1069 BF No. 20
Lane 353, Linsen North Road
Taipei
Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 2564 1069
Web: http://www.aniki.com.tw/eng/index.php
Here is a comprehensive report of Aniki Sauna in Taipei, recently sent in by a blog reader.
I did get a chance to visit Aniki Spa & Club in Taipei one time. I'd like to echo your previous reader by saying that this place is hands down the best sauna I've ever seen. Here's some details from my experience:
Getting There
First of all, a word of advice on how to get there. Unless you want to take a taxi, the easiest way is to take the subway to Shuanglian station (2 stops north of Taipei Main Station, on the Danshui line).
Get out at Exit 1, and you'll see MinSheng East Road, a very busy street, in front of you. Turn right and follow this street for 2 very long blocks (you'll pass dozens of restaurants) until you reach LinSen North Road. Cross this street (you'll see a hotel on the corner), then turn right and walk 2 short blocks to Lane 353.
Turn left and walk maybe halfway down that lane until you see the sign for Aniki on your right. You will walk down a kind of garden pathway, then come to a wooden door on your left. Here's the only tricky part: There's no doorbell or buzzer. What you need to do is stand DIRECTLY in front of that door until a sensor opens it! Then you go down a flight of steps beyond that hidden entryway, and you'll find yourself in the lobby.
Check In
I got there on a Wednesday night starting around 5:30pm. The theme that day was called "Surprise!" so most people walked around in underwear or speedos. The entry fee was NT$500. When you check in, the hot guy at the front desk (wearing very little) will give you a bag for your shoes. This is just the first of many signs that this place is serious about cleanliness. You go down a hallway to the locker room and stash your stuff away.
The Wet Area
The facilities at Aniki are really impressive. The first room you'll notice is just beyond the locker room and it's huge. It contains not one, not two, but three hot tubs, all at different temperatures. They're all lighted with different colors for cool effect. Also in this space are a line of showers, for the exhibitionists. There's also an area of more private showers around the corner toward the back. You'll also find the steamroom (ok size, with a more private area in the back) and dry sauna (quite nice, with nature music!) here as well. There's also a bathroom in this area, and baskets to temporarily store towels, undies, etc.
Maze & Private Room Area
Beyond this room is the maze and cabin area, and again it's just gargantuan. Some rooms just have mats on the floor, while others have raised beds. Each room has a lube dispenser, though not condoms. The rooms all have sliding doors that lock (or not, as you prefer). And this is a first for me: On a bench in the back of the maze, the club provides blankets for people to take into the rooms, if they want to sleep or just snuggle with somebody. A very cute idea! If I had to guess I'd say there are a total of about 40 cabins in this space. In the far back of the maze, there's a very large, dark orgy room. In one area, there's a round mattress that could fit maybe a dozen guys comfortably. In another, there's little cots. I couldn't see very well, but it also looked like there was a small area for glory holes.
Bathrooms & Vanity Area
A doorway off the maze (before you hit the hot tub room) leads to a large bathroom stocked with all the condoms, moisturizers, hair products, mouthwash, etc. you could want. Beyond this room, you reach a small Internet lounge with 2 computers, and a small separate reading room stocked with hundreds of magazines. The locker area is just beyond this point.
Cafe & Private Massage Rooms
Going back into the hot tub room, if you exit at the opposite far end you'll see a large cafe-lounge. When you enter there's 2 large iMacs for Internet surfing, then beyond that there's a lot of comfortable seating and tables. At the end there's a counter where, at certain hours, you can order cook-to-order meals from the staff! The menu runs about 6 pages! Quite unbelievable. To the right of the counter there's also a spa where you can pay for professional massages.
TV / Movie Room
Finally, leaving the cafe area, if you continue walking straight you'll see a curtain hiding yet another large room. This room has dozens of futon-style beds set up for guys to watch TV/movies on a gigantic screen (they were playing "Sex in the City" marathons while I was there), cuddle with other guys, or just sleep. Blankets are also provided. When it gets really late they stop playing movies and most guys in there are just sleeping.
Clientele
The crowd that night was almost entirely Asian (there was only one other white guy there), vast majority locals in their 20s and 30s with slim to swimmers build, and mostly very cute (if you appreciate Asian guys). I didn't detect any prejudice whatsoever; people were very friendly and eager to chat (and play). I had so much action I wound up staying until 6am! I should warn other foreigners, though, that my experience may be atypical. Although I'm white, I also have a body type similar to most Chinese guys and I'm in my 20s, so maybe I appeared more approachable? I dunno. In any event, if you treat people respectfully and don't come on too strong, you'll probably have a good time.
J.
FuelMix says:
Excellent quality review which will be massively helpful to the blog's global readership. Thank you for all the effort that you put in (from 5:30pm - 6am the next day???!!!..............) in compiling this report.
