Talk:Steamworks Berkeley
From Gaynity Wiki
Please add new review if you can.
Contents |
Patrick B. from yelp
Oakland, CA
5 star rating
12/24/2007
Highly recommended! I always come here to get my pants pressed. No, it's not what it sounds like, I swear!
Nobbi L. from yelp
Alameda, CA
5 star rating
10/11/2007
As far as bath houses/saunas goes, this place is great. I'm a weekday morning/afternoon visitor as I spend weeknights and weekends with my partner. Still there is always something going on here unlike many other places in different cities.
It's clean and has been renovated several times over the years. The clientele is varied. "Off hours" is often more fun since there are fewer "choices" and people aren't just into S & M (that's stand & model!).
Definitely recommended!
Donovan S. from yelp
San Francisco, CA
4 star rating
08/30/2007
Only been here on Sunday afternoon... the place was pretty packed... A large cross section of men ... from midget amputee to college boys to , well, you name it. The floors are sticky but the music is good. Two thumbs up ....way up.
James J. from yelp
San Francisco, CA
3 star rating
06/11/2007
Seeing as how everyone else who has been to this place won't write something about it, I guess I will have to step up to the plate and represent the fags who fear persecution from their own people.
I have no shame, I fear no one! And so...I review.
As far as sex clubs go (and I haven't been to a whole bunch of them) I think that this one ranks up there as one that I would go back to. Why? Because it is actually clean, despite the dirty deviant acts that go on behind the scenes. I can go there, get some, work out, get some, hot tub, get some, shower, get some....All while feeling confident that I won't be stepping in some random guys "knuckle children."
The way the club is set up is pretty interesting. You go in and pay X amount of dollars for a towel and a locker. You undress and put the towel on and off you go into the wild...they have this hot tub there that I have sat in....but still have reservations about. There are several rooms that come in different sizes, from small to large and with a sling. I believe each room has television in it with various channels of porn for you to enjoy.
As you go further back there is a maze like area that leaves nothing to the imagination-"Will I find ass around this corner, or will I find ass around this corner?" Couple of glory holes in some dark spots of the club and even a gym to work out in...WHO WORKS OUT HERE?!?! I guess it's just in case.
The crowd is interesting all on it's own. You have everyone from the 18 year old first timer to the 76 year old who can die any minute....scary enough is that these guys get their freak on.
I think it is worthy of 3 stars. It provides horny gay men with an alternative to going home at night without getting off. The staff is friendly and definitely make sure that all the rooms and surrounding areas are clean...god bless them and I like that they give you a hefty time frame to stay there....well not really, but it's cool.
Danny M. from yelp
San Francisco, CA
2 star rating
11/04/2006
Alright somebody has got to admit to having been here in the middle of the night (or a Sunday afternoon for that matter), in or out of an act of desperation.
Where I am from it is not a big taboo to go to a men's sauna or sex club, or at least in some countries. One might even go with his boyfriend and enjoy a yank or two.
But Steamworks I believe is the only such place in the East Bay and it does tend to draw about 40% cumbucket, 40% trollie, and 20% young dumb horny twats like me and whoever else wanders over from the university.
There was one time I went where 15 or so boys cornered each other in a downright cuddle orgy (but of more gruesome nature) all centered around this one lad I swear I have seen in a video somewhere. I got lost in the mix and I had to swat away plenty a hand from my bum but others I placed them on.
But other times one feels like a right zombie dragging oneself on the walk of death past the open rooms of bums in the air or slings and greasy members and one must assume the right pose or have the door slammed.
There is a maze in the back in a honeycomb structure and one without lights but plenty of holes at lip level.
Of course there are plenty of chaps cruising about the railtracks outside, weather depending. And one can sit in the wet sauna or hot tub for a while before retreating to one's private room with an assortment of adult channels at the fingertip. For a hefty sum, one may even rent the large room with the sling, and there is a chalkboard for notes and enticements in the restroom.
Perhaps I one day will become jaded and bitter and no longer feel completely depressed that my current lack of a bedmate would bring me to such a place, but then I can also chalk it up to curiosity or the spirit of seeking a shag or two, or three, a tiny echo of the sexual revolution of the '60s and '70s. I don't want to slag anyone who is keen on visiting, but be warned that you might want to examine your head before and after the visit, maybe bring a friend and write a journal entry or two.
Piece of advice: do bring footwear that will go with your overall look whilst naked -- you don't want to slip or catch a fungus through your calloused heels.
review from the OUT TRAVELER guides
Steamworks is a terrific bathhouse with professional management and friendly staff, and the only one in the San Francisco area, unless you count San Jose, which has the Watergarden and is farther away (see below). You'll find a terrific layout, well-maintained facility, sexy, out-in-the-open shower area, huge maze/backroom, and a completely diverse, sleazy, fun crowd of men and boys. There's also a steamroom, sauna, a weight room and live DJ on the weekends. It's very popular, especially Sunday afternoons, when the place is packed with guys of every type from all over the Bay Area. First Tuesday of the month is Dark Party, with low lighting and wands for illumination; it draws plenty of people and there's lots of action. Driving directions from San Francisco: From the Bay Bridge, take Interstate 80 north and exit on University Avenue in Berkeley. Leaving I-80, the off-ramp will fork; keep right. Turn right onto Second Street, then left onto Addison Street to Fourth. Or ride the BART train to the Berkeley stop, then take the 51A bus to Fourth and University and walk two blocks south. It's not cheap (lockers $12, basic room $20, standard room with TV $25, large room $30), but this place is in great condition and is worth the price. Membership is $6 for six months.