Liberty Features

Out and about

Celebrities are airing their sexual preferences to the media and it seems that there is nothing that can’t be made public.

Favourite haunt: The George on South Great George's Street

While Dublin may not be the most cosmopolitan city in the world, its gay community is increasing all the time. Clubs, pubs and even some restaurants are falling over themselves to stage a gay night in their particular establishment.

Dublin’s south inner city may hold some of the city’s best known gay bars, but that, apparently, is not all. It is also home to some of the male-only sauna clubs that have sprung up in the heart of the city. Perhaps the most famous of these is Incognito, a sauna club located on Aungier Street. Describing itself as "Dublin’s Premier Sauna Club," Incognito is part of the Horse And Carriage Guest Hotel. Its website advertises itself as discreet and clean, with an array of services that include satellite television and private video rooms. Incognito is one of the "old-timers" of the sauna trade. Opened in 1981, it is now well established on Dublin’s gay scene.

Newer additions include The Vortex which is just off Capel Street, The Boilerhouse just off Dame Street, and the Dock Sauna, situated in the Inn On The Liffey. The Boiler House, located off Dame Street, is another of Dublin city’s saunas, but also offers a solarium and workout facilities.

A Liberty staff member posed as a prospective customer to bring us the background information on Incognito. Under the guise of a gay man looking for a present for his boyfriend, he phoned the number given in the Gay Community News. As he discovered, it is not limited to members only, but it does impose an £8 charge for every customer. For this you get the "usual sauna experience", according to our reporter. A snack bar and coffee bar are also provided for the customers’ convenience, as are steam rooms. The sauna is open from one in the afternoon to five o’clock in the morning, from Monday to Thursday, with extended opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

The sauna is also advertised in Ireland’s Pink Pages, a website for the country’s gay population. The site features information on male-only accomadation, saunas, bookshops, magazines for both sexes and of course, the obligatory pub and club guide. For those people who may also be looking for a place to stay, it is well worth noting that the sauna is complimentary for all gay visitors staying in the Horse and Carriage Guest Hotel.

Incognito is located at 1-2 Bow Lane East or 15 Aungier St. Dublin 2. It can be contacted by phone on 01-4783504 or by fax on 01-4784010. The Horse and Carriage Guest Hotel is also contactable at the above numbers.