Northern Men’s Sauna & Health Club

I have been there a half dozen times and have had mostly good experiences until this afternoon. My friend and I got there @ 3pm. The rate is $ 17 which includes a $ 5 key deposit for room. I was first assigned a locker b/​c there were no rooms available. Then finally a room became available. The idiotic attendant initially said my time was until 7pm (4 hours). However, he called my room @6:15. I contested the time but the said I was wrong which I wasn’t. When I went to turn in my key and towel, he only gave me $ 2 out of the $ 5 key deposit b/​c I «was late». I then went ballistic on him and was about to kick his ass through the bullet proof glass. He said it’s just $ 3. He said to come back when the other attendant is working to contest the time, etc. I’ll never go back there. They’re discriminatory and play favorites based on ethnicity.

I’ve been going to the Northern Sauna in Queens on and off for the last 15 years, and in that time very little has changed. The entrance is a non-​descript door with the words ‘NORTHERN’ above it. Once entering you go through another door and then into a tiny ‘lobby’ area where you pay $ 10 for a locker (you get $ 1 back upon returning the key). Unlike most bathhouses, you do not need to provide an ID to enter.
The establishment takes up the entire first floor of this industrial building — it’s badly in need of a gut renovation. The entire place has a moldy/​basement-​y smell about it. Most of the walls are painted a dark blue… or are some variation of wood paneling. The flooring is mostly a thin industrial carpet (also dark blue), or a mish-​mash of extremely cheap and poorly installed vinyl tile. The ceiling is made up of drop-​in tiles over a grid… many of which seem to be badly water damaged. The worst area is the wet area — the toilets leak, and there is no proper ventilation.
So why do I keep going? Well, if you wear flip-​flops and avoid the wet area, this place does have it’s charms. There’s a full gym area, a room with a combination pool/​ping pong table (I’ve played some spirited ping pong games there). There’s an adult video lounge (with very old, ratty furniture), as well as a room that plays broadcast television. There are also rooms in the back for rent, as well as ‘public’ rooms that anyone can use (so one does not need to rent a room to enjoy yourself).
The clientele tends to be mostly Latin and Asian… with a fair number of whites and blacks as well. I would guess the average age is 50 or so. but there do tend to be younger Latins and Asians who frequent the place. There tends to be no attitude, and the I’ve found the staff to be mostly pleasant… and while it doesn’t look like it, they do clean the place every night and every time a room turns over. It’s not great, but if you prefer older men, or are particularly into Latin or Asian men, it’s certainly worth a visit. Wear flip-​flops!