The gay sauna culture is unknown to most theatre goers. The consensus of opinion is that it is just a place where men go to have sex with other men. It is, but it is so much more thanks to Sauna Boy, a seventy-minute glimpse into this hidden world where we discover more than sex, we discover a community!

Dan Ireland-Reeves guides us through his year working at a local gay sauna. Reeves trained at Birmingham School of Acting before going on to create new work as both a writer and performer.

He gives us an up-close glimpse into London’s gay bathhouse culture. The play follows his semi-autobiographical journey from his initial interview at the sauna to its climactic final days as the sauna celebrates its 21st birthday, with Reeves playing a multitude of characters.

Set in a black box with flashing lights and minimal props, one could almost believe we are in the foyer of a real sauna. Reeves treats his audience like clients, drawing us into the world of the play without making us feel uncomfortable or singled out.

Sauna Boy is filled with ‘special’  moments, from the unpleasant experience of cleaning out a trash bin to the interrupted sexual liaison with Ash the stud being comedic highlights, along with a collection of one liners -  “Porn is about as exciting as the six o’clock news!”, ‘Being gay was a lot more fun when it was illegal!” and “In a sauna, everyone is a ‘she!’”

While the play gives us an informative look into sauna culture, its true message is one of human connections, life lessons and community. Beneath the sex and humour lies group of real people that we interact with every day, but whose secret lives are hidden.

Sauna Boy is insightfully written, and is packed with hilarious dialogue, and an undertone of reality and pathos delivered masterfully by Dan Ireland-Reeves that leaves the audience wanting more!