Sauna Stories: My First Time…
FEATURED: Sydney Sauna | Instagram
PHOTOGRAPHER: Roberto Chiovitti | Instagram
Do you remember your first time at a gay sauna? I remember mine, writes by Phil Shepley. As I stepped through the door and up the stairs, I thought, “What am I doing? Am I a lamb to the slaughter?”
I had crossed into a space where curiosity, diversity, and “my people” are celebrated. A SOPV (Sex On Premise Venue) should be a safe space for me, for us, but right now my stomach is churning. To prepare for the possibilities of my adventure, I have douched and taken two PrEP pills. I’m HIV-negative, and to stay that way, a PrEP prescription from my doctor will protect me.
Have I been over optimistic? Will anything actually happen? And with all the noises coming from my nervous tummy, will I even be able to bottom? As for topping, well, Mr Noodle down there has all but detached himself and run home.
First Contact
I’ve made it to reception. What do I say? There’s no adult education course to prepare you for this! “One ticket, please?” or “One entry, please?” Help!
There’s a huge muscle daddy at reception. His T-shirt is sprayed on. He says, “Can I get your ID please?”
Thank the Lord, I don’t have to speak and make an idiot of myself. He passes over the card machine to take my entry fee. And, damn, I opened my mouth: “Do you take cash?”
Mr Spray-On says, “Of course. No problem. Is this your first time here?” My vocal chords desert me. I can’t speak. I nod.
“Cool,” he says, “your locker is number 53. There’s a towel in your locker. The locker room is straight through that door. Come to the bar when you’re changed and ask for Joe, that’s me, and I’ll give you a quick tour, so you don’t get lost.
Someone is being nice to me – someone real, not a fake profile on an app.
Locker 53
I’m in. There’s a sign on the wall saying, “No means no,” and original graffiti artwork showing men doing sexy things together. This place is nice. My perception has been replaced by my opinion.
I reach Locker 53. Shirt, jeans, socks all off. Next – underwear. I put my towel around me and try to get my undies off from underneath the towel. I’m contorting like a baby giraffe walking for the first time. This is not cool. Locker 50 (next to mine) opens. He’s naked, not even an Apple watch! And he says, “Hey buddy.”
This is my moment! I go in for a deep-voiced, “Hey mate, how are you?” But what’s the etiquette? Do we shake hands? I think that’s polite, so I reach out… forgetting that I’m holding my towel up, trying to wiggle out of my underwear. My towel drops and suddenly I’m revealed, as good as naked except my undies are around my knees!
Locker 50 smiles, not a laugh, a smile. Eye contact. “I’m good. See you in there.”
Another nice person, not judging me.
I’ll go to the bar. Joe won’t remember me. I’m just a normal guy; nothing special.

The Tour
There’s a guy on his knees at the bar. Joe is pouring an energy drink into his mouth, saying, “Swallow it all, boy.” It’s funny. The guy is loving the attention, and Joe is putting on a show. Inhibitions get locked away in the lockers, too.
Joe sees me. “Hey, you found the bar, let me show you around.”
WTF! He remembers me. I’m starting to relax with like-minded guys in our space.
Joe shows me the spa, the showers, the dry sauna, the steam room and the cruising area. “If you have any questions, come to the bar and the team will help you, or ask for me. I’m Joe.”
My Time Alone
Down the hallway, bodies are moving through a haze, some in towels, others letting it hang loose. At every turn, a surprise waits; dark corners where whispers become moans.
I find a spot to stand and watch. I can see men from three different directions. From the darkness, a man appears, stops next to me, and says, “Remember me?”
It’s Locker 50.
“Yeah, I do. Locker 50. What’s your name?”
He leans into me as if to whisper his name, the bulge in his towel is touching mine. I’m hard, and that touch has got me harder.
“I’ll tell you my name in that little room there, if you’re interested.”
That Little Room
No more words, we walk into the room and shut the door. Locker 50 plants his mouth on mine. Our tongues meet and push hungrily back and forth, our lips locked in battle. Hands start roaming, towels drop. Naked cocks touch.
It’s all happening very fast, and I love it. My heart is pounding so hard I feel it in my throat, sweat beads down my skin, every nerve is on fire, and I’m consumed by raw, uncontrollable lust that has me aching for more.”
He pushes me backward onto the bed and moves his lips down my body. We make eye contact seconds before he takes my hard cock into his mouth. The warmth of his mouth on my cock is incredible. His hand works my shaft with gentle twists, his mouth eagerly sucking and swallowing my precum.
Eye contact. He smiles. Then he straddles me, one knee on either side, and moves up my body. He sits on my chest. His thick hard-on just a centimetre from my mouth. He gently puts a hand on the back of my head and tilts my head. My lips touch the head of his cock. Eye contact. I open my mouth and taste his meat. This is an incredible pleasure.
After a while, he moves back down my body, still straddling me. In the corner of our room there are free condoms and a lube dispenser. He leans over and pumps lube into his hand, then reaches behind himself and lubes up my cock. He gently guides the head of my cock between his butt cheeks. Eye contact, a smile, and a question: “Yes?”
I briefly think “condom!” but then remember I don’t need one. I have PrEP-ed. I smile and nod my consent.
A warm, tight sensation and I realise he has begun to slide himself down onto me. I feel myself enter him. It’s amazing. He pauses and is still for a moment, taking a deep breath. Now Locker 50 begins to ride me. I’m sliding in and out. He’s squirming on top. Eye contact. He smiles. We fuck. As I start to thrust upwards to go deeper, he rides me faster. I’m holding his waist, pushing harder, playful aggression. He leans in and kisses me. I’m still inside him. The kisses increase the passion. I’m going to cum. I don’t want to cum. I don’t want this to end.
Locker 50 stops and slowly releases my cock from his warm, wet hole. More kisses. He takes my ankles and lifts them. I grab them and spread my legs for him. More lube, but this time for his thick cock. He’s going to fuck me now. It’s been a while, but I want it. The douche is not going to waste!
He gently pushes into me. I catch my breath. Eye contact. I release my legs and wrap them around him so he can move deeper into me. Every thrust sends shivers of pleasure through my body. My fingers dig into his butt, his hand jerks my cock. I lose control and cum all over myself. He smiles and thrusts faster, then stops. With a final few thrusts, he shoots his load into me and collapses by my side. Kisses. More kisses.
Covered in sweat and my cum, and with his cum dripping from my hole, I think to myself, “Welcome to the sauna.”

That First Night
I learned the beauty of the sauna wasn’t just in the heat or the hook-ups. It was in the freedom to be me. No one judged my body, height, weight, or ethnicity.
I learned that Locker 50 has a name. A real name, not a fake app name. He’s Max, and his number is in my phone.
I arrived like a lamb to the slaughter and left as one of the flock.
See you next week at the sauna. Maybe I’ll see Max again.
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