We Rank The World’s 10 Biggest Gay Saunas | By Paul Gallant | Publisher Pinktickettravel

Size isn’t everything—but it’s something.

The more men that can fit into a gay sauna, the more choice, and therefore the better chances a guest has at finding a great match…or matches.

Though the number of gay saunas (or bathhouses—you say “tamayto,” I say “tomahto”) has declined since the late 20th century, they are still important for gay and bi men who want casual sexual encounters in a space that’s officially sanctioned, safe, discreet and clean. Some of the decline in the number of bathhouses is due to industry consolidation.

Many of the bathhouses that have closed were tiny places, often catering to a specific demographic. The remaining crop of pleasure palaces tend to be bigger, fancier, cleaner and attract a larger swath of the gay and bi male community.

Looking at our list, it’s notable that it’s not always the major cities that have the biggest saunas. Leipzig, Lausanne and Cleveland beat out London, Rome and New York. 

Some caveats and notes on our methods: Estimates of the square footage of the venues are drawn from what the businesses say about themselves, city records, reports from review websites and videos, and a little math (e.g., rough property size multiplied by number of floors). Some of it is guestimating. We couldn’t produce great numbers, for example, on Steamworks Chicago; though we know it’s pretty expansive, it’s not included.

We’re quite confident about the order of our top six, but the ranking gets fuzzier after that; however, we use that fuzziness to include some regional giants. Our counts of lockers are also guestimates.

What we call “cabins” might range from rooms with beds that can be rented and locked to bed-less cubicles that can be claimed by anyone if they’re empty and which usually have a more flimsy barrier between those inside and outside the cabin.

That is, ranging from something like a bedroom with a TV to something like a dark toilet stall. Privacy can vary greatly. North American bathhouses tend to have rentable/lockable cabins, Europe has a mix; meanwhile in Latin America and Asia, cabins are mostly non-rentable. Two places on this list offer actual hotel rooms, with bedding and private washrooms, though that tends to be pretty rare.

We have not included sex clubs—only places that have wet areas and call themselves saunas or bathhouses were considered.

So without further ado, let’s whip them out and compare sizes.

1. Cleveland, Ohio

FLEXSpas Cleveland (2600 Hamilton Ave., Cleveland)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 4,645 square metres/50,000 square feet, more than 400 lockers and more than 60 cabins

Not only humongous—perhaps the world’s biggest gay bathhouse—this Ohio iteration of the four-location FLEXSpas chain has a lot of character. It’s in an 1939 Art Deco building that was once home to the Greyhound bus line.

In a metro area of just over 2 million people, it’s a surprising place to find such a large resort-style bathhouse, complete with an outdoor heated pool, sun deck patio, gym and multi-zone layout. They grow them big in America’s Midwest.

2. Paris, France

Sun City (62 Boulevard de Sébastopol, Paris, France)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 3,000 square metres/32,300 square feet, more than 400 lockers, more than 80 private cabins, 36 hotel rooms

Setting aside mixed hotel/sauna complexes, Sun City is able to handle more than 2,000 visitors each weekend. Opened in 2004, the décor is ostentatiously Indian/Bollywood.

Because tourists to the City of Light make up a large portion of the clientele, the vibe can vary greatly depending on the time of day, day of the week and time of the year, but on average, it’s a younger crowd. It has a full-size indoor swimming pool, a gym, multiple dry and steam baths, and an on-site bar/restaurant.

3. Leipzig, Germany

Sauna Stargayte (Otto-Schill-Straße 10, Leipzig, Germany)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 2,500 square metres/ 27,000 square feet, 300 lockers, around 24 closed spaces

Opened in 1997, they do things a little differently at Stargayte. There’s no time limit and the entrance price is just for the entrance—towels and sandals are extra, there are not as many lockable rooms to claim/rent as others on this list. With a Finnish sauna, wet sauna and infrared sauna, guests will leave feeling very hydrated. Long-serving staff make it a friendly choice.

4. São Paulo, Brazil

Hotel Chilli (Largo do Arouche 610, Santa Cecília, São Paulo)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 2,300 square metres/24,750 square feet, around 370 lockers and 129 guest rooms

The largest city in Latin America is, of course, home to Latin America’s largest gay sauna/hotel complex. Like Deutsche Eiche, Hotel Chilli gets some of its size from partly being a hotel.

But unlike Deutsche Eiche, the hotel rooms are included in, perhaps integral to, the cruising space—it’s a sauna with comfortable cabins suitable for spending the whole weekend in.

They have three swimming pools, dry and steam saunas, a gym, a cyber lounge, a mini-cinema and many cruising zones. The website has a real-time counter telling wannabe visitors how many men are there at any given moment.

5. Lausanne, Switzerland

Pink Beach (Avenue de Tivoli 7-9, Lausanne)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,989 square metres/21,400 square feet, about 250 lockers and more than 50 cabins

The fourth largest city in tiny Switzerland has one of Europe’s biggest saunas: three floors of cruising spaces, dry and steam saunas, cinemas, a bar and a “tropical lounge zone.

” Pink Beach’s twist, compared to other saunas on this list, is that they also host non-gay-male events. Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as some Thursdays and Saturdays, the club is open to guests of all genders and orientations.

The downside of a huge property is that if it’s not busy, the guests may be too spread out and have difficulty finding each other, but it can also afford a little more privacy.

6. Munich, Germany

Deutsche Eiche (Reichenbachstraße 13, Munich)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,500 square metres/16,000 square feet, as many as 500 lockers and 50 cabins

A couple of these places are on this list because they are part of a hotel complex. Deutsche Eiche itself welcomes straight guests and its facilities are spread across five buildings. With a name that means German Wood and a neoclassical façade dating back to 1864, Deutsche Eiche is also one of the quirkier entries on the list. Housed inside a historic hotel famously frequented by Freddie Mercury, the sauna has an expansive maze, a large Finnish sauna and a panoramic rooftop terrace overlooking Munich.

7. Bangkok, Thailand

Chill Out Bangkok (101 Lat Phrao Rd., Khlong Chan, Bang Kapi, Bangkok)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,500 square metres/16,000 square feet, more than 250 lockers and more than 35 cabins

In a city full of heavy-hitting gay saunas (hi VCK Cool Space, bye bye Babylon), this new arrival, which just opened in 2026, is particularly impressive. It might be the biggest gay bathhouse in Asia.

At seven storeys, it’s got a coworking space, a gym and large lockers for visitors who are coming straight from the airport. Models from OnlyFans and other content creators perform shows in rooms that can fit 50 guests and, surprise, the guests can sometimes participate in these shows.

8. Berlin, Germany

Boiler Berlin (Mehringdamm 34, Berlin)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,500 square metres/16,100 square feet, 350 lockers and 30 cabins

Berlin’s only gay sauna (sex clubs are another story) is famous for its ridiculously long lines, especially on summer weekends or when there’s a circuit party or Pride event happening in the city. The line can take so long that guys make connections with each other while waiting in it, which adds to Boiler’s mystique. Once inside, guests will find the space is famously clean, modern and well run.

9. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The Club Fort Lauderdale (110 N.W. 5th Ave., Fort Lauderdale)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,400 square metres/15,000 square feet, around 300 lockers and more than 60 cabins

Unlike dense, vertical urban bathhouses, a significant portion of The Club’s overall size is dedicated to an outdoor courtyard complex featuring a heated pool, hot tub, cabana sun decks and outdoor showers. So it has a resort-y atmosphere conducive to hanging out by the pool. Its proximity to Miami ensures that of the perhaps 1,200 guys who pass through its doors every weekend, a high percentage of them are pretty hot.

10. Madrid, Spain

Sauna Paraíso (C. del Norte, 15, Centro, Madrid)

Estimated footprint and locker count: 1,400 square metres/15,000 square feet, around 170 lockers and 30 cabins

Unlike modern industrial saunas, Paraíso is built around an old-world Roman bath aesthetic, featuring stone arches, classic tilework and a relaxed spa ambiance. It’s not one of the biggest places on the list, but it’s easy to get lost in.

It’s known in Madrid for its younger, international and fashion-conscious crowd compared to the city’s other bathhouses, making it particularly busy during late-night weekend hours.