Sweatbox is introducing its newest night: Hard Up Thursday! We caught up with owner Mark Ford to find out all about it.
Hey Mark, for those unfamiliar with Soho’s famous sauna (which can’t be many people), describe Sweatbox for us in one sentence.
Well our tag line has always been: “London’s busiest sauna with the hottest guys”. So I guess I’d use that.
And what kind of guys come to Sweatbox?
We have a reputation for a younger crowd – having the gym, Under 25 nights and being in Soho all play a part in that. But we do actually have a good mix of ages. I’m far too old to tolerate any age discrimination!
So obviously Chariots closed a lot of its saunas last weeks; I’m hearing that Sweatbox is busier than ever though?
We’ve been pretty rammed for quite a few years now. My staff were terrified that we’d be inundated when they heard about the Chariots closures but to be honest it hasn’t made a huge difference. We attract a different crowd. And I’m not sure they were that busy towards the end anyway. On a personal level I’m sad to see Chariots Shoreditch go. The décor was hilarious and back in the day, when it was busy, it could be a lot of fun!
What can we expect from Hard Up Thursdays?
Well – big surprise here – the same as Hard Up Mondays only on a Thursday now as well. So from now on, anyone 25 or under can get in for free 8am to midnight every Monday and Thursday provided they bring photo ID with proof of age. But don’t stay beyond midnight or you will lose your £10 deposit and we’ll turn you into a pumpkin. Or something.
Oh and new rule: Under 25’s have to bring their own towel or pay £1 a time for ours. Paying customers and members get 2 free towels each up front. We had to do this as our washing machines couldn’t keep up with the wash load! Hopefully having a Hard Up Thursday as well as Monday will reduce the line out the door – it was starting to get a bit insane.
• 1 – 2 Ramillies Street, W1F 7LN.
24 hours all week.
