 2006 – 2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 

Sorry No Asians 2

It appears that white boy's "preference" for excluding Asians comes with a not-so-subtle twist.

Spotted on Craigslist's Casual Encounters M2M, here in Very Rich Megacity - posted by some guy in Vancouver:

Boyish blonde waiting for you in Vancouver, Canada - m4m 33
Age: 33  Body: fit  Height: 5'11" (180cm)
Status: Single   Smokes: Never

I am 33, boyish, white skin, blonde hair, hairy chest, straight, fit, muscular, 5'11", 6" cut, huge loads of hot cum...

I'm $ingle and love to host $exy, powerful, rich Asian men or simply those just wanting to enjoy my mouth. I can cum to your hotel also.

I am clean and exceptionally discreet. I work in professional sales and cannot have my career jeopardized. Discretion is required and assured.

I am orally versatile and a top.

Get in touch for more info. 

Translation: 

1. Asian men are $exy if they have $$$$$$
2. We've all heard of Rice Queens.  In the light of what we are presently writing about the West's economic collapse (The Zombies 2015 - 2017) we now predict the rise of the White Asian Dollar Queen.

(In case fascinated readers are unaware of it, this blog has done an extensive analysis of Gay Vancouver as a textbook example of a dying social ecosystem).

Originally published 26 August 2014
Amended and Republished 5 February 2016

Gay Blackmail In Hong Kong 4

9.  When A Blackmail Threat Arrives
10. Epilogue By FuelMix 


9.   When A Blackmail Threat Arrives
Courtesy of the Reader who submitted this story (with extensive additions by FuelMix)

1.  Breathe.......Just Breathe........

2.  Think Calmly, Take Your Time:

• This is where you must weigh the pros and cons of the Blackmail threat;
• How true is the story on which the Blackmail threat is based..? 
• Replay all the events carefully in your mind (or better still, make notes of them) - from the time you first made contact with the guy online or via an app, to what happened sexually, to when he left.  What was actually said and done..? 
•  Look at the online/app correspondence hard.  Is there any ambiguity....? On whose part..?
• Just how strong is his case for blackmail..?
• Exactly where did you slip up to innocently provide him with information that he's now using against you..?
• At which points can you attack his story..?

3.  What Is/Are The Threatened Consequence(s) Of The Blackmail?

• Is it a threat to go to the Police if you don't pay..?
• Is it a threat to expose you online by name, pics, address, email and phone number..?
• Is it a threat to expose you to your employers..?
• Are your employers homophobic or gay or gay-friendly..?
• Is it a threat to expose to you to your wife, GF, BF or friends..?
• All of the above..?

4.  Can You Confidentially Talk To Someone About This And Get Feedback Before Responding To The Blackmail Threat..?  Or Do You Want To Deal With This Alone..?

• Is your employer gay or gay friendly to understand that Blackmail threats happen..?
• Would you be comfortable discussing what happened with a friend or employer..?
• What about a gay counseling hotline where you can talk anonymously and get their feedback..?

5.  Can You Extract Information From Or About The Blackmailer To Make Him Think Twice..? Can You Make Him Fear You..?

• Should you go ahead and release the information about him first..?
• That might buy you more time to develop your strategy

6.  Check Your Fear Level

• The higher the level of fear you display, the higher his price will go;
• If his story is better than yours on the facts, would it be better for you to pay up now and move on..?
• What might be the future consequences if you paid him..?  Would he come back for more..?
• If his story is better than yours on the facts, can you still negotiate the amount he's demanding..?
• If your story is better than his, can you stand by it and start wearing him down until he abandons his blackmail attempt..?  Chances are he's also scamming other people at the same time.  If he senses that you're not afraid and wasting his time by fighting back, he'll disappear.

7.  Do You Want To Go To The Police First..?

• Are you comfortable with that..?
• You would be able to discover whether this guy was a serial blackmailer against whom there were convictions and police reports;
• Will your story stand up..?
• Can you handle the Police questions without throwing a hissy fit or acting like a screaming fag..?
• Do you have the guts to press charges if your story is strong..?
• Can you spare the time..?
• Can you handle the publicity if it goes to Court..?
• Could you handle the professional or personal repercussions..?

8.  Do You Need A Lawyer - Whether Your Story is Good or Weak..?


10.  Epilogue By FuelMix

There Will Always Be Cheaters And Scammers On The Web


1.  There will always be cheaters and scammers on the Web.  That is the nature of the beast, even though every aspect of a person's web use is traceable.

2.  The majority of men using online sites or mobile hookup apps are idle browsers or chronic time wasters (their own time and the time of others they string along).

3.  Other than fake stats, no-shows, rudeness, lies, the inability to properly reply to an ad and the silent treatment, the majority of gay men using online sites or mobile hookup apps are not serial blackmailers.


Fuck The Online Hookup And The Mobile App

4.  We've never been thrilled with online hookup sites or mobile hookup apps. We refuse to use Grindr, Jack'd, Scruff whatever.  We freely admit to checking Craigslist everyday for the giggle value which sometimes gives us blog material.  Sometimes we upload an ad on Craigslist, but while the (usually inadequate) responses arrive, our own failure rate of an actual hookup is very high.


Why The Gay Saunas Win Most Of The Time

5.  That's why FuelMix prefers the gay saunas: 

• Comparatively less locational risk - you're not in a hotel, hourly guest house, your place, his place; 
• No back and forth endless emails to string you along;
• They are licensed establishments;
• No need to tidy your room or your apartment beforehand;
• Pay once usually on entry (except Galaxy where you pay on your way out);
• No chance of further payments unless you show up again; 

• Your stuff is safe in a locker; 
• Everybody knows why everybody else is there;
• Less chance of being blackmailed unless you're an obvious hyprocrite like a gin-swilling pillar of the Anglican church who claims to be str8 and happily married, but is cheating on his wife by sucking cock at the glory hole;
• See and feel the merchandise right there;
• Unless you specifically show up with a money boy via a deal done beforehand, hustling in the premises is not permitted;
• Less chance of spiked drinks;

• Minimum age to get in usually 18 (although in this town, it could be argued that it should be 16).  Staff will ask to see ID if they're not sure; 
• Can get group action in far less time than it would take to organize it via a mobile app;
• In a gay sauna, you accept or reject immediately. No time wasting;
• When the sauna staff know you, they'll look out for you;
• Can't find what you're looking for..?  Go to another one. Or come back another time;
• You might actually become casual buddies and have a social life outside the sauna; 

• **(You get to contribute your sauna reviews to this blog........)**

 © Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

Gay Blackmail In Hong Kong 3

8.   Dealing With A Blackmail Threat In Advance
(Combining the Reader's email and extensive additions by FuelMix)

1.  Before Meeting A Stranger For A Hookup

(a)  State Upfront Whether You Are Or Are Not Looking For A Moneyboy.  Do NOT be afraid to ask him whether he's a Moneyboy if you're not sure.

(b)  Demand to see ID at once if you have any doubts about legal age. Do NOT hesitate to drop him right there.


(c)  Do NOT reveal too much personal information - especially if you are bringing the stranger to your place or hotel room.  You should prepare and rehearse an honest script about yourself covering your your age, ethnicity and health status - but it should be left very general when it comes to your career, your family members, Significant Others you might be cheating on, whether you're living alone - preferably without lying. You should not hesitate to say that you don't talk about your job in detail with casual encounters.  If the stranger presses you to reveal more about your job, get suspicious.

(d)  If your building has a Building Concierge at the Ground Floor Lobby, whereby guests must sign in and produce ID, DO IT.  No exceptions.  It's your safety and security first at all times.

(e)  Do NOT tell the stranger beforehand that he will have to produce ID to enter your building, whether he is with you or whether he shows up alone.  Better to catch him off guard with that one.  If the stranger objects to producing ID - even if he is with you - simply inform him deal's off and show him the exit to the building immediately.  Do NOT be afraid to lose face in front of the Concierge.  Again, it's your safety and security first at all times. 

(f)  If the stranger has to show up at your building, make it clear that YOU will come downstairs and bring him to your apartment.

(g)  If the stranger is coming to your hotel room, ALWAYS arrange to meet them in the Hotel Lobby IN FULL VIEWING DISTANCE OF THE FRONT DESK STAFF (and the hotel security cameras).......Do NOT be like those idiots advertising on Craigslist saying that they will leave their hotel room door slightly open with the lights turned off. 

(h)  If the stranger is coming to your building or to your hotel, ask him beforehand what he will be wearing so that you can recognize him.  Get it in writing.  You will therefore have his pic, his profile and what he was wearing on that day and time.  It could be important later. 

(i)  If the stranger who shows up in the hotel lobby, or in the lobby of your building, is not as advertised on his profile, dump him immediately - politely and firmly.  If he gets nasty, point out there are security cameras and/or hotel staff, Building Concierge.

(j)  Save and archive your pre-hookup chats on email, Grindr, WhatsApp, WeChat etc.  2 weeks to a month should be fine.  In the event of a backlash, you have evidence of what was actually said.

2.  Get Your House Or Hotel Room In Order - Literally

(a)  Hide your valuables or remove them from the vicinity:

If you're in a hotel:

• lock the suitcases; 
• stash your laptop, tablet, USB drives, mobile hard drives, CDs in a lockable compartment. Put them in locked suitcases for extra security;
• be especially careful of your Filofax diary,  your business cards and those of your clients or associates that the stranger could easily pick up; 
• decide whether you're comfortable keeping your passport, cash, credit cards in your hotel room in the suitcases or in the In-Room hotel safe or the main hotel safe via the Front Desk;
• be wary of offering and pouring alcoholic drinks to a stranger in your hotel room who's only there for sex.  That's a great way of launching an accusation that the drink was spiked and it snowballs from there. You get the picture.....(if you really need a drink before sex, do it in the hotel bar)

• Always, always shower together and dry off together.  That will stop him getting any ideas. Watch him carefully as he gets dressed and how he deals with his backpack.
• When he's dressed, start moving yourself and him towards the door.  Keep him in front of you at all times.  Better still, walk him to the street;

In your apartment:

• be wary of offering and pouring alcoholic drinks to a stranger in your apartment who's only there for sex.  That's a great way of launching an accusation that the drink was spiked and it snowballs from there. You get the picture.....
• if your place looks like a frat pad, you're asking for trouble. It's easy enough to clear away and hide sensitive stuff like bank statements, bills, business cards.
• shut or lock the doors of certain rooms that are out of bounds. The stranger is not entitled to a grand tour or a walkabout;
• if you live in a 300 square foot shit hole err.... pardon, "studio apartment", just off the Central Escalator in SoHo or NoHo you have your work cut out for you.  Go over your apartment with a fine tooth comb;
• always shower together and dry off together (we're not sure how that would work if you live in a 300 square foot shit hole err.....pardon, "studio apartment" just off the Central Escalator in SoHo or NoHo).
• You are not obliged to entertain in your apartment afterwards.  Far better to walk him to the street; 

Coming Up In Part 4: When A Blackmail Threat Arrives

   

© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved