Is Sauna Legal? + Local Sauna Raided? (Compiled)

[dienasaw]

The police must be amazed that the place is still in operation! Hope they wore gloves & masks and were properly disinfected after they left the premises... shudder!

[Guest C5D3F0]

Years ago my friend who working there was telling me that RAW management hired (foreign) workers without legal working permits. Perhaps the authorities are just doing routine check.

[erection day]

I also read somewhere that 17 and Blue Heaven were also 'raided' on the same day. Dont know how true or just some scare mongers trying to spread some fear around.

[Guest Retiree]

So new shogun is still a safe place to go?

[Guest takashi]

So new shogun is still a safe place to go?

Low patrons.. no points for raid

[koolkai]

Low patrons.. no points for raid

Why nobody wants to go to Shogun?

[dienasaw]

first of all, i think low patrons does not equal nobody.

secondly, different people will give you different answers. the detractors will list all the reasons why you shouldn't go and the supporters will be able to sing praises of the estab and you are none the wiser.

thirdly, there is a thread on Shogun. go check it out.

in the end, you might have to check this place out yourself or save a couple of bucks & time by not going.

Edited July 30, 2008 by dienasaw

[Guest isSuanaLegal]

As stated in the title, is sauna a legal place for us to go? As in most of us go there for sex, so will there be a police spot check and caught you down the pants and also bring you back to police station? Got these thoughts as i had visited a suana last week and saw police patroling around the area.

[Freedom711]

Is gay sex legal?

Is geylang prositution legal?

Whats legal?

[Guest Guest]

Is gay sex legal?

Is geylang prositution legal?

Whats legal?

Is Gambling legal? Two sides of a coin Head or Tail

Tail: Casinos have to be far outside heartland areas. Controlled access by paying $100. No promoting/advertising.

Head: 4D, Toto, Football betting, Jackpot machines in NTUC club within heartland areas. Heavily advertised and promoted everywhere - CNY Hong Bao, Great Singapore Sales special toto prizes.

These kind of "Legal or not Legal" questions just leave it to the lawmaker. Commoners like you and me - take it if u like, leave it if u dun.

[Guest Juliet]

"Casinos have to be far outside heartland areas. Controlled access by paying $100. No promoting/advertising."

They are NOT Casinos. They are called Integrated Resort !

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1600:

JULIET:

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

[Guest Kendall]

As stated in the title, is sauna a legal place for us to go? As in most of us go there for sex, so will there be a police spot check and caught you down the pants and also bring you back to police station? Got these thoughts as i had visited a suana last week and saw police patroling around the area.

If one is unclear, it is alright to ask questions.

But then again, such questions reflect the kind of education system we have in Singapore, couple with effects of social engineering and exposure of fear.

I look forward to the day where Sporeans can grow out of the current shell of being overly concerned and unthinkinv with certain issues.

[Guest HungryBear]

Is gay sex legal?

Is geylang prositution legal?

Whats legal?

No.

Yes if its in a licensed brothel.

Something that does not break the law.

[GachiMuchi]

Yes. Sauna is legal in Singapore. All the local saunas I know had to pass strict guidelines before they can operate.

Many 'older' generations, the closeted and the newbies will always have the fear of being caught, seen by someone they know, police raid, etc. Most of the time, the fear they have that saunas gets raids are all unfounded. Gay saunas have been operating in Singapore since 1999. The supposed 'raids' are just police doing their routine check for drugs, etc. Except for a very unfortunate event that happened in one particular sauna. There had never been a raid case that was brought up in court for men to men sex in gay sauna. Most of the cases which ends up in the papers were raids for drugs.

Our supposing 'raid' pales in comparison with our neighbouring country where the raids are publicised and TV crews were there to capture the police in action. Similar raids also happens in Taiwan where private home parties where raided for drugs.

In most cases, the raids are for drugs and not anything else.

[Guest isSaunaLegal]

thanks Gachi for your explanations. After hearing that I feel much safer to visit there again. On a side note, why can't those contributers just answer straight to point? There's many things we are still ignorant of and we can only get answers from those more experienced ones. Couldn't you all be any kinder?

[Guest Kendall]

It is not a matter of being kinder or otherwise.

Singaporeans (gays alike) tend to see things very simplistically. It's probably the education system, its probably the general environment. It's probably the unthinking behaviour.

Whatever it is, it is time to change.

Unless you are only 15 years old.

[Guest Dan]

Hey guys, I was wondering whether is it legal to go sauna? And what the chances that the place will raid by the police?

[GachiMuchi]

Yes, you better don't go, they actually hv policemen in plain cloth in all the saunas and massage parlors to catch those men who do notti things and then will throw them into the jail or have public whipping or Stoning. They will also report to your parents and or schools and or company that you are gay.

The above comments are to be taken seriously during certain period in the history of certain countries, but not Singapore. Fiction is far from the Truth.

Believe at your own peril.

[Guest Guest]

At one Friday night, my friend entered to a sauna in Chinatown at midnight (around 12 am) after drank a bit at Taboo.

Sigh....How unfortunate my friend was: A raid happened where 20 or 30 policemen raid in.

They checked the patron one by one on each locker but could not find any illegal drugs.

They were told that they will be sent to the nearby police station to undergo a simple urine test.

:" Once they pass the urine test, they then can go free home. "

He and all other patrons - were handcuffed and sent to Cantonment Police station.

My friend finally get home at morning 7am, so emotionally disturbed by the lengthy arrest and felt so innocent and unrespected.

My friend is totally freaked out. Now he is on bail for a duration of 2 weeks.

He said that although he and others passed the urine test. But there seems to have another more complicated urine test that test on a special drug where its result cannot be made immediately.

Need to be sent to laboratory perhaps. so he is on such a long bail pending investigation / charge of drug abuse.

He has a business trip to Bangkok and now the bail made him can't go anywhere out of Singapore.

[Guest fatboy]

Which sauna?

[Guest guest]

All being handcuffed? Is it happen to every raids? That 's scary.

[kee_hsiao]

unlucky sperm (suay siao)

[No Frills Factory Outlet]

Is gay sex legal?

Is geylang prositution legal?

Whats legal?

gay sex is not legal in Singapore. Do it with due discretion.

[Guest Guest]

Which sauna?

i knew after he drank with me, he went to a trendy sauna that is within the walking distance from Taboo at Tanjung Pagar.

Can only guess from the twos at Chinatown.

I dun ask him the details since he gets so distressed since the innoncent incident.

Say dun want to spoil my mood of going to gay bar/sauna at the coming National day eve.

All being handcuffed? Is it happen to every raids? That 's scary.

Yes, his left hand is handcuffed with another guy's right hand. Said is just a simple urine test. But he said finally he gets out from the station un-handcuffed at 6am morning. so pathetic and humiliated.

[grey_matter]

Spas and massage park ours are legal trades that offer services under strict regulation. A couple of years ago, the government has made it compulsory for massage patrons to keep their underwear on while having a massage. Masseurs/massesuses are not supposed to provide therapies behind locked doors.

Sex between two men (oral and anal) even if consensual and between adults, is illegal in Singapore under Penal Code Section 377A. The offence carries a prison term of two years. However, the law Is generally not imposed.

The incident about patrons of a sauna being handcuffed as they were brought to the police station is unusual, if true. Handcuffs are used on arrests - the story wasn't clear whether or not an arrest was made. If there was no evidence of drugs or use of drugs, no one could be arrested. It seems that the patrons of the sauna were being 'invited' to the station for questioning or 'instructed' to undergo a urine test. Either way, they were not being arrested and handcuffs should not have been used.

[Guest Guest]

Gay sex is illegal and so strictly speaking, venues which facilitate illegal activities face the risk of police action. There is no such thing as a "gay sauna" license, most are masquerading as private health clubs or private gyms with the dark rooms being categorized as "medication rooms", resting areas etc.

Go at your own risk but don't say that you don't know the risks if u get arrested or charged. That is why whenever I come across gays who frequent saunas make grand claims that the repeal of 377a has nothing to do with them and makes no difference to our citizen rights, I always wonder if they would still say the same thing if they ever become the unlucky few who actually get arrested or charged or convicted of "crimes" relating to 377a.

[Guest Guest]

Sorry I meant "medidation rooms" (not "medication") but both are ironic lol

[Guest Guest]

The incident about patrons of a sauna being handcuffed as they were brought to the police station is unusual, if true. Handcuffs are used on arrests - the story wasn't clear whether or not an arrest was made. If there was no evidence of drugs or use of drugs, no one could be arrested. It seems that the patrons of the sauna were being 'invited' to the station for questioning or 'instructed' to undergo a urine test. Either way, they were not being arrested and handcuffs should not have been used.

True. He was really handcuffed. And also all other patrons.

No illegal drugs were found at their lockers. then the policemen claimed wanna conduct urine test.

My fren never felt so humiliated ever before in his life. Obviously there is no evidence of drugs? Unless someone trying to lodge fake police report.

Can someone with authority in AJ circle wanna to speak up for my fren plus those innocent patrons?

Anyway, I believe he was 100% innocent. Then without any evidence, he was arrested to Cantonment Police station.

The handcuffs were not enough at that night.

He said every patrons were arrested - Two sharing one handcuff and walked to the vans to deport them to police station.

No face lor....Luckily the Chinatown crowd already gone off at 2am.

Since not enough handcuffs, some were wearing rubber handcuff.

And all them packed into vans, and I felt that they were like treated as drug criminals.

Anyway my fren is discreet and so distressed emotionally. He just wanna calm down. Just one thing freaks him out is that he is on a 2 weeks bail, simply because the urine result taking time!!!

[Guest My_Buddy]

True. He was really handcuffed. And also all other patrons.

No illegal drugs were found at their lockers. then the policemen claimed wanna conduct urine test.

My fren never felt so humiliated ever before in his life. Obviously there is no evidence of drugs? Unless someone trying to lodge fake police report.

Can someone with authority in AJ circle wanna to speak up for my fren plus those innocent patrons?

Anyway, I believe he was 100% innocent. Then without any evidence, he was arrested to Cantonment Police station.

The handcuffs were not enough at that night.

He said every patrons were arrested - Two sharing one handcuff and walked to the vans to deport them to police station.

No face lor....Luckily the Chinatown crowd already gone off at 2am.

Since not enough handcuffs, some were wearing rubber handcuff.

And all them packed into vans, and I felt that they were like treated as drug criminals.

Anyway my fren is discreet and so distressed emotionally. He just wanna calm down. Just one thing freaks him out is that he is on a 2 weeks bail, simply because the urine result taking time!!!

Not the kind of 'invited'. It is arrested with handcuff.

He remembered he gave three bottles of urine. One gives immediate results that showed he is innoncent.

Another two cannot give immediate results, perhaps needs to go to laboratory for some special drug test.

One policemen typed, typed, typed....Is a piece of a police record which consisted the word of "arrested" plus "was at xxxx spa in chinatown at that midnight"

Asked him sign then can back quickly. My discreet fren is so annoyed, recalling the word "arrested: which the police typed.....

Go in to Cantoment Police station by handcuff. Exit also handcuff. Waited damn long at the release station with handcuff.

Is so different from the talk of those policemen "just go to our station for a urine test. If ok, then u can go home quicky"

[BMRD]

Yes. Sauna is legal in Singapore. All the local saunas I know had to pass strict guidelines before they can operate.

Many 'older' generations, the closeted and the newbies will always have the fear of being caught, seen by someone they know, police raid, etc. Most of the time, the fear they have that saunas gets raids are all unfounded. Gay saunas have been operating in Singapore since 1999. The supposed 'raids' are just police doing their routine check for drugs, etc. Except for a very unfortunate event that happened in one particular sauna. There had never been a raid case that was brought up in court for men to men sex in gay sauna. Most of the cases which ends up in the papers were raids for drugs.

Our supposing 'raid' pales in comparison with our neighbouring country where the raids are publicised and TV crews were there to capture the police in action. Similar raids also happens in Taiwan where private home parties where raided for drugs.

In most cases, the raids are for drugs and not anything else.

Hi GM,

Care to share that "unfortunate event" u mentioned?

[Guest xx]

i knew after he drank with me, he went to a trendy sauna that is within the walking distance from Taboo at Tanjung Pagar.

Can only guess from the twos at Chinatown.

I dun ask him the details since he gets so distressed since the innoncent incident.

Say dun want to spoil my mood of going to gay bar/sauna at the coming National day eve.

Yes, his left hand is handcuffed with another guy's right hand. Said is just a simple urine test. But he said finally he gets out from the station un-handcuffed at 6am morning. so pathetic and humiliated.

Cruise or $!^*|?

[Guest Cynic]

Call me cynical but to arrest an entire gang of people, the Police would probably have very reasonable grounds to believe these people are peddling with drugs. Furthermore, knowing the trend from this site, the news would have spread like wildfire, the moment there are 'raids' in any saunas whether anyone got arrested lest said about being led away handcuffed. I am surprised only your frd is interested to tell the story.

[Speedos]

How many years ago did this happen? I am such a regular patron of gay saunas and throughout all these years I have never ever encountered such a police raid. You made this up, didn't you?

At one Friday night, my friend entered to a sauna in Chinatown at midnight (around 12 am) after drank a bit at Taboo.

Sigh....How unfortunate my friend was: A raid happened where 20 or 30 policemen raid in.

They checked the patron one by one on each locker but could not find any illegal drugs.

They were told that they will be sent to the nearby police station to undergo a simple urine test.

:" Once they pass the urine test, they then can go free home. "

He and all other patrons - were handcuffed and sent to Cantonment Police station.

My friend finally get home at morning 7am, so emotionally disturbed by the lengthy arrest and felt so innocent and unrespected.

My friend is totally freaked out. Now he is on bail for a duration of 2 weeks.

He said that although he and others passed the urine test. But there seems to have another more complicated urine test that test on a special drug where its result cannot be made immediately.

Need to be sent to laboratory perhaps. so he is on such a long bail pending investigation / charge of drug abuse.

He has a business trip to Bangkok and now the bail made him can't go anywhere out of Singapore.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Speedos

[Guest My_Buddy]

How many years ago did this happen? I am such a regular patron of gay saunas and throughout all these years I have never ever encountered such a police raid. You made this up, didn't you?

Remember Friday night? the weather is not good. Rain so heavily at evening 6pm onwards. at late 11pm, the rain stopped a while.

It was so unfair to my fren. Why dun those policemen also went to other saunas to do the raid and caught other patrons?

I wish that it happens to be

1) peak business time, like 8pm. then the crowd is so many, till they dun have handcuff nor van enough to feed them to Cantonment police station

or

2) day time. so that the public in Chinatown can see a crowd of handcuffed people been humiliated and walked to the vans, under the sun. Let the outside people judge the appropriateness action of the police.

But it happened at a raining midnight where the crowd is so thin. And it seems so encouraging for the policemen to do whatever they wish without a thought to the patrons' dignity.

[evianguy]

Got bail means got get charged. Bail is set by court not by police. How to get charged between 12mn and 6am and wake up a duty judge in the middle of the night just to hear the bail hearing?

[thaiboyz]

hmm Whenever there are raids in saunas and pubs news will spread like wild fire but I havent heard any raid recently , There was about 2 yrs back for drugs but the police only checked on tat particular guy's locker and arrested him, the Rest of the patrons are left unchecked, since then things Hav been peaceful, if This recent case is true then many won't be deterred and avoiding, but the volume of the

crowd was as normal last few wkd ；）

[Guest dam]

At one Friday night, my friend entered to a sauna in Chinatown at midnight (around 12 am) after drank a bit at Taboo.

Sigh....How unfortunate my friend was: A raid happened where 20 or 30 policemen raid in.

They checked the patron one by one on each locker but could not find any illegal drugs.

They were told that they will be sent to the nearby police station to undergo a simple urine test.

:" Once they pass the urine test, they then can go free home. "

He and all other patrons - were handcuffed and sent to Cantonment Police station.

My friend finally get home at morning 7am, so emotionally disturbed by the lengthy arrest and felt so innocent and unrespected.

My friend is totally freaked out. Now he is on bail for a duration of 2 weeks.

He said that although he and others passed the urine test. But there seems to have another more complicated urine test that test on a special drug where its result cannot be made immediately.

Need to be sent to laboratory perhaps. so he is on such a long bail pending investigation / charge of drug abuse.

He has a business trip to Bangkok and now the bail made him can't go anywhere out of Singapore.

The usual story that "happened to a friend" !

Why isn't a story that is "1st person's encounter"?

Can someone be arrested by police if he faked and spread an Imaginary story?

[evianguy]

Confirm fake la. Middle of night where got court opened for the DPP to file the charge. If no charge how to have bail. Which court or judge is open at midnight. No court no judge then how to determine the bail amount?

[Guest My_Buddy]

Got bail means got get charged. Bail is set by court not by police. How to get charged between 12mn and 6am and wake up a duty judge in the middle of the night just to hear the bail hearing?

u watched any channel 8 drama series?

Got scene like: someone did shoplifting/ gangster fight/ drink driving. then sent to police station at midnight.

Father received police phone call at midnight then rush to police station. then bail the son out. Reached home. Father then angrily slapped on the son's face. where got need a judge? need a court hearing?

U thought is Pastor Kong Hee case, that involves millions of money -

Like Pastor Kong and Sun Ho case, ask a dozens of his church members to bail him out, also not enough...

Must add with a judge plus a court hearing and set an amount of money to be bailed out.

[Guest screwed]

Police cannot arrest anybody without a search warrant in the privacy of a settlement, not to mention in public place.

Beside the whole sauna smelt of sperm or shitty from you know what, so i doubt above story..

[Guest My_Buddy]

hmm Whenever there are raids in saunas and pubs news will spread like wild fire but I havent heard any raid recently , There was about 2 yrs back for drugs but the police only checked on tat particular guy's locker and arrested him, the Rest of the patrons are left unchecked, since then things Hav been peaceful, if This recent case is true then many won't be deterred and avoiding, but the volume of the

crowd was as normal last few wkd ；）

"True?"

"Fake?"

"True?"

"Fake?"

"True?"

"Fake?"

Suggest u a simple and reliable way. Go to the suspected saunas in Chinatown.

Tell the crew at counter.

"Last Friday night, my member card is just left. I was handcuffed to police station"

"Now, give me the member card."

Then u can know which sauna got the raid already if they do respond accordingly.

Neither me nor my fren has the mood to disclose the sauna name. But the hint is that it is not TMC, not shogun.

Simply because they dun have the so-called member card.

[My_Buddy]

The usual story that "happened to a friend" !

Why isn't a story that is "1st person's encounter"?

Can someone be arrested by police if he faked and spread an Imaginary story?

The raid story is true.

Whether the story is expressed as "1st" person or "2nd" person, i dun see it matters much.

Are u never bump into such advertisement of seeking marriage, that sounds:

替表姐征婚，非诚勿扰！

替友征婚

替密友征婚(非诚勿扰)

[Guest shit]

The raid story is true.

Whether the story is expressed as "1st" person or "2nd" person, i dun see it matters much.

Are u never bump into such advertisement of seeking marriage, that sounds:

替表姐征婚，非诚勿扰！

替友征婚

替密友征婚(非诚勿扰)

什么替别人征婚，不就是自己想征婚 ? Shit....

[gstc82]

I sense it's false. Handcuffed for going to a sauna n post bail? There is more than meets the eye. Is your friend 100% truthful?

[Guest g2k]

I sense it's false. Handcuffed for going to a sauna n post bail? There is more than meets the eye. Is your friend 100% truthful?

It's more like Mr "Guest" started his story telling and then My_Buddy trying to write a sequel. Be it Mr "Guest" or My_Buddy, he is trying very hard to make people believe. *yawn* *roll eyes*

[GachiMuchi]

In the past, when there was a raid, there will be many SMSes sent out by friend to their friends who frequent saunas to warn them about the raid and the gay community will be abuzz about the raid, especially when there are arrest.

So far nothing was heard about such raid especially it happened on a Friday nite.

And liked I've mentioned before, the raids are for DRUGS / DRUG Users NOT for Gay Sex. So if you are not a drug user, you have nothing to worry about.

[gstc82]

There was a recent news that over 100 people were arrested for drug use.

[Guest shit]

The raid story is true.

Whether the story is expressed as "1st" person or "2nd" person, i dun see it matters much.

Are u never bump into such advertisement of seeking marriage, that sounds:

替表姐征婚，非诚勿扰！

替友征婚

替密友征婚(非诚勿扰)

什么替别人征婚，不就是自己想征婚 吗，非要说替别人，装什么清高呢？ 怕丢人就不要征婚了，怕丢人就不要 上网，怕丢人就不要出门了，怕丢人 就不要回家了，怕丢人，就不要装剩 女了。 替姐妹征婚的其实都是给自己征婚

[G_M]

Pls get back to the topic discussed.

[My_Buddy]

It's more like Mr "Guest" started his story telling and then My_Buddy trying to write a sequel. Be it Mr "Guest" or My_Buddy, he is trying very hard to make people believe. *yawn* *roll eyes*

My_Buddy dun have such good imagination, nor such good creativity, nor such naughty mood in creating fake story. For what purposes? My_Buddy spectacles can be even broken when cpmpare with the stories talked in this post -

like at year 2006 -

like at year 2008, at OS, Raw, One Seven, got raid, but no one arrested (OR little arrested. Pardon me if I dun read carefully).

But how come My_Buddy fren kena arrested (together with the whole thin crowd) at that 2am. (OR more politely, it is an invitation to police station with handcuff.) It is a drizzing raining Friday midnight. The crowd was already thin. My_Buddy fren remembered police to patron is like 2:1 or even 2-half:1 ratio.