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March 4, 2007
The new baths
The Sansom Street Gym, 2020 Sansom St., is exactly the kind of bathhouse that Philly needs. It’s clean, spacious, inexpensive and well-equipped and the staff is actually friendly and helpful! Of course they’ve only been open three days. Things could change but I’m optimistic.
I went last night, Saturday, around midnight. They haven’t advertised at all yet, other than the job application flyer at The Adonis, so the place was really empty. I’d say a dozen customers total in the seven hours I was there. I’ve had worse nights in more popular bathhouses, though not on a Saturday night, so it didn't bother me too much.
That’s the entrance in the picture, the right-hand door. It’s frosted glass so no one from outside can see you while you register. The front desk is a low counter on the left with the cash register in plain sight, on top. (This set-up seems really optimistic to me. I bet the staff will be behind Chinese take-out bullet-proof glass before long.) There’s a display case on the right with a good selection lube, a few brands of video-head cleaner, several different kinds of cockrings and some Damron guides. The usual laminated rules and regulations printout is on the wall. It’s the standard stuff, except instead of saying in which areas you must be clothed, it says “clothing is only allowed in the changing area.” That's a refreshing change. At Club Body Center there are men walking the halls fully-clothed all the time which is pretty annoying.
A three-month membership is $20, $9 for a day pass. I forget how much they charge for lockers and rooms are only $23 for twelve hours with in-and-out privileges! A real bargain. There is no Wi-Fi yet but it is on the to-do list which they actually showed me. They seem very proud of the place, as they should be!
The floor inside is a dirt-hiding speckled black linoleum tile. The walls are white, the woodwork and doors blue. The light fixtures are hideous gold Home Depot standard issue. I think some parts of the place are too bright. In fact the overall lighting level could come down a bit on the first floor.
My room was a great size. It could accomodate six guys without a problem. I saw a few rooms that were bigger, too. There was a towel and a condom on the cot but no pillow. By the way, the towel was a normal size, in other words, not so small that anyone with a waist over 29" needs to constantly be holding it up. Every room has a TV playing porn! The entire surface of one of the small walls and part of another was mirrored.
There is no bathroom or water fountain on the first floor, which is where all the rooms are! This is a shocking oversight as well as a pain in the ass. Bring an empty Gatorade bottle or something to piss into.
The halls are maze-like, which is fine, but I couldn’t figure out an efficient way to make a complete circuit. I’m sure that will come to me in time. (Maybe I can Google map it!) There are two large video/group areas adjacent to each other with carpeted platforms and bleachers. Nice. There is an area with tables and chairs, fresh coffee-service coffee, a sink and an empty vending machine which they apologized for several times. When it’s full, it will have snacks and beverages. (Coke ZERO, please!)
Throughout the building are about a dozen eight foot-tall brass palm trees with sharp edges. Weird.
Up some Wide and sturdy metal stairs, on the second floor, there are hundreds of lockers in several rooms; individual showers and two small saunas, wet and dry. One shower has a shower-shot hose attached but no door or shower curtain. (PLEASE, bring your own nozzle!) There are four toilets and one urinal. This is probably all unchanged from the building’s most recent incarnation as the World Gym. Lastly there is a room with some wing back chairs and a TV (which could be bigger) showing HBO.
There seems to be a mezzanine of some sort and at least one more floor but they are not open yet. They will be. The paperwork says "baths and gym," so who knows what will be up there? As far as I’m concerned they can put the gym equipment in eternal storage or sell it on eBay and buy nicer lighting but some guys like it.
Did I have sex? Yes, I did. There were only two guys I had any interest in. One of them obviously did not feel the same about me. I have played with the other guy before and liked him a lot. We hung out in my room, played some and whacked off to porn for a couple of hours. It was fun and more than I expected when I realized how empty the place was.
I left around 7:30 AM. Check-out is so easy it barely exists. I threw my sheet and towel into a basket, my key on the desk and went on my way. There is no tip jar! Yet. On the way out I was visually assaulted by a giant bust (above, left), in an alcove, looking oddly towards the front door.
Aside from the few complaints I’ve already mentioned, I love the place! The only other thing it needs is customers! It’s a really nice facility, so maybe some of the guys who complain about the sleaziness and filth of The Adonis and Club Body Center will come out. I sure hope so.
I’m listening to “The Robots (Die Roboter)” by Bacalao from 8-Bit Operators-Performed On Vintage 8-Bit Video Game Systems.
Technorati Tags: Bathhouse, cruising, gay, Gay Sex, Philadelphia, Sex Clubs
Posted by HighStrungLoner in Gay at 7:04 PM
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Comments
Sounds like a great place! I wonder who that bust is of...Emperior Hadrian? Adonis?
I hope they have college nights!! I'm 28, and I don't want to be around any older men (40+). Thanks.
Posted by: Dr on April 15, 2012 5:14 PM
Really?? What will happen to you if you are "around" older men? I'm 58, by the way. I see you don't mind being around college students who will probably think YOU'RE too old at 28.
Posted by: The High Strung Loner 
on April 15, 2012 8:02 PM
