Across the country, women like you are getting their kicks from adult ‘health spas’, but what really goes on behind closed doors? Alix Fox feels the heat
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a man masturbating using a Jacuzzi jet stream, but it’s a lesson in contortionism. The guy in front of me is wilfully demonstrating – one scrawny leg hooked over the edge of the pool, his knuckles tight with exertion as he clings on lizard-like, bubbles blasting his genitals. Behind him, a nude girl emerges from a shower block, soap suds foaming over her breasts. Her giggles echo through the misty, tiled room as she heads to the pool – followed by her also-very-naked partner and his bobbing erection. Four men gaze on, greying towels wrapped round their waists, leaning against a cluster of dusty fake pot plants I wish could speak – they’d have stories. As for me? Well, yes. I’m also 100% naked, like everyone else here on this Saturday evening. That’s because I’m at Rio’s: an X-rated ‘naturist health spa’ in London. It’s one of several hedonistic ‘health clubs’ in the UK, where seven nights (and days) a week, adults of all shapes, sizes and walks of life gather to shed their clothes, shed their inhibitions – and, well, there’s no other way to put it… shag.
I used to believe only two types of people had sex in saunas: gay men and ’70s porn stars. But as I look around, a very different picture emerges. Yes, there are the requisite old guys with sagging skin and lascivious grins, but there are also younger men and women, hot hipsters with tattoos and pretty, stylish young women in their twenties and thirties.
So what happened? When did sex in a steam room go from niche sexual-frontier stuff to apparently more mainstream fun?
Hot in here…
This story is from the January 2017 edition of Cosmopolitan UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2017 edition of Cosmopolitan UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
‘Is Three Relationships Too Many?'
With his girlfriend out of town, Jack’s* wife suggests he finds a third partner
Brave New Beauty
Is tech about to revolutionise your skincare regime and transport you into a whole new universe of beautification? Joanna Taylor isn’t always convinced…
How The Gig Economy Is Killing Millennials…
I put in 18-hour days. I work in the same room I sleep in. I never know when or if I’ll be paid. I go days without speaking to anyone.
Could Your #AvoOnToast Get You Headhunted?
Quite possibly. But you’ll have to catch the eye of a new breed of talent scout first. Here’s how…
The Robot Wars
For decades, mankind has feared the day technology becomes cleverer than us. Now it’s here, and we were too busy trying to sync our Sonos to notice. Welcome to The Big Techover...
Hot-Air Health Myths... Exploded
Think you’re up to date with the basic rules of staying in shape? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you probably aren’t…
The Darkside Of BodyBuilding
Amateur fitness competitions have gone mainstream – but do they provide a “healthy” cover for those hiding deadly eating disorders? Former competitor Rebecca Barnes, 22, certainly thinks so.
The Stacy Dooley Effect
From the frontline to the dancefloor, Stacey Dooley defied all the odds to become TV’s golden girl. But it could have worked out very differently
Kings Of The Night
Sex, champagne and parties on tap… what could possibly go wrong? BOBBY PALMER spends the night with the most successful club promoter in London
Is Beauty A Tickıng Timebomb?
With their legions of fans, beauty-brand founders have exploded onto the scene – sometimes becoming celebrities in their own right. But what happens when their behaviour eclipses their products? Laura Capon investigates
