Gay Sauna Write Off List 4 - June 2017

1.  As at June 2017, here is the list of gay saunas in Hong Kong that FuelMix in a subjective overall assessment pursuant to his published reviews (and input from GAM-Throats-On-The-Street) has written off as a waste of time and money:

• Alexander (closed 30 November 2016);
• Arena (opened 10 September 2016);
• Big Top;
• Birds (opened 27 February 2016);
• Central Escalator;
• Chaps;
• Colony;
• Galaxy;
• Gateway;
• QQ Fitness;

2.  Readers can show up at those venues, draw their own conclusions and submit a review.

3.  Readers are referred to the following for additional observations:
 Why Did We Write Off Some Saunas..?  
Gay Sauna Write Off List - January 2017
Gay Sauna Write Off List 2 - January 2017 
Gay Sauna Write Off List 3 - January 2017

4.  Readers are also referred to Talking To Adam 14 for an overall view of the saunas in Hong Kong. 

5.  "But..FuelMix..!!" the readers whine, "one by one you're writing off the saunas in Hong Kong..!!  WTF..??!!"  

6.  OK, we'll tell you:

• We've made it clear that our reviews are subjective;
• We think they are comprehensive and accurate.  Some readers agree with us;
• We suspect there has been false self-promotion of Hong Kong saunas online.  In our reviews, we call it like we see it;
• We think there is an unhealthy complacency in gay men when it comes to looking at gay businesses and asking, "Am I getting my money's worth..?" 
• If you're happy to get your information from Gayasia, Utopia and TravelGayAsia, stick with it.  That's your choice;
• Gay magazines in this town are dependent on gay advertising.  By definition, that breeds commercial censorship.  This blog is independent;
• Our reviews are dynamic.  They are updated by FuelMix and the readers.  But there comes a point where FuelMix has to look at a sauna and say, "Enough is enough.  This place is a waste of my time and money. I will write this place off".
• Gay customers are entitled to know what they might expect before they put their money down;
• We've made it clear that customers can visit the saunas we have personally written off (or any other sauna in this town) decide for themselves 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 – 2017 FuelMix All Rights Reserved
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Age Of Consent : Gay Sex HKG

From time to time, we get asked, "what is the age of consent for gay sex in Hong Kong?  Is it 21, 18 or 16..?  It's confusing"

Yeah we agree.

To get the answer, one has to look at the history.  Here are some relevant quotes.  Numbering, underlining and bold print by FuelMix:

(1)  It wasn't until 1991 that Hong Kong's Legislative Council (Legco), then under British rule, acted to decriminalize consensual sex between men, although the legislation set the age of consent at 21 (while it remained 16 for heterosexuals) and ignored lesbianism altogether.

(2) In 2005, Hong Kong's High Court ruled the higher age of consent for gay men unconstitutional, and a government appeal of that ruling - spearheaded by Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, a devout Catholic - failed in 2006. So the age for consensual sex for both heterosexuals and gay men in Hong Kong is now 16, but the legal invisibility of lesbianism continues

-----"In Hong Kong a quiet advance for gay rights", Kent Ewing, Asia Times Online, 15 July 2011

1.  Got it...?  It is 16 for homos and heteros by judicial ruling.  If we're wrong, please correct us immediately.

2.  However, there's a quirk.....while the Courts made it very clear they would not tolerate discrimination between homos and heteros and declared 16 to be the age of consent, the Government has not yet acted to change the law by legislation - so far as we are aware.  Again, if we're wrong and the law has now been changed, correct us immediately.

3.  So the position is:

• the Courts have said 16 for homos and heteros.  
• the current legislation still draws the distinction between homos (consent age 21) and heteros (consent age 16).

4.  And just who is stopping the amendment to the legislation to bring it into line with the Courts ruling.....?  Those nice people who crow about religion and "Family Values".

5.  We would love to bring some of those "Family Values" people to a gay sauna....we're sure they would recognize some of their (happily...?) married friends with children and have a lively discussion in the video porn lounge.

6.  And talking of gay saunas, whilst the age of consent is effectively 16, some saunas around town MAY (we're not entirely sure because we've heard conflicting stories) impose a minimum entry age of 18.  Call them up beforehand.  If anyone has information on this, let us know.

Originally published 12 November 2015
Republished 8 May 2017

Copyright © 2006 - 2017 FuelMix All Rights Reserved 
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Gay Sauna Write Off List 3

Received from a reader 2 days ago who also contributed to Part 2 of this series ( Minor editing, formatting and incidental comments in square brackets and blue italics by FuelMix): 

Hi FuelMix 

I'd like to create a list of gay saunas in HK that are successful and unsuccessful. This topic might interest you.

My personal opinion:   

1.  Hutong - although it's notorious for its alleged door policy, I have to say, unfortunately it's probably the most successful sauna at the moment in HK. That is  to say that the door policy and discrimination work on the people of HK. 

[reports circulating for some time from those who've been there over the past few months that door policy scrapped and hotness factor crashing. Fat Fugly Mainland Chinese invading from Alexander.  Customer Stand-And-Model attitude continues to be rancid. - FuelMix] 

2.  My Way - seems the HK Island counterpart of Hutong without door policy. [Just to be clear:  My Way in Wanchai and Jungle in Yau Ma Tei are under the same ownership and are both open 24 hours - FuelMix] It seems it's gaining increasing popularity on the locals especially those live in HK Island [and college boys from all over town - FuelMix] The reason might be they consider it a more 'pure' local sauna. There might be more office crowd as well [yeah and good looking ones - FuelMix]

[Good looking gym guys showing up from twink, college student to mature.  No problem getting customers in the door.  Lots of customer attitude, can take a while to get action, lots of space to play, near total absence of whites who prefer to stick to Central Escalator.  Local foreigners and Asian tourists regularly show up.  We are told that  word about My Way getting around Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines.  Can get very crowded on Fridays and Saturdays -FuelMix].

3.  Galaxy - according to your reviews, it seems quite successful albeit your writing-off this sauna. I suppose, the lowest admission and non-discriminatory environment are their biggest winning points.

[+ the crappy state of their premises.  Latest feedback is that Galaxy staff openly admit that customer numbers have fallen.  Also people are leaving earlier on weekdays, sometimes by 7:30pm - FuelMix]

4. Central Escalator - one of the most miserable phenomenon. Although it's small, basic and expensive, it's one of the oldest still operating saunas in town [since 1991 - FuelMix] The secret might be its niche market targeting [or that which it attracts by default namely, fat whites, tattoo covered whites, some really queeny whites, professional whites fleeing the office for a couple of hours, dazed and disappointed white tourists, Bananas from the West Coast regretting they weren't born white, skinny attitudinal GAMs looking for "White Daddy" or  "White Boyfriend Daddy", British-born Indians pretending to be str8 most of the week, ugly Indonesians in groups, grinning Filipinos looking to suck cock and...Mainland Chinese.  We will agree that it attracts an international crowd, which is actually CE's marketing point - FuelMix]    right location and, maybe mostly importantly that the property is owned..? [No idea about that last point - FuelMix] 


The most unsuccessful ones: 

1.  Arena -   totally wrong deco and over-priced admission. It's a big disappointment from the legendary ABC-Gateway group.

[Not sure why ABC-Gateway group should be described as "legendary".  Agree that Arena is jaw-droppingly disappointing and over-priced, even though it is open 24 hours and located in Tsim Sha Tsui.  Really not sure what the future holds for this one.  We think that the closure of ABC, also in Tsim Sha Tsui, was a strategic mistake.  If they needed to move, they should have replicated it in new premises in Tsim Sha Tsui and kept that open 24 hours -  rather than creating the highly claustrophobic Arena - FuelMix] 

2.  Alexander - I am sure many must be surprised when this flagship of ABC-Gateway group announced its closure. And yet it's not so surprising given the sauna performance of its last year. It used to be one of the best saunas in town and could've well secured this honour for a longer time. It might be bad management that led to its eventual failure.

[The decline and crash of Alexander was annoying to watch.  Something had gone very wrong for a sauna that opened with so much potential - FuelMix] 

Thanks for writing in. 

• 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 – 2017 FuelMix All Rights Reserved      

Gay Sauna Write Off List 2

Sent in by a reader yesterday.  Minor editing by FuelMix:

Hi FuelMix

How are you ? I have been following your blog for a long time now and some of your recent articles raised my interest, for examples: Why Did We Write Off Some Saunas ? & Talking To Adam 14 .

I would like to share some of my opinions with you.

First Why Did We Write Off Some Saunas ?

It was directed from your other comments of Gay Sauna Write Off List. I have to agree with you.  HK gay saunas used to be better value for money and more fun than they are now. The quality of the clientele also seemed to be better.  There are a few reasons from my point of view that caused the deterioration of the saunas:

1. Mostly importantly, the invention of the gay dating and mating apps. In the past, gay sauna was the most straightforward way of meeting other gay guys and it had significant advantages : it's safer than to meet someone at home or a hostel; it's much more time saving than internet dating sites; it gave the opportunity to meet more than one guy at a time; it provides health and relaxation benefits; price was more affordable....  Now the gay app is the most direct and economical way to know other gay guys, especially for the hot stand-and- models, there's no need for them to be "taken advantage' and 'wasted money' in the gay saunas. Their attitude probably suits the gay apps better anyway.   

2. The cost of running a sauna increased dramatically, therefore they can't but charge a higher admission in order to balance the profit. As you know, HK is one of the most expensive cities in the world and this is particular true for the rental. The competition among saunas is fierce as there were once 18 gay saunas in Hong Kong. In order to attract more desirable or regular customers, most saunas have to 'subsidize' these customers and charge higher fees for the less preferable ones or visitors. 

3. Tastes. Hong Kong has a very short span when it comes to taste. That's why gay saunas seem not to invest too much in maintaining the facilities. When their rent lease expires they would rather just find another location and start again with another name.  Examples such as: Double to Hutong and the more recent ABC to Arena.  However, the number of gay saunas is still balanced at around 15. 

4.  In terms of the points which Adam14 makes about the saunas, I don't think some of his suggestions would work. Most  saunas in Hong Kong are there the locals and  their interests. Unfortunately, those kinky European style facilities wont work in HK.  Apparently Arena seems an example of such failure.

5.  At the end, my verdict is that gay saunas in HK in the future will be further polarized. There will be more smaller ones and those with the wrong marketing strategies will shut down and the flow of customers will conjunct into the surviving saunas. Such as what is probably happening now Alexander to Hutong, ABC to Galaxy. 

I hope you like my comments.
Regards
Your Loyal Reader 

FuelMix says:

1.   Your comments are generally correct. We like them.  We would not be surprised if more shut down.

2.   We have been hearing that since the closure of Alexander at the end of November 2016, its clientele of fat, Fugly Mainland Chinese have been showing up at Hutong.

3.  Disagree that customers of ABC are going to Galaxy.  We initially saw them in Arena, very pissed off with the place.  Not sure where they've gone now but not getting reports they are in Galaxy.

4.  Gay apps also have a high failure rate for hookups.  The "Silent Treatment" and ignoring people who make contact is very widespread.  From what we hear, the frustration rate is as high as online ads and higher than cruising around in the sauna.

5.  While the gay apps may be free, we don't use them for security reasons. A customer has much more personal control when they are in a safe space like a sauna.  Our friendly GAM-Throats-On-The-Street let us watch them while they scroll through Grindr, Jack'd, Scruff etc looking for hookups.

6.  We have seen no evidence that the local guys in the gay apps are hotter than the guys in the saunas.  If anything, we've repeatedly spotted the same people on the apps and in the saunas.

Thanks for writing in.

• 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 – 2017 FuelMix All Rights Reserved  

Gay Sauna Write Off List

1.   As at January 2017, here is the list of gay saunas in Hong Kong that FuelMix, in a subjective overall assessment pursuant to his published reviews (and input from GAM-Throats-On-The-Street), has written off as a waste of time and money.

• Alexander (closed 30 November 2016);
• Arena (opened 10 September 2016);
• Birds (opened 27 February 2016);
• Galaxy;
• Central Escalator;
• Chaps;
• Colony;
• QQ Fitness; 

2.   Readers can show up at those venues, draw their own conclusions and submit a review.

3.  Readers should see Why Did We Write Off Some Saunas?  for additional observations.

4.  Readers are also referred to  Talking To Adam 14 for an overall view of the saunas in Hong Kong.

5.  The surprising conclusion from our assessments is that all 3 saunas located in the prime downtown tourist and shopping area of Tsim Sha Tsui - Arena, Birds and Galaxy - are write offs.  

• 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 2006-2017 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

Alexander Sauna 40

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English
Price:  Officially HK$150.00. Those with a stamp card, pay less.

FuelMix wrote this place off as a waste of time and money. 
See Alexander Sauna 37.  Also Alexander Sauna 39.

Alexander Sauna will close down on 30 November 2016.    

They are advertising a farewell party on their website, but that is a crock.  There will be no party.  It's just an advertising gimmick to bring people in the door as a last ditch attempt to get some money before they shut down.

(So that explains the filth, the lack of repair, the out-of-control-searingly-hot-steamroom and the wet towels lying all over the floor which had been a feature for months.....) 

The staff said on the phone that they don't know if they will open in a new location in Mong Kok.  They are however, actively directing people to Arena Sauna in Tsim Sha Tsui which is part of the same group (Alexander, Action, Arena and Gateway) and which is also open 24 hours.

• 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
 

Warning 2 (What The Sauna Manager Said)

PART 1

"You live in Hong Kong?" grinned the mature Chinese Manager who spoke very good English.  FuelMix was chilling near the lockers in the virtually deserted sauna, after dinner downtown.  The Manager's colleague was on a cigarette break in the toilet - where he was actually in the stall fucking the only other customer in the premises.

"Yeah" said FuelMix.

Manager:  [handing FM yet another discount card to add to his varied collection]  So...what do you think about Hong Kong boys?

FM:  Stupid, strange - and generally ugly compared to other Asians

Manager:  [laughing]  Why do you say that..?

FM:   Too much attitude, very racist, heavy smokers and drug use - even the gym guys.   They can be a complete waste of time.

Manager:  Yeah, I watch them too.  Hong Kong boys are not friendly at all. And not that healthy.  It takes them ages to get any action and they are such peeping toms and voyeurs.  They'll keep ignoring you and turning their heads, but if you're having action with someone, they just won't give up peeping and staring.  It makes me laugh.  As the Manager, I see everything.  Compared to boys in other countries, Hong Kong boys are far behind in their looks, their manners - and sexually, they really don't have a clue.  They are so shy and useless.  I agree, they can be very racist.

FM:   Yeah...

Manager:   What do you think about other Asian guys?

FM:   I think Singaporean and Taiwanese guys are better looking than Hong Kong guys.  They also have better manners and are much more friendly.  Sexually, they are are lot more fun.

Manager:   Yes..!!  You are right.  Singapore guys also speak much better English.  Hong Kong boys' English is just terrible...

PART 2

Manager:   Have you been to the saunas in Shenzhen..?

FM:  No, never and I don't wish to.  I can't trust Mainland Chinese

Manager:   Good decision.  I live in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.  I went a few times to the gay saunas in Shenzhen.  Then I stopped.  I was too scared. 

FM:   Why..?

Manager:   Some of the saunas are open overnight.  But the customers there are basically criminals...Moneyboys working in a gang with their pimp to force money out of you, sometimes violently...thieves, drug dealers, undercover Police extorting money and sometimes beating up customers.  It is completely different to the saunas in Hong Kong.  At least over here, you're safe in the saunas.  But in Shenzhen the gay saunas can be very frightening.

FM:  Wow..!

Manager:   I will now tell you honestly why you should not play with Mainland Chinese guys - particularly the ones from Shenzhen.....many of them are HIV Positive from bareback sex and drug use.

FM:   Really..?

Manager:  Yes.  It is a dirty yet well known secret in Shenzhen.  As I told you before, I also live there.  But no one will talk about it there officially.  And they will certainly not talk about it in Hong Kong because in Chinese custom, you have to give "face". And they are Chinese too.  It is very serious.

FM:   But they can come freely into Hong Kong

Manager:   Yes...and that hurts me...As a sauna Manager, I cannot refuse entry.  More and more of these Shenzhen guys are showing up at the saunas in Hong Kong.  I have no way of knowing if they're HIV Positive - or if they will try their criminal behaviour here.  I get very nervous when they show up in groups of 3 or 4.  I don't know whether they will try and sell drugs or what.  I just hope that the Hong Kong boys - you know the "Sticky Rice" types who only play with Chinese - are not doing bareback.

FM:   I can understand your position.

Manager:   I am not happy about this at all.  I've run a clean business with a good reputation for several years.  But these Mainland Chinese guys from Shenzhen are dangerous in so many ways. I cannot openly say it because I am Chinese.  I can only say it to Hong Kong Chinese guys indirectly - many of these Shenzhen guys speak Cantonese, so I have to be careful.....I don't want to be threatened.....but you.....you are a foreigner.....I can tell you directly.....you have a very good gym body,  you look after yourself.....you live here.....maybe you can help me and tell the Hong Kong boys to be very careful  of these Shenzhen guys.  So many of them are HIV and they are deliberately hiding it....they have no ethics, no morals.....and yet they say they are Chinese.....it makes me very angry. We Hong Kong people are not like them.  We are different.........maybe you can understand my message...?

FM:   Loud and clear

Manager:   [grinning]  Thank you.  I am sorry you did not get any action this evening [hands FM yet another discount card]

Alexander Sauna 39

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English
Price:  Officially HK$150.00. Those with a stamp card, pay less.

Readers will know that FuelMix has written this place off as a waste of time and money. See Alexander Sauna 37.

"Been to Alexander lately, darlin'..?" chirped a nasal twang.  FuelMix put down his coffee, swivelled his head and was greeted by a cheesy grin belonging to a very, very, very, very casual GWM acquaintance with whom he had the occasional conversation in the saunas.

FM:  I've written the place off. Not going back.

GWM:   The place is totally fucked....I went in on a weekday evening after 10pm.  As soon as I walked in, there was a really strong stink in the Locker Room.  Apparently the sink in the vanity counter had backed up or the tap was leaking or something.  They had put several bath towels around the tap.  They were soaking wet, the counter was waterlogged and the sink was smelling like you wouldn't believe.

FM:  Ooops...

GWM:   Yeah...there's more...the towel they gave me in my locker.....it was dirty, torn AND SHIT STAINED..!!!  EEEEEeewww..!!!

FM:  AAAaaackk...

GWM:  I mean seriously torn and seriously shit stained.  I was grossed out.  Took it to Reception.  They muttered something in Canto and literally just threw another towel at me.  I got pretty angry. I'd just paid HK$130 bucks less than a minute ago to enter a stinking Locker Room and was expected to wear a dirty, torn and shit stained towel.

FM:  Did the Steam Room burn the skin off you..?

GWM:  I didn't go in.  There was a plastic bucket near the door of the Steam Room that was overflowing with towels.  The towels were all over the floor, completely soaked and people were just stepping on them.  I was so shocked.  I was barefoot and just didn't wanna step on those towels to get into the Steam Room.  What made it so peculiar is that there weren't that many people there that evening.  The whole shower area just had a look of filth about it.  I guess that's why it was so dark there.  It was impossible to tell which one was shower gel and which one was shampoo......oh and one more thing.....what's going on with the hot water in the shower...?  Some shower heads weren't getting any.

FM:  What about the water cooler outside the Steam Room?  That hasn't been fixed in months apparently.

GWM:  Still the same.  Hasn't been cleaned or anything. But that didn't stop the yellow customers from spitting in it anyway

FM:  Oh God...

GWM:  *sigh*  It's absolutely shocking what's happened to this place.  It's gone downhill soooo quickly.  There's no way in hell they can call it a flagship sauna.  It's just not worth the money. There's a real sense of they don't fuckin' care.  I'd got pissed off in Alexander on several occasions and wondered about the management....but this was it. I'm not going back.  I left that place in less than an hour.  I was so fuckin' angry.

FM:  Something's going on in this city.  Can't put my finger on it.  But it has something to do with a loss of identity, a huge drop in standards, a paralyzed, polarized political process and Mainland Chinese infiltration on so many fronts. - PLUS the usual gay business assumption that they can simply gouge their customers and get away with it.  It's a very unhealthy combination.

GWM:  I agree.  I don't get a good feeling either.  Hey...you wanna know about the people who were there that evening?

FM:  Fat, Fugly, Slant Eyed Shit..?

GWM:  Bingo

FM:  hehehehehe.....and YOU had the towel to prove it

GWM:  Stop it.....!! Stop it..!!  You dunno how grossed out I was..!! I'm NOT going back!!

• 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

Alexander Sauna 38

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English
Price:  Officially HK$150.00. Those with a stamp card, pay less.

Readers will know that FuelMix has written this place off as a waste of time and money. See Alexander Sauna 37.

A reader submitted this report 2 days ago (minor editing, formatting for clarity, underlining and bold print by FuelMix):

Hi FuelMix

Long time no see. I am sure much has happened after my last email to you. However, I still frequently visit your blog as usual and I notice that the update of your sauna reviews has fallen behind your other articles. I would like to include an update of Alexander sauna.

It was a Sunday afternoon I went there again after an absence of six months. Arrived at 1pm and on checking in I was told that there were only three towels allowed per customer because the washing machine was not working. Of course it's just an excuse as it seems to happen every weekend. [FuelMix says this is also what he's hearing from his GAM Throats-On-The-Street]


Admission remained $130 with the member card but without any stamps on weekends. I was also introduced to a new venue that the ABC-Gateway group owned, called Arena. The group declares on its official website that Arena is the first fetish and fist club in Hong Kong [see what FuelMix has written on Arena]


In a number of reviews, FuelMix rated down Alexander and I would agree in terms of the facilities and the quality of the clientele of this place. There has been serious wear and tear on the facilities and the steam room needs renovation.  It smelled of urine inside and the floor was slimy and thus very slippery. After a few hours intensive usage, the steam room seemed to be slightly flooded, maybe because of the poor drainage (you can use your imagination of what blocked the drainage.)  

The sauna was as FIM described , so hot that one can only stay for up to 3 minutes (to stop people from hogging  it...?)  

Further, this place:

• was  infested with fugly people with poor manners who wouldn't close the door going in or out of the steam room; 
• who would smoke right next to you without consideration; 
• who spat in the steam room or shower areas; 
• who used the showers and sprayed water everywhere and dropped it on the floor after using;

This behaviour is more disgusting than their fugly faces and it's like a curse that is haunting Alexander.

Anyway, consistent with FuelMix's verdict, I would rate this place down too unless serious action is taken.

Your loyal reader 


FuelMix says:

1.  Yeah.....that pretty much sums it up accurately.  That's why we wrote it off as a waste of time and money.

2.   You forgot to mention:

• the metal water drinking fountain just outside the steam room, which apparently has not been fixed for over 6 months...
• the disgusting behaviour is coming from the Mainland Chinese who apparently love this place;
• the unbearably loud music in the Dark Area, and the staff don't give a damn even when repeatedly told;

3.   Thanks for the update.

Why Did We Write Off Some Saunas ?

Received from a reader today.  We've reproduced our response to him since it appears to be relevant to other readers:


Dear FM

Thanks so much for your enlightened, enlightening and entertaining blog. 

You write a lot these days about saunas you consider "off-limits." Are there any left to recommend? I used to go to Towel Club while in HK and then afterwards to Action but finally settled on Galaxy -- and that for three reasons. (1) As a GWM I always felt welcome there. (2) There were always some really hot guys to be found among the plain and geriatric crowd. And (3) Those guys were always ready to go; they were not there to posture for hours.  So, what do you say?

Best
H


FuelMix's Response (underlining and bold print in the blog only):

Hello

I stopped giving personal sauna recommendations several years ago (as I pointed out in red at the bottom of each sauna review).  I was getting emails from readers saying they were too busy to read the reviews and wanted to save time by asking me directly.  Some sent their stats and naked pics and specifically requested a sauna to fit their body type and the guys they were looking for. 

To be frank, it pissed me off.  I wrote back and told them to read the reviews.   It wasn't my job to arrange a hookup.

The reason I wrote off certain saunas was because I call it like I see it.  I don't claim to have the definitive answer to anything and made it clear that writing off a sauna was entirely subjective. Having given a number of reviews, I felt it was necessary to draw the line and say which ones had become a waste of time and money.  I fully expect people will disagree with me and that's fine.

I agree that Towel Club was the best and have said as much in the blog.

I wrote off several saunas because the HK sauna scene is in a state of flux.  There are 3 reasons for this: 

1. The sad reality is that the city is being infested with Mainland Chinese and the Ugliness Meter reading is off the charts;
2. A lot of local and white guys in town are using mobile apps like Grindr, Scruff and Jackd to find guys.  They are also using Grindr in the bars as virtual cruising. They may be hooking up in their apartments or heading to an hourly hotel.
3. I hear that gay guys in town are forming social and sports groups on Meetup.com.  That's another way of hooking up with guys.
   

I am surprised how bad the local sauna scene has become over the last year.  It has gone downhill very quickly.  In order to balance out my reviews, you will note that I upload conversations about saunas from people I run into on the street.  As it turns out, their observations are similar to mine.

Regards
FM

Alexander Sauna 37

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English
Price:  Officially HK$150.00. Those with a stamp card, pay less.

FuelMix Writes Off Alexander.  Will Not Show Up.  
No More Reviews.

1.   In our previous post,  Alexander Sauna 36, FuelMix warned he had placed this sauna on a downgrade watchlist.  He thought long and hard about the correct conclusion, bearing in mind what he'd seen and reported over the years; plus what the friendly GAMs-Throats-On-The-Street were telling him, which he had also reported.

2.   For a sauna that opened a few years ago with potential based on location, size, 24 hour opening and a somewhat mixed clientele of locals and tourists with attractive bodies, something had gone very wrong for a while.

3.   On his latest visit, in the late evening on the start of a long weekend with a packed crowd, it was all too clear:

• Yet again, a searing Steam Room that made it impossible to lean against the walls, sit on the benches, or touch the door handle;
• A scorching Dry Sauna where several seconds was all one could take;
• A dirty water fountain outside the Steam Room that had not been working for over a month;
• Intense cigarette smoke in the Wet Area, hazardous to breathing;
• Music in the Dark Area cranked at decibel-shattering levels of Jap Pop and Gaga;
• A chronic infestation of ugly Mainland Chinese;
• An unending combination of Fat and/or Fugly Asian clientele;
• The occasional bewildered white foreign tourist;
• A handful of excited Filipinos who'd never seen anything better;
• A complete lack of "vibe";
• An overwhelming feeling that Alexander had become a waste of time and money; 

4.  FuelMix has written off Alexander.  He will neither be going there nor uploading his reviews. Readers may submit theirs if they wish.

5.   Here is the updated list of saunas that FuelMix has written off.  It's a subjective assessment, but we think there is a degree of accuracy.

• Alexander
• Birds
• Central Escalator
• Chaps
• Colony
• QQ Fitness

• 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

Alexander Sauna 36

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English




FuelMix May Write Off Alexander

1.   The quality of the clientele in Alexander has been going downhill for a long time.  This is based on our direct observations and feedback from friendly GAM-Throats-On-The-Street.

2.  On our most recent visit this week, we were utterly pissed off to discover that the heat in the Steam Room and the Dry Sauna was so intense, one could only be in there for a few seconds.  Both rooms were searingly hot. The staff didn't give a fuck that nobody could lean against the walls, sit on the benches or  touch the door handles. 

3.  The Fugly nature of the clientele - Fugly Chinese, Fugly Filipinos and Fugly elderly whites - meant they couldn't be touched either.

4.   FuelMix has placed Alexander on a Watch List for a potential downgrade, whereby he may write it off as a waste of time and money, cease to show up and cease to upload his reviews.(Readers may continue to submit theirs).

• 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

Alexander Sauna 35

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English


1.  For those who have the stamp card (get 6 stamps and get free entry on the 7th visit), be aware that they do not stamp the card on Sundays or public holidays.  Don't expect the staff to tell you that when you hand in the card on entry or when they give it back when you leave. It took an arrogant pig like FuelMix to pierce the Oriental veil of inscrutability before any explanation was forthcoming.

2.  And speaking of pigs, we are delighted to declare that Singaporean guys are by far the best ass lickers and rimmers.  They can go for hours in all sorts of positions.  FuelMix has always been thrilled to sit on a Singaporean face.  Never been disappointed by these nice people.

3.  Lucky for him, on a Sunday evening in Alexander amongst the predominantly average looking GAM clientele (there were also 2 GWMs), was a cute Singaporean tourist. He cruised FuelMix in the shower, whispered that he wanted his tongue in FuelMix's muscled ass, offered to lick him from head to toe - and then gave a teaser demonstration of just what he'd be doing. Instantly, FuelMix knew this was a Sunday for the record books.

4.  95 minutes later, FuelMix emerged from the private room. His ass dripping from being eaten in positions he hadn't considered, his body lathered in a film of saliva and kisses - minus 3 loads of cum - and a cute Singaporean grinning from ear to ear.  Seriously, we would have paid the guy.  He was that good.

• 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

Alexander Sauna 34

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English



Sunday afternoon around 5pm, FuelMix was shopping and scoping deep within the packed streets and alleys of Mong Kok. Idly slurping a glass of fresh sugar cane juice and surveying the surging throng, he felt a tap on his shoulder and wheeled around.  One of his friendly GAM Throats-On-The-Street was grinning at him......

GAMTOTS:  Waaah..!!  FuelMix aaahh..!!  Wha' you thooin heaaa...??  Why you come to Mong Kok..??

FM:  Shopping....Look around....I like Mong Kok, it is real Hong Kong.

GAMTOTS:  Aaiiiyah... so kwowded toooday...so hot too...you go saunah..?

FM:  No not today, just shopping, looking around

GAMTOTS:  Aahh.... come on...!! Handsome boy..!!  When you go saunah, evewwy boy chase you....I know....I see you lah..!!  Toooday day off.....have fun lah...!

FM:  Why don't you have fun today...?

GAMTOTS:  I just finish Alexandah....wah..!!  so bad toooday...

FM:  What happened..?

GAMTOTS:  Many, many fat peeeple..!! sohh fat ah....and soh ugree..!!  I don' low why so many fat ugree peeeple come today....Aaiiiyah.....evewwy ware in Alexandah...all fat, fat peeeple....soh ugree too.  I feel soh sad.  No action, no fun for me.  I go.

FM:  That's too bad. Maybe you went too early.  I haven't been to Alexander for a long time.  Not very sexy place now.  Too many Mainland Chinese for me.

GAMTOTS:  Yyeeesss...not vewwy sexy prace now....becoz evewwy one soh fat and soh ugree..!!

FM:   Maybe change your times, see what happens.

GAMTOTS: But I don' like Mainland Chinese also....always so rude and not clean.

FM:  Yeah, they're everywhere now

GAMTOTS:  OK....I go Langham Place Sopping Mall....Level 5 and Level 6 maybe more fun.

FM:  Shopping..??

GAMTOTS:  No lah..!!  Toilet.  Level 5 and Level 6.  Vewwy kwoozy ah....you don' low..??**

• 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; 

**  We are simply reporting the conversation.  We do not encourage any form of public illegal behaviour.

© Copyright 2006-2016 FuelMix All Rights Reserved

HKG Gay Saunas: The Hidden Costs 2

In Part 1, we set out the hidden health risks - some hiding in plain sight - to be found in the gay saunas here in Hong Kong.

A reader submitted his experiences in the gay saunas of Bangkok, Cambodia and Vietnam:

Good points, apply to Bangkok saunas as well. Smoking here largely restricted to smoking rooms. There is a reason why most saunas are dimly lit: they could do with a good clean! On the rare occasion I go on an afternoon when there is daylight, I am surprised how much dust, dirt and other stuff (e.g. used condoms) is there.

Walking in flip-flops in Bangkok prevents me from getting athlete's foot (but I have it when in Europe). Gay saunas in Cambodia and Vietnam provide flip-flops, saunas in Thailand don't. I don't know what's worse: sharing flip-flops or walking bare feet.

Now that you mention the couches, I got pimples like mosquito bites on my upper thigh and butt after sauna visit; while there were mosquitoes in the outdoor area, it's very unlikely they bit me in those areas. I had this before but didn't see the connection to sauna visit. Will pay attention next time! 

© 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]  
 

Bathouse Larkin' (A Reader's Poem)

Submitted today by a GWM reader here in Very Rich Megacity, pursuant to a particularly soulless series of encounters at Hutong Sauna:

Bathouse Larkin'

Stumbling, heaving, rhythmic throng

where seas of injured souls belong

addled wits and empty eyes 

long-dead hopes there's no disguise.

 

Peacocks up and down they strut

With hungry eyes and hearts all shut

Liberation, oh who knew

Would be so soul-destroying too. 

 

Music, organs loins all throbbing

On the prowl. No time for sobbing

For what’s been robbed from our soul.

'The lifestyle' has consumed it all.

 

Men hand mis’ry onto men

It happens time and time again.

Run my friend with half a chance

Escape this self-destructive dance.

FuelMix says: 

 

Perfect.  Catches the attitude, frustration, erotic charge and emptiness so prevalent in a gay sauna. Thanks for submitting it.

Central Escalator vs Alexander

Spotted by FuelMix 20 January 2016 on Craigslist Casual Encounters here in Very Rich Megacity.  Allegedly written by a 45 year old white (?) guy:

Visitors to HK may find that visiting alexander is a waste of money and time. the staff are rude, the patrons uninterested in anyone who isn't asian, and the back rooms are so dark you can't even see who is there and who isn't.

central escalator, on the other hand, is super. nice staff, and friendly guys.
and no, i don't work for CE. i just happen to have found it better by far than the snotty snobby unwelcoming alexander

if you want to know more, mail me.

FuelMix says:

• Our reviews of Alexander and Central Escalator speak for themselves. Readers can make reach their own conclusions;
• We have not found staff at Alexander to be rude;
• We have not found the staff to be uninterested in anyone who isn't Asian. We've seen them assist whites and tourists in the sauna premises, not just from the Front Desk;
• Back Rooms are supposed to be dark....... that's why it's called the Dark Area.  We suggest eating more carrots to improve night vision......
• We have written that Alexander's reputation is taking a hit from being saturated with Mainland Chinese;
• We have been informed by our GAM throats-on-the street, and we have observed, that whites who patronize Central Escalator regularly show up in ABC in Tsim Sha Tsui (where the Dark Area is not that dark by the way.....

Alexander Sauna 33

1st Floor, Wing Cheong Building
404 Reclamation Street
Mong Kok
Kowloon
Hong Kong  
MTR: Mong Kok Station, Exit E 1  
Tel: 2148 0400

Open 24 hours
Staff speak good English



We love the way Mainland Chinese think they have the right to do anything they please, wherever they please (and No......we're not talking about the public display of their bodily functions on our streets).

It had been several months since we last hit Alexander.  There we were at the end of the week around 10pm and what did we see..?   Mainland Chinese smuggling bringing cans of beer into Alexander, stashing them in their lockers and swigging them in the Locker Area or in the seating/smoking area near the jacuzzi, or bringing them into the steam room and dry sauna - and then leaving the empty cans there.

The locals just rolled their eyes. We don't know what the management's position is on this.

What do we think..?  For starters, empty beer cans in a dark steam room is a hazard.

• 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

HKG Gay Saunas: The Hidden Costs

What The Local Fag Rags Will Never Have The Guts To Say:

And we're not talking about the entry fee.......


1.   Half the saunas have dimly lit locker areas;

2.   Customers drink directly from the Listerine bottle;

3.   Listerine heavily diluted by management;

4.   High risk of Passive Smoking even though by law, smoking in bath houses and saunas is banned;

5.   Some complimentary confectionery manufactured in China.....unknown or dubious quality;

6.   Sweets, biscuits, pastries and ice cream - all high calorie, refined sugar snacks;

7.   High sodium content in bowl of noodles;

8.   Vanity counter has hair gel and lotion containing petroleum by-products and methylparaben - known carcinogenics;

9.   Shampoo and shower gel contains petroleum by-products and methylparaben - known cacinogenics;

10.  Using complimentary combs and brush increases risk of scalp infection and head lice;

11.  Ultra-close viewing range of complimentary computer keyboards and screens;

12.  Massive contrast between dimly lit corridors, brightness of computer screens and ultra-close viewing range, cause acute eyestrain after only a couple of minutes of use;

13.  Complimentary computers unlikely to contain updated anti-virus software. Logging into personal accounts requiring username and password, very dangerous;

14.  Glare from porn screens in Dark Area plus ultra-close viewing range, cause acute eyestrain after only a couple of minutes of watching;

15.  Customers sitting naked on couches or falling asleep on them.  Couches may be of vinyl or fabric.  No indication of how or how often vinyl and fabric is cleaned and disinfected;

15.   No notices requiring customers to bring slippers to prevent Athlete's Foot;

16.  Smoking, Passive Smoking, ingestion of refined sugar, cosmetic use of petroleum by-products PLUS tanning on the sunbed, increases cancer risk.

NOTE:  All of the above are independent of a fag who shows up at the sauna with a compromised immune system, unhealthy or bleeding gums and skin infections like eczema or jock itch.

© Copyright 2006-2015 FuelMix All Rights Reserved