Sansom Street Gym

I've been to bathhouses across North America and can honestly say this is probably the worst one I've seen. Granted I went on a Thursday but I was literally the only person there other than the staff. There was simply no one there. Completely dead. I saw why. The place was dirty. There were actually paper bags, plastic soda bottles, and other trash littering the aisles on the second floor where my room was. The steam room was only lukewarm and looked and smelled moldy. The front desk man seemed nice but that was the only good thing. I left after barely an hour in this wretched place.

Filthy, scary, massive, empty. I went back in august and you had to leave your id at the front and they give you a stained, torn towel. Wish I could have seen this place during its heyday but now it's basically a homeless shelter. Not sure what's really going on with this place like if its a cover for something else. Maybe because its so big and understaffed for them to notice or they just don't care but people are smoking t in there. Had a really uneasy feeling there and left quickly.

This place continues to go downhill. They have said for years improvements were coming. Some have but most have not or not enough. The rooms have wire meshing on top that all look as if they have been broken into from above. There are no safes for use. The staff is rude and unprofessional. For example I am waiting in the vestibule before actually entering the place for over 30 min so that the cashier can change shifts. There are actually 7 of us waiting here. The shift change is at midnight. The cashier who was working until midnight told us we could not come in. The cashier who works from 12am on, apparently was just woken up in one of the rooms and no one else could help us to get in. It's now 1245, the cashier showed up and 5 of us are still waiting to get in. The place is a joke.

I called the place before deciding to go and was told there were many people there, and that the rooms were even sold out. Total lie! Barely anyone was there and if they were they were in their rooms and not in any of the play areas. If I was told it was slow, I would have just come another night. Might give this play a try again on a Saturday night but otherwise disappointed with my experience and purchase. Side note this place seems very popular with black men if you are looking for that.

The gym was very clean. It also smelled like a pleasant cleaner had just been used recently. There were a nice amount of guys in the place for a Tuesday, half price rooms for members may have been the reason for this but I was happily surprised!

This is the worst bathhouse I’ve in town. They have swiped my ID 4 different times with different people and it took me weeks to retrieve it. At first, lockers were given with lock and keys, which was easier to identify ID because of the numbers on the locks but they changed it to corrupt people. Bad management, do NOT trust them with your IDs cos they will swipe it.

I’VE BEEN READING THE HARSH REVIEWS OF THIS PLACE AND I’M SADDENED. WHILE ITS BEEN SEVERAL YEARS SINCE I’VE BEEN THERE, I’VE ALWAYS HAD A WILD TIME. IT IS DIFFICULT FOR BATHHOUSES TO TURN A PROFIT THESE DAYS. ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE IN AN EXPENSIVE CITY. THEY ARE BECOMING PASSION PROJECTS FOR DEEP POCKETED INDIVIDUALS. WOULD LOVE TO BUY IT AND RESTORE IT TO IT’S FORMER GLORY DAYS. I`ve been to this bathhouse multiple times and have never had a bad experience. I've been to many baths, all over the world and would rate one night in particular there, in my top three experiences. That was 5-6 years ago. On the top floor was a blackout maze that was insane. (And a secret room) I went back a couple of years later and they appeared to have been doing some reconfiguring and that area had been moved. While not as dark and forboding, it was still a lot of fun. And i believe they had an area of private suites.? I may be wrong about that but i saw guys going into a locked area that required a key. Then covid hit and they closed. Im headed back to philly soon and plan on going. They have a new website but info is scant. Are they still under construction, or no? Do they have private suites? No interior pics. I prefer this over Club Philly, but admit i like the darker, grittier vibe when it comes to a bathhouse. I've never had a problem with the staff.