The outgoing manager of Sydney CBD sex-on-premises venue 357 has signed a lease agreement to become the new tenant of the current Bodyline building.
357 manager Glenn McNamara told Gay Sydney News the start of the lease began on March 28 and that Bodyline’s name would change to “Sauna X by 357”.
Multiple sources familiar with the lease sale, who did not wish to be named, said Poof Doof’s owner was in advanced negotiations to acquire the lease to the Bodyline premises in a package deal that would have also included the lease of the adjacent ARQ nightclub.
But this deal collapsed when a lease agreement for ARQ was signed by Home The Venue’s owner earlier this week.
The sources didn’t wish to be named due to the sensitive nature of the lease sale.
Poof Doof owner Anthony Hocking would not comment on whether he had made an offer for the ARQ and Bodyline leases when approached this week.
Meanwhile, Sauna X’s McNamara said Bodyline – a sex-on-premises venue since 1991 – would remain shut for about two weeks before re-opening as Sauna X.
An internal “tunnel” connection between Sauna X and the adjacent ARQ nightclub would also open soon but there was no firm timeframe on when, he said.
Staff from 357 would be moving across to run Sauna X. What this means for existing Bodyline staff remains unclear.
“We’ve already got a full suite [of staff],” McNamara said. “But [Bodyline] staff who want to contact us can contact us through [our] website and obviously we'll just go through the usual sort of process that we do when we hire.”
When contacted by phone on Thursday night, outgoing Bodyline owner Shadd Danesi told Gay Sydney News he had no comment to make about the lease sale.
When Danesi announced the sale of the ARQ lease to the owner of Home The Venue earlier this week, he said he was “retiring and passing [on] the baton”.
In addition to Bodyline and ARQ, Danesi owns some of the surrounding buildings and has previously tried to sell the properties as a package unsuccessfully.
McNamara said the existing 357 sauna in Sydney’s CBD, owned by couple Ty Dovans and Luke Frappell, would soon shut down while its owners relocate to another location in Sydney’s CBD.
Located at 357 Sussex Steet, the existing 357 is closing due to plans for it to be transformed into an 18-storey hotel.
357 co-owner Dovans told GSN a new location for the original 357 had been found and that he and his partner Frappell were working to open it in the next six to nine months.
In the meantime, Dovans said he and Frappell would be “present” at Sauna X to help run it with McNamara. But Dovans said the pair would have no financial involvement with it.
McNamara said the same events that 357 currently runs would be transferred over to Sauna X.
“We're pretty much going to have the same parties on the same days,” he said.
“Everything will pretty much stay the same.”
This included an all-gender event on Tuesdays. “And that's now become one of our busier days,” McNamara said.
“But, primarily, the other six days of the week are for all cis men and trans men.”
While the current Bodyline business does not have a liquor license, McNamara said he was in the process of submitting an application for one.
He said he was applying for the license after recently completing advanced liquor licensee training.
McNamara also said he had spoken to ARQ’s incoming tenant, Home The Venue, about opening a long-talked-about internal walkway, dubbed the “tunnel of love”, between ARQ and Sauna X.
“So I've already met the representatives from Home and we had a brief chat. The tunnel will definitely be open,” he said.
“I can't confirm a date yet because we're still probably a couple of weeks away from re-opening … under our new brand.
“We’ll then be working with the owners of Home to work out a timeline.”
McNamara said Bodyline’s signage would be taken down soon and an offer would be made to donate it to the recently opened queer museum Qtopia, located just off Oxford Street at the old Darlinghurst police station near Oxford Hotel and Bei Bar & Bistro.
The original 357 sauna opened on December 26, 2001.
Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: [email protected]
