There are 2 naturist health spas in London that could be of interest to OCC members, and I have visited both on several occasions in recent years. Photography is strictly prohibited in them, but both have websites with a few images. I won't post the direct links here - a google search will take you straight there.
Rios in Kentish Town is the larger of the two, and the closer to Central London. It's a few minutes walk from Kentish Town underground and on several bus routes from Camden town, and is easy to find on the main road. Entrance for a single man or mixed couple is £21, and Saturday evenings are strictly couples only. It's open from 11am - 7am except on Sundays, when it closes a bit earlier. Entrance includes towels, soft drinks and tea/coffee. A range of massages are available, plus snacks and other drinks, but these cost extra. Inside there's a changing room with secure lockers which take £1 coins (which you get back). Then there's a TV lounge with sun loungers, followed by a bar. This is usually staffed by 2 or more female staff, who all work topless with sarongs wrapped round their waists. Then there are the facilities - there's an area with 2 decent sized jacuzzis, 2 steam rooms and 2 saunas, plus a plunge pool - this is often the busiest area. Through an arch there is a small swimming pool, a much bigger jacuzzi (only in use at busy periods) and the treatment rooms used by the masseuses. There's a back garden and smoking area, which is pleasant in sunny weather.
The clientele is pretty much as you'd expect - there are generally more single men than couples or women, and there's a wide range of ages and ethnicities. Most people walk around with a towel wrapped around them (I usually just carry mine), and some wear swimming costumes, but most are naked when using the facilities. The place has a bit of a reputation for swinging (all major genders and preferences), but I've never seen anything other than a straight couple getting a bit intimate in one of the jacuzzis, and they were politely asked to cool it by one of the staff. The female staff are mostly attractive and friendly enough, but don't expect to strike up many conversations if you're there alone. I've only once been when the clientele was almost exclusively male (on a strictly naturist night), and I've usually seen at least 2 or 3 attractive women fully naked and quite relaxed about it.
Elixir is located a bit further out, close to Alexandra Palace station, or about 15 minutes from Wood Green if you're using the underground. It's open 2 - 11, and entrance is £16, which again includes towel, soft drinks and tea/coffee. When you go in there's a small bar area, which is staffed by a fully nude hostess in the evenings and at weekends. There are also a few naturist magazines to flick through. All the staff seem to be women and all work fully nude apart from whoever is on the front desk, although the therapists (up to 3, depending how busy it is) are mostly in their rooms. They do chill out in the bar area between clients, though. Past the bar is the changing area, with secure lockers, and the treatment rooms. The back area has a sauna, steam room and small jacuzzi, which will usually have a female attendant at the weekends. It's a smaller, friendlier place than Rios, and the staff and regular customers are usually welcoming to new faces. It's much more of a strictly naturist establishment, and I've heard quite a few sniffy comments about Rios from the clientele, but on every occasion that I've been there all the customers have been male. Again, most customers walk around with a towel wrapped around them, but use the facilities naked. There's a similar range of ages and ethnicities, but it's not that busy; there are usually no more than 5 - 10 customers at a time. It's worth checking the Twitter feed (link on the website), as the place has occasionally been closed for a day or two for various reasons.
From a voyeur's point of view, it's a bit of a tough call as to which is better. If you go to Elixir in the evenings or any time at the weekends, you're guaranteed to meet at least a couple of friendly, attractive, fully nude women, but they will most likely be the staff. At Rios the female staff are topless, and it's a matter of luck whether you will see any female clients or if they'll be nude, although my own limited experience suggests that the odds are very much in favour of it. If you use them as saunas, they're not outrageously expensive by London standards and anything else is a bonus. If you're there purely as a voyeur, be prepared to be patient and you'll probably be glad you went - it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Spearmint Rhino.
Had anybody else been to either of these places, and if so, what did you think?
Rios in Kentish Town is the larger of the two, and the closer to Central London. It's a few minutes walk from Kentish Town underground and on several bus routes from Camden town, and is easy to find on the main road. Entrance for a single man or mixed couple is £21, and Saturday evenings are strictly couples only. It's open from 11am - 7am except on Sundays, when it closes a bit earlier. Entrance includes towels, soft drinks and tea/coffee. A range of massages are available, plus snacks and other drinks, but these cost extra. Inside there's a changing room with secure lockers which take £1 coins (which you get back). Then there's a TV lounge with sun loungers, followed by a bar. This is usually staffed by 2 or more female staff, who all work topless with sarongs wrapped round their waists. Then there are the facilities - there's an area with 2 decent sized jacuzzis, 2 steam rooms and 2 saunas, plus a plunge pool - this is often the busiest area. Through an arch there is a small swimming pool, a much bigger jacuzzi (only in use at busy periods) and the treatment rooms used by the masseuses. There's a back garden and smoking area, which is pleasant in sunny weather.
The clientele is pretty much as you'd expect - there are generally more single men than couples or women, and there's a wide range of ages and ethnicities. Most people walk around with a towel wrapped around them (I usually just carry mine), and some wear swimming costumes, but most are naked when using the facilities. The place has a bit of a reputation for swinging (all major genders and preferences), but I've never seen anything other than a straight couple getting a bit intimate in one of the jacuzzis, and they were politely asked to cool it by one of the staff. The female staff are mostly attractive and friendly enough, but don't expect to strike up many conversations if you're there alone. I've only once been when the clientele was almost exclusively male (on a strictly naturist night), and I've usually seen at least 2 or 3 attractive women fully naked and quite relaxed about it.
Elixir is located a bit further out, close to Alexandra Palace station, or about 15 minutes from Wood Green if you're using the underground. It's open 2 - 11, and entrance is £16, which again includes towel, soft drinks and tea/coffee. When you go in there's a small bar area, which is staffed by a fully nude hostess in the evenings and at weekends. There are also a few naturist magazines to flick through. All the staff seem to be women and all work fully nude apart from whoever is on the front desk, although the therapists (up to 3, depending how busy it is) are mostly in their rooms. They do chill out in the bar area between clients, though. Past the bar is the changing area, with secure lockers, and the treatment rooms. The back area has a sauna, steam room and small jacuzzi, which will usually have a female attendant at the weekends. It's a smaller, friendlier place than Rios, and the staff and regular customers are usually welcoming to new faces. It's much more of a strictly naturist establishment, and I've heard quite a few sniffy comments about Rios from the clientele, but on every occasion that I've been there all the customers have been male. Again, most customers walk around with a towel wrapped around them, but use the facilities naked. There's a similar range of ages and ethnicities, but it's not that busy; there are usually no more than 5 - 10 customers at a time. It's worth checking the Twitter feed (link on the website), as the place has occasionally been closed for a day or two for various reasons.
From a voyeur's point of view, it's a bit of a tough call as to which is better. If you go to Elixir in the evenings or any time at the weekends, you're guaranteed to meet at least a couple of friendly, attractive, fully nude women, but they will most likely be the staff. At Rios the female staff are topless, and it's a matter of luck whether you will see any female clients or if they'll be nude, although my own limited experience suggests that the odds are very much in favour of it. If you use them as saunas, they're not outrageously expensive by London standards and anything else is a bonus. If you're there purely as a voyeur, be prepared to be patient and you'll probably be glad you went - it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Spearmint Rhino.
Had anybody else been to either of these places, and if so, what did you think?