The Boilerhouse

LookingFor

I'm gonna ask a question about the comparisons being made with bars and personals websites etc:

What proportion of people going into a sauna or doing so to f*** random strangers vs a going to a gay bar or a personals website? Not everyone uses gaydar for random hookups, and not everyone going to a bar is looking for a random hookup. In fact a lot don't, I would say. Whereas I'm going to just guess that few enough people going to somewhere like the Boilerhouse are doing so for just the literal use of a sauna (I've never been, so that is a guess). Or at least the proportions would seem to be a bit different, the usage patterns would seem to be different.

For some people, going to somewhere like the Boilerhouse may be no different than what they use a bar or gaydar for - just cheaper and more to the point. But that's them, and that doesn't place those other outlets in the same category as the Boilerhouse generally.

On a side note, I was talking to one guy who told me that he and his relatively steady boyfriend at the time often used the boilerhouse for themselves only, because it was the only (cheap) place they could get together (both lived at home with the folks). Maybe Ireland needs more love hotels or something

Boston

LookingFor wrote:

I'm gonna ask a question about the comparisons being made with bars and personals websites etc:

What proportion of people going into a sauna or doing so to f*** random strangers vs a going to a gay bar or a personals website? Not everyone uses gaydar for random hookups, and not everyone going to a bar is looking for a random hookup. In fact a lot don't, I would say. Whereas I'm going to just guess that few enough people going to somewhere like the Boilerhouse are doing so for just the literal use of a sauna (I've never been, so that is a guess). Or at least the proportions would seem to be a bit different, the usage patterns would seem to be different.

The comparison is being made directly between people that use the likes of boiler house for sex, and people that go out to get laid in a club or online. No one is saying the front lounge or instinct = boiler house.

bopper

fletch wrote:

Don't we all pay to get into nightclubs....I really don't see the difference

They're completely different IMO, by paying to get into the boilerhouse, you're pretty much paying to have casual sex. A lot of people do go to nightclubs in the hope of finding a one nighter, but it is not the sole reason they pay to get in there. Well it's certainly not for me anyway. Paying for a night out and paying for a shag are two different things.

azezil

jamiecake wrote:

dont we all have sex with strangers anyways??

Me personally no, I'd have to know someone for quite some time before I'd sleep with them.

TCamen

I find the idea of Gay saunas seedy and repulsive. I mean don’t people just walk in and have sex with the first person that takes their fancy? Without even stopping to know their name even? I could well be wrong here so correct me if I am. The fact that someone would choose to pay for that makes it worse. Each to their own, but the thought of it does turn my stomach and it’s not something I would ever choose to do myself.

I'm sure some patrons stop to get the other guy's name.

Don't we all pay to get into nightclubs....I really don't see the difference

I can't remember the last time I paid to get in somewhere, was probably about a year ago for Glitz. I really don't think that going to a night club is comparable to a sauna, probably because I don't feel that 'most' people go out to have a one-night stand. A fair proportion? Definitely. But not 'most' - or maybe I'm just giving too much credit to people

Also there aren't dark rooms just off the dancefloors to hop into once you've met a randomer and just have to shag them right then and there, unless yer gonna chance the loos (ick). There just isn't an accepted policy of "It's ok to shag in here" for clubs/bars the way there is in a sauna.

InFront

Somebody is going there because I've gone there in the past and its always been quite busy actually. Young guys in their 20s hang out there sometimes in my experience. And its clean, but I'm not defending the place, but I it's strange that for as busy as its been only one or two people here have gone...

solice

TCamen wrote:

Also there aren't dark rooms just off the dancefloors to hop into once you've met a randomer and just have to shag them right then and there, unless yer gonna chance the loos (ick). There just isn't an accepted policy of "It's ok to shag in here" for clubs/bars the way there is in a sauna.

Well maybe not in clubs in Ireland but go to San Fran/Sydney/Amsterdam and its a different situation.

My brother went to San Fran on J1 with a group of friends. According to him there were plenty of bars and nightclubs that had "darkrooms".

Have you seen any of the Queer of Folk from the US. I literally watched one episode and in it there was a guy in a darkroom in a nightclub. First episode of season 2 i think.

fletch

solice wrote:

Well maybe not in clubs in Ireland but go to San Fran/Sydney/Amsterdam and its a different situation.

My brother went to San Fran on J1 with a group of friends. According to him there were plenty of bars and nightclubs that had "darkrooms".

Have you seen any of the Queer of Folk from the US. I literally watched one episode and in it there was a guy in a darkroom in a nightclub. First episode of season 2 i think.

Yeh nearly all the clubs we went to in Gran Canaria had dark rooms

Hmm_Messiah

I remember Lynchs pub having a dark room, and its presence terrifying some younger friends when we visited there 9the pub not the darkroom!!

I was wondering is there similar facilities available in any hetero bars clubs, anywhere ? or is this a gay phenomenon ?

I wonder only because it always disturbed me that this was seen as something intrinsic to homosexuality - promiscuity, casual sex etc.

Those that find gayness revolting can quote the existence of such saunas. Or course their are brothels etc but they pale in comparison to whats reputed to happen in the boilerhouse.

Even gay magazines, you flick through them and there is whole sections of ads for escorts/massage/ or guys looking for shags, and an unusual amount of naked men. why ?? I could understand at one time when everything was so repressed that this was perhaps the only place where a man might find such things,but in this day and age ?

Being truthful, maybe a concern is that my "passage" into homosexuality was very.......hormone driven, and even to me as a gay/bi man these saunas/ publications , having to me no comparison in "str8 culture" makes me question the degree "sex" does figure within my experiences of gayness.

erm, not sure if I made sense there

TCamen

Well maybe not in clubs in Ireland but go to San Fran/Sydney/Amsterdam and its a different situation.

So are we talking about The Boilerhouse vs bars/clubs in Ireland or worldwide? I mean, if we're talking about gay venues in Dublin/Ireland, it's not really applicable to talk about clubs and bars in other countries. Obviously you can't compare cities with much larger gay communities and much more varied club life with Dublin, where we have a handful of bars/clubs without darkrooms and the saunas like The Boilerhouse, which, as mentioned, is obviously frequented by quite a number of people who find it acceptable as a gay venue. As you said, it's a different situation.

I remember Lynchs pub having a dark room, and its presence terrifying some younger friends when we visited there 9the pub not the darkroom!!

So this is a club/bar in Ireland that had a dark room? Scary.

Those that find gayness revolting can quote the existence of such saunas. Or course their are brothels etc but they pale in comparison to whats reputed to happen in the boilerhouse.

I would have to agree about straight lap dancing places not being as bad as The Boilerhouse, but are there any massage parlours for straight men in Dublin? That would be equally sleazy imo (assuming it's the type of massage place with masseurs that engage in sexual acts with clients).

Even gay magazines, you flick through them and there is whole sections of ads for escorts/massage/ or guys looking for shags, and an unusual amount of naked men.

FHM/Blender/Maxim/Arena etc. aren't exactly devoid of topless women and chatline ads towards the back, but since there's no real personals ad section in 'em (not 100% sure about that), the gay magazines probably are a little worse for casual sex stuff.

The reason I would never go to The Boilerhouse, nor be terribly supportive of the existence of saunas of its ilk is down to that whole "gay=promiscuous" attitude that they perpetuate. I understand that there is a market out there for these types of places, and they're obviously making money (@ €20 a shag, bargain!), but just not my thing.

solice

TCamen wrote:

So are we talking about The Boilerhouse vs bars/clubs in Ireland or worldwide? I mean, if we're talking about gay venues in Dublin/Ireland, it's not really applicable to talk about clubs and bars in other countries. Obviously you can't compare cities with much larger gay communities and much more varied club life with Dublin, where we have a handful of bars/clubs without darkrooms and the saunas like The Boilerhouse, which, as mentioned, is obviously frequented by quite a number of people who find it acceptable as a gay venue. As you said, it's a different situation.

I was just stating a point. No need to lose a nut over it.

TCamen

I was just stating a point. No need to lose a nut over it.

My mistake, I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to state a point of my own. :rolleyes:

damien

/drags a stool and sits down to get a better view

TCamen

/drags a stool and sits down to get a better view

It's €5 extra if ya wanna come into the darkroom and watch.

damien

It all depends on the type of membership you have for the club. Visitors pay extra, ones with golden memberships do not. I've heard.

Boston

solice wrote:

I was just stating a point. No need to lose a nut over it.

He didn't loose his nut. He was quiet reserved.

Tcamen. Yes there are hetro equilvalents to boilerhouse, which owuld be considered brotels of a sort.

solice

TCamen wrote:

My mistake, I didn't realise I wasn't allowed to state a point of my own. :rolleyes:

Of course you are

Could you really equate a brothel to a sauna? A brothel is somewhere where you go and pay someone, a sauna is somewhere where you pay to go. Is the boilerhouse a metaphorical pimp and all its patrons are its whoes?

TCamen

Could you really equate a brothel to a sauna? A brothel is somewhere where you go and pay someone, a sauna is somewhere where you pay to go. Is the boilerhouse a metaphorical pimp and all its patrons are its whoes?

Well the original comparison I made to a gay sauna was a massage parlour where the staff would engage in sexual acts with the clients (if desired). The problem I have with saying "Yes the Boilerhouse is equal to a brothel" is that I really don't know enough about the attitude of people who go there.

It was asked upthread already but I didn't see an answer from someone who's been to the Boilerhouse before - Does everyone that goes to the Boilerhouse and pays their €20 engage in sexual acts everytime they're there? i.e in your experience(s) there, did you personally, or someone you were talking to in there, ever decline to engage in sexual acts on any given visit? It just doesn't seem like it could be a nice place to go for a drink with some "fringe benefits" should you be in the mood on a particular visit. A waste of €20 surely?

*IF* everyone that pays into The Boilerhouse is totally in the mindset that they're paying in to get sex, and that they couldn't fail to get sexual gratification once they're inside - then yeah it's damn close to being a brothel, just one where there aren't any men officially employed-by-the-establishment, but still do the job - pick a partner and shag them for money (since everyone has paid in).

I don't mean for that to sound as damning as it probably does, I just mean it in same way that the Red Light district in Amsterdam is acknowledged for what it is, and anyone who pays for services from girls in windows while there is fully aware of what to expect and what they're paying for i.e everyone knows the arrangement. That's how I feel about The Boilerhouse - it provides a service, and people only go there to avail of that service for a price.

I'm not saying it should be closed down, nor boycotted so before someone replies without reading the post fully - it's all *IMO*

bopper

It's the poor man's brothel. The people in there have mindless sex for free instead of charging you.

carbonkid

The big difference between a brothel and the boilerhouse (and im no way defending the boilerhouse) is that with the boilerhouse both guys wanna get off with each other and no ones body is been used and exploited for money.

Iwasfrozen

carbonkid wrote: »

The big difference between a brothel and the boilerhouse (and im no way defending the boilerhouse) is that with the boilerhouse both guys wanna get off with each other and no ones body is been used and exploited for money.

so peoples bodies are being exploited in a brothel ?

rainbow kirby

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

so peoples bodies are being exploited in a brothel ?

So you needed to drag up a 4 year old thread to post that?

Iwasfrozen

rainbow kirby wrote: »

So you needed to drag up a 4 year old thread to post that?

oops, sorry my bad, I didn't look at the dates.
A mod can lock this if they want.