Turkish Bathhouses in Places around the World: Budapest

[ Originally posted on one of my personal blogs in 2005 and slightly revised for posting today at the Dudesnude Travel forum]

P.S. It's one of the best reasons to actually keep a blog (or several in my case) because one can quickly share
your former experiences or perspectives by just going back into your public (or private) digital memory bank.

In 2005, I went to my first Turkish baths (hamman) on a trip

to Eastern Europe that summer. I started in Munich, and made my way to Prague (Czech

Republic), Krakow (Poland), Budapest (Hungary), Zagreb & Rijecka ( Croatia), and Vienna (Austria) using a Eurail pass. Of course, I had been to dozens of gay sauna/bathhouses before, and to bathhouses/spa in Austria, Japan, Greece, Franc

was the Kiraly Baths in Budapest but there are in fact several of them.e, Spain, Benelux, and the USA, and other places, and I always make it a point to find out what's available before I reach a destination.

But it was my first time to go to an actual Turkish bath (or hamman), which strictly speaking on simply age-old public baths dating from before the Roman times.

My first visit to an authentic Turkish bath was to Kiraly Bath in Budapest, Hungary.

On a future trip someday, I want to visit Budapest again and go also to the outdoor nudist pool,

Palatinus, located on Margaret Island (or Margit Island, MargitSziget) in the middle of the river

that separates Buda and Pest, two halves of this medieval city. The island is also home to a great park and hosts many events, such as Budapest Gay Pride.

Kiraly Baths was open Tues/Thurs/Sat are men-only days. Women have M/W/F. A bathing suit is required (maybe because this was Hungary or

maybe all Turkish baths require them). It was also a very old place-- dating back hundreds of years to the Ottoman empire. It was cheap enough -- 4-5 dollars to get in - although I did not realize that there was a 3 hour time limit - so I had to pay extra when I left. Things are pretty conservative - since it is Turkish and also a straight men's bath for relaxing and health/therapy.
But don't think for a minute that sex between men and a great opportunity for flashing did not go on.. At least at this time sex wasn't everywhere but it did exist, I know because I engaged in sex with several men there. I was very glad to get the experience too for cultural reasons to help me understand a modern Islamic state that is a democracy (at least mostly so).
I really did not know what it was actually going to be like -- so I didn't get my expectations up too high .. however, overall, I was very pleased with the experience.

-- You stop now and go the my blog on Justusboys.com / members / sunbuns99
(put it all together without spaces, however, there is no search function so you'll need to find it on page 17 of my rather lengthy blog).
After you pay cashier, you drop you ticket off with the guy at the inner door and are directed to the men's dressing room. Inside, there are separate cubicles where you undress and where you leave your belongs.
That was a bit disappointing because I thought that there would be ample opportunity to flash (or to see guys undressing).

An attendant has a separate key to double lock your cubicle (supposedly to prevent theft - but more likely to prevent guys from inviting another into his rather spacious cubicle for sex.) Also they mark the time you enter on the cubicle door, so they know how long you have stayed (and thus can charge you extra -- which I figure goes directly into the attendant's pocket). That was money for hidden extra that was referred to by parade15 above: "the massage men ask for baksheesh." More correctly, everyone is always asking for money that they are SURE you owe them (simply because you (the customers) is too ignorant to know and too bashful or ashamed to deny them it).

When I was initially at the cashier's, I had thought about getting an oil massage, but figured the

baths themselves would be relaxing enough. I hadn't realized that the masseurs were in need of work and had a trick to get customers (the A big guy in late 20s wrapped in a towel was the first to greet me when I climbed the stairs and entered the men's dressing room. He pointed out an empty cubicle and asked me to change and to leave my things. When I came out he was back, and then directed me back into a side room off just off of the rest area -- a large room with 20 or more lounge chairs. The cubicle attendant showed up then and double locked the door.

The masseurs seem to have a ruse to give an unsuspecting customer a massage, but in my case, I was actually vaguely aware of the trick (I has travelled a lot in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, etc), and had similar experiences in Muslim countries (or should I say Middle Eastern and Central Asian - where the economy of barter/trade is quite an art). So I knew they would probably charge me extra for a massage, but it was just 5-6 dollars extra so really would be worth it. What convinced me was the fact that when we got back to the massage room there was another guy getting one from an older masseur. The guy getting a massage was on his back and had on his swim trunks.

My masseur asked me to lie down on the table and when I started climb up, he said, "Take off you swim pants." When I sort of hesitated and looked over to double check the other guy and his masseur, the big guy reached up and pulled down one said of my trunks and repeated, "Take these off, please." I was immediately convinced that this was an excellent chance to flash and to feel great while it happened.

I stripped and tossed my trunks aside and got up on the table face down and buttocks up. My cock swelled up just a bit once it was free and being observed so I adjusted it backward (so as to be seen). My masseur started immediately rubbing my legs and moved up calves to thighs and then my butt. It was a turn-on to be the only one lying there naked.. my masseur had a towel around his waist and so did the other one; the guy on the next table was an older gentleman, so I figured that my masseur was being selective and wanted a chance to see the goodies on a young more fit guy-- not his typical client on a Tuesday afternoon (or maybe he know intuitively that I would not refuse the chance to be massaged in the nude).

Of course, I got a semi-boner as he worked my legs and came up to my hamstrings and then my buttocks. After about 5 minutes, he asked "do you want some oil" - -I think this was the way to confirm my permission to give a full massage because when I said yes, he added, "it will take about 30 minutes, OK?" So I knew by then it would cost me, but it was worth it (and not much anyway after all ). It felt cool being kind of seduced into getting a massage and having it done in the nude when other guys came in and out of the adjoining room made it a rare treat for it to be totally acceptable to be naked and even erect in front of several men.
After he worked his way up to my head and neck, he asked me to turn over. I knew it was not use concealing my boner - I was not fully hard, but did become so once I was turned over and knew he could see me and so could anybody else who entered the rest-area immediately adjoining (no door just an open archway between the rooms).

That was truly hot and exciting.. but after a few more minutes the massage got me relaxed and my erection cooled down to a less obvious state of excitement. Before long the massage was over and he then said it was finished and then asked for the 3300 forints for the oil massage (same price as was listed at the cashier's when I came in). Margit Island
No complaints from me.. it was a very hot experience -- sort like being force stripped and teased into sexual excitement and then out of it.. a truly Turkish afternoon delight.

I have left out the part about sex in the baths themselves.. but it may have changed since 2005, as one of the guys above has warned. However, I suspect that that kind of clandestine behavior is very hard to clamp down upon -- no pun intended.