Steamer Quay is a gay sauna on Rock Road, a quiet side street a few minutes up from Torquay harbour. It calls itself the gay sauna of the south west. The building holds about 5,100 square feet: a reception and TV lounge, locker rooms, private cabins, large open relaxation areas and showers, plus a sixteen-person spa, a twelve-person sauna and a ten-person steam room. There is a cinema, a cafe serving hot food and coffee, and a balcony for smokers.
Only over-18s get in, and street clothes stop at the cafe. Beyond it people wear towels, underwear, T-shirts or lingerie. Phones stay in the cafe and the smoking area, and photography is not allowed anywhere in the building. Drinks are served in plastic past the cafe.
Most of the week is aimed at gay and bi men, with a naked day, a day when younger men get in free, and a monthly kink night for puppy, leather, latex, PVC and rope. Fridays rotate between an open night for all genders and orientations, a bears night, a locker-room dress night and the international CumUnion party. Other sessions widen the door further: a day for cross-dressers and their admirers, mixed male and female swingers events, and Sapphic Steam for women.
Three bedrooms sit above the spa with their own entrance, one en suite and two sharing a shower room. They are self-catering rather than serviced, and guests staying there pay a reduced entry to the sauna. The venue can also be booked for private use.
