Gay sex can be found everywhere. Even in the gym sauna.
I lift the weight one last time. Finally, I've finished my workout. I wrap my towel around my shoulders and make my way back to the changing room, drenched in sweat. As I undress - T-shirt, trousers, then pants - I catch a few glances. Or am I just imagining things? Of course, you can never be quite so sure. But the gym where I work out is known for having a particularly large number of gay and bisexual men who come here to tone their muscles. So it could well be that I wasn't imagining it.
I'm finally standing in the shower, all alone under the hot jet. Not only the sweat, but also the tension from training slowly falls away from me. I'm lost in thought when I hear that someone else wants to take a shower. Instead of grabbing one of the many free seats with privacy screens, he stands right next to me. I venture a quick glance to the side. The person next to me has a small tribal tattoo across his groin. His chest is covered in short stubble, the hair on his head shorn short and dark. And although my eyes only wander over for a moment, he catches me doing it. But it doesn't seem to bother him. Quite the opposite: he gives me a little smile.
Steam, looks, excitement and cruising: meeting in the gym sauna
I can feel the adrenaline and desire shooting through my body. All I really want to do is take a quick shower and go to the sauna; finally come down and forget the daily grind. But this encounter, this little flirtation, throws me off track. I feel attracted to this guy, but I'm torn. I tell myself that not every situation has to degenerate into something sexual. At the same time, lust is of course a driving force.
So I grab my towel, tie it around my waist and make my way to the steam room. There's a sign on the door: entry only permitted with a towel. But I know from experience that hardly anyone here cares. So I hang it up next to the door and make my way into the hot, steam-filled room.
There are small, colourful lights on the ceiling. But you can't see much. I grab the shower mop, clear my seat of the small puddle that has collected there and sit down. There are five other men in the sauna with me. As far as I can tell, there are no women present. There is a sexual tension in the air. At least that's what I think. Now it could also be that I'm just imagining things. Because it's not a gay sauna, but a regular sauna in a regular gym.
Latte in the steam: How the gym sauna becomes a gay sauna
However, two of the men grab their tails conspicuously often. It's hard to tell what their eyes are looking at; the water vapour is too thick in the room. I start to join in and realise that we are all looking at each other. Adrenalin shoots through my body again. I ask myself: Will the others notice? What if someone calls the staff? Or will everyone present be into what's happening?
While questions shoot through my mind and pure lust takes possession of my body, the door suddenly opens. It's the guy who was just standing next to me in the shower. Even though I only looked at him briefly, I recognise him from his outline. He's not a muscleman, but he's still trained. This time, too, there would be plenty of other free seats. But he chooses the seat next to me. He sits so close that our hands, with which we both support each other, are almost touching.
Nothing has happened yet, but I can feel the blood rushing to my cock. It's the feeling that takes hold of you before any sexual acts have happened. It's the excitement of what's about to happen. What's more, the sexual tension is heightened by the danger of being caught. I hold my hand in front of my penis so that not everyone in the room can see my boner. But I also play with it, pull on it, stroke my glans. My neighbour does the same. I look to the side and see him holding his penis in his hand. He starts to jerk off slowly.
Suddenly I remember that we are not alone. I look around the room, trying to recognise the outlines; trying to see which way the others are looking. Slowly I realise that everyone is holding their tails in their hands. The steam sauna has been converted into a gay sauna in the blink of an eye. Two guys start to suck each other off under the cover of the steam next to me.
Not every moment ends in sex
Suddenly I feel a hand on my thigh. It slowly moves to my cock, grips it firmly and slowly pulls the skin up and down again. I want to return the favour and raise my hand - but suddenly the door opens. A woman with a towel wrapped around her breasts enters the room and sits down in one of the empty seats. Suddenly, the sexual energy that was almost there for the taking has simply fizzled out. Because simply moving on is, of course, out of the question.
I think about whether I should wait and see, whether we should just disappear quickly to the toilet, whether we should go to his house. The desire that was so strong just a moment ago has left me. But it could come back just as quickly. Couldn't it?
But then I remember why I actually came here. To train, to switch off, to release the tension that has built up over the day. And so I decide to get up, leave the sauna and forgo the quickie. Because even though gay sex is possible almost everywhere, it doesn't necessarily have to happen everywhere. For today, the thought that it would have been possible is enough for me.
Questions and answers about gay cruising
Whether in the showers, the changing room or the sauna - many gyms are more than just places to work out. In big cities in particular, some gyms are becoming hotspots for gay cruising. But what exactly happens there, what should you watch out for - and what is allowed?
The following questions and answers will give you an overview of cruising in the gym: from subtle flirting to hot moments in the steam room.
Cruising in the gym describes the targeted search for sexual encounters - often in changing rooms, showers or the sauna. Discreet flirtations or encounters are not uncommon, especially in urban gyms with a queer target group.
When gay cruising in the sauna of a gym, a lot happens without words: eye contact, body language and random touching create tension. The steam sauna, in particular, increases the desire - often between heat, poppers and a sizzling atmosphere.
You can recognise a cruising gym by subtle signs: frequent eye contact in the changing room, deliberate proximity in the shower or conspicuous behaviour in the sauna. Some gyms have long been known in the scene.
Cruising is not officially permitted in a regular gym sauna. Nevertheless, some gym saunas are unofficially transformed into cruising saunas - with glances, gestures and consideration for other guests.
Yes, there are unspoken rules at the Gay Cruising Gym: mutual agreement, no harassment, discreet behaviour - and respectful treatment of everyone who is not cruising.
Many people report tingling cruising experiences in the gym: from eye contact to spontaneous sexual encounters - usually discreet, often intense, and always with the thrill of being caught.
Not necessarily. Cruising gay often also means excitement, fantasy and flirting. Many encounters stop at glances - some lead further, others don't. Everything can, nothing has to.
The attraction lies in the tension, the uncertainty and the play with danger. Cruising in a gym sauna is an erotic cat-and-mouse game that is particularly intense due to the closeness, steam and anonymity.
A cruising sauna is part of a regular gym - discreet, not official. A gay sauna, on the other hand, is designed to be openly gay: with darkrooms, cabins and space for explicit encounters.
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