The Steamy Part Of Sydney Cruising Culture Putting Us On The Map

Sydney may not be one of the best cruising destinations in the world, but our little city is outdoing some major queer heavy-hitters when it comes to one steamy category.

Sydney has come in in at number 12 in Erobella‘s 2025 Global Gay Cruising Index, ranking the best cities in the world for the time-honoured gay tradition of anonymous gay sex. Cities are scored depending on the number of gay saunas, fetish/cruising clubs, gay bars, and public parks, before receiving a final score out of 40.

Coming out on top are London, Berlin, and Paris, with Madrid following closely behind, before scores begin to drop below 20.

Sydney received a pretty measly score of 10 out of a possible 40 points, getting only one point each for our clubs, gay bars, and public parks, but when it comes to saunas, we beat out some of the big names like Berlin and New York.

Glenn McNamara from Sauna X says that although the state of cruising in Sydney has changed, saunas have become central to the culture as it exists today.

“Building on the legacy of 357, we’ve created a celebrated and awarded space where every man belongs,” he said. “Whether it’s to relax, share a drink, explore, or dive into nightlife with our unique tunnel to Aura Nightclub.

“We also recognise that many men are experiencing digital fatigue from apps — ghosting, safety concerns, even crime — and are seeking real connections again. Saunas provide that safe alternative.”

Reclaiming and expanding gendered spaces for the whole queer spectrum

Rave Temple, who run all-gendered queer parties across saunas in Sydney and Melbourne say Sydney still has a long road ahead when it comes to sex-on-premises venues.

“In Melbourne, the process to legalise SOP venues is relatively straightforward. In Sydney, it’s nearly impossible, costing thousands of dollars and an unnecessary need to jump through countless hoops,” they said “Being deeply invested in queer sexual freedom, we feel this every day, trying to host our events.”

Through events like their newly launched FREQs party at a local men’s fetish playspace, Rave Temple say they hope their events reclaim and expand these spaces for the whole queer spectrum.

“We curate our advertising, our team and our lineups to include trans, fat, black, brown and disabled bodies to create a clear message that fetish, sex, and kink belong to everyone. We are proud to be doing this in our work and we want to see the diversity of our community represented and welcomed in the sex positive revolution in Sydney and globally.”