PLUTO Sauna Essen

I've been a regular at the PLUTO Sauna in Essen for a long time and have visited many times. That's why I was so disappointed by the behavior of a staff member in the bar area during my last visit. The incident occurred last Sunday. The employee in question arrived relatively late for his shift, the late shift, as far as I know. That evening, I occasionally whistled quietly and cheerfully for a few seconds at a time—by no means continuously, loudly, or disturbingly to other guests. Nevertheless, I was told in an unpleasantly brusque tone to stop because the employee "couldn't handle" it. He even explicitly stated that he felt "triggered" by the whistling. I then asked, quite normally and objectively, about the reason for this alleged whistling ban, as there seemed to be no comprehensible reason for it. Instead of receiving a reasonable explanation, the tone became increasingly condescending and arrogant, in my opinion. Even though it wasn't said verbatim, the way he communicated conveyed the message: "If you don't stop, you can leave." Another guest who witnessed the situation also found the behavior borderline unfriendly. The employee in question—short, somewhat stocky, with black hair and a full black beard—clearly hadn't been working there very long. I, on the other hand, have been visiting Pluto Sauna for several years and, despite the normal staff turnover, have never encountered such an unfriendly employee. On the contrary, the rest of the staff have always been friendly, respectful, and pleasant to deal with. I've always had particularly good experiences with employees like Roy, Ahmed, and Stefan. That's precisely why this behavior struck me as so extremely negative. The employee's behavior completely ruined my mood that evening. I left the sauna much earlier because the experience was simply no longer enjoyable for me. In addition, I now find some of the rules and their enforcement to be contradictory. On the one hand, things like banning bags or cell phones are strictly enforced, while on the other hand, as a long-time guest, I sometimes get the impression that other issues are handled much more leniently. This perceived double standard is unfortunately causing increasing misunderstanding and frustration. Long-time guests, in particular, desire fair, transparent, and respectful treatment, rather than selective strictness regarding relatively minor matters. I find it very discouraging to be reprimanded for a short, quiet, and cheerful whistle. Such behavior makes the visit unnecessarily unpleasant and, unfortunately, makes one feel less welcome. I expect a respectful and professional tone in a sauna and restaurant environment—especially towards guests who behave appropriately and spend money there regularly. This experience has unfortunately had a significantly negative impact on my visit.

Cleanest sauna ever! I was greeted warmly at the entrance and given a brief overview of the facilities. A towel and flip-flops were provided, I quickly changed, and then set off to explore. You can "relax" here over three floors. I found the sauna in the basement to be the best. Around midday, there were mostly older men present, who could be quite annoying. Around 9 pm, the guests become noticeably younger, and the staff regularly restocks supplies and empties the trash. It was always clean everywhere. The drinks at the bar were very reasonably priced. The large pool is cold, really cold, feels like 6 cm, but is actually only 4 cm deep 😉. The pool in the basement is a little warmer. In conclusion: a visit is worthwhile, but only in the evening, in my opinion! Everyone has different tastes, after all.

GREAT SAUNA TIME

Ever since my first visit, I've been absolutely thrilled with the Pluto sauna. I highly recommend it. I'm very grateful that it was recommended to me.

Very nice sauna. Lots of people, guys of all ages. The jacuzzi water was a bit cold. I had a great time during my visit.

Beware: Arbitrary service and blatant lies! I was here on May 1st between 7:30 and 8:00 AM. Although they advertise themselves as "open all day," the employee (Ahmet) told me there was neither food nor alcohol because he was "alone" and simply "didn't feel like" preparing anything. But the best part is yet to come: Just 15 minutes later, he casually served another customer a fresh pizza. When I confronted him about it, he suddenly changed his tune: He acted extremely friendly and innocent and said, of his own accord, that they were "now serving food again." First, you're blatantly lied to and sent away, and as soon as you catch him in the lie, he plays "innocent" to make himself look good. Absolutely unprofessional and manipulative behavior. Anyone wanting to eat here is apparently at the mercy of the staff's mood and good spirits. Never again!

The patrons of this otherwise lovely sauna deserve a sauna with better staff and service. While this sauna wants to make money from its customers, it refuses to discuss a problem. Numerous attempts to contact them went unanswered. Finally, after an unfriendly phone call, I received an even more unfriendly reply by email. Although the staff referred me to management, they refused to discuss the issue of discrimination based on appearance any further. Without even hearing from either side. They've made their decision, and that's final. This is a huge disappointment within a community where we specifically don't want to be judged by appearance or chance.

I'm quite satisfied and always happy to come back. That's pretty much all there is to say about it for now. :D But I have a small suggestion for improvement regarding the Monday vouchers: Even though it's really very rare, perhaps you could check whether the expiry date falls on a special day. For example, someone who received a voucher yesterday (April 27th) has an expiry date of May 25th. However, that's a public holiday this year, so it's probably not valid. Perhaps in such cases, the date could be moved forward or backward by a week, so that no one is left wondering.

In previous years, the whirlpool was always wonderfully warm, but this time, after a long time, the water wasn't warm at all, not even close to being warm like it used to be. It's a shame, it was always so lovely, and the fantastic whirlpool was what made the Pluto Sauna so special for me. My friends, who I was with, also said they found it too cold, and that it had been so cold the last few days, so they didn't want to use the whirlpool. Otherwise, it's a nice gay sauna with very friendly staff.

Pluto is the best gay sauna here in North Rhine-Westphalia. I drive 120 kilometers for it. Very friendly, attentive staff, and the sauna is very clean! The staff goes out of their way to make your stay pleasant. I've been going there for over 10 years, and it's always a great experience! Thank you for your dedication!

On Sunday I was at Pluto Sauna again 👍 as always, a wonderful visit to Germany's No. 1 sauna 👍 A very kind and much appreciated gesture was that all hot drinks were free. And it was also very relaxing and enjoyable in the small dry sauna. Many thanks to the fantastic Pluto team, you guys are, as always, amazing!!!

A month ago I was at Pluto, and after a year, I've noticed that one of my favorite places has continued to deteriorate. Therefore, I'm deducting five stars. Unfortunately, I have to leave one star so I can even post this review. That star definitely goes to the very friendly and attentive staff – a bright spot on the horizon. Albeit the only one. 1. The smartphone ban in the bar area has been in effect for over a year. This means that if you want to use your smartphone (for example, I like to edit social media videos on it in my free time), you have to order your Aperol Spritz in a plastic cup and then try to find a spot in the hallway where you don't disturb other people getting dressed. You'll inevitably run into other guests sitting there for the same reason. I simply can't understand why smartphones are allowed in the very place where people are completely undressing. 2. Another downside is the music. The owner isn't interested in creating a comfortable atmosphere in the bar area with deep house music (like what's offered at Deepershades of House, for example). Instead, we're subjected to loud, drug-inducing music, making it impossible to truly relax. And no, I don't want to come on Chill Tuesday. It would be appropriate to adjust the music every day so that it's consistently lounge or deep house, not just disturbing the ears of the guests but also those of the staff. 3. I always carry my own silicone-based lubricant and condoms in a small purse, but I've discovered that this isn't allowed or even prohibited. I don't want to carry my lubricant and condoms around just because the owner thinks the purse is being used as a drug pack. This double standard—"We don't tolerate drugs on the premises, but we offer drug-inducing music as entertainment"—is unbearable for me. And no, I don't want to use the cheap, water-based lubricant (which eventually dissolves in the rectum and causes the condom to chafe uncomfortably against the intestinal wall) or the inexpensive condoms offered by the sauna. As a grown man, I want to make my own decision about how and with what I protect myself and others. It's embarrassing enough that I even have to explain this publicly! 4. The whirlpool at Pluto used to be a surefire way to warm up in winter. During my visit four weeks ago, and again during Carnival, the water was lukewarm rather than warm, and I had to warm up in the bio sauna after using the whirlpool. Unbelievable. 5. The French toilet was still only usable with cold water during Carnival and again four weeks ago. While Babylon and Phoenix have renovated their restrooms, Pluto doesn't seem to care about them. Conclusion: During my visit, I felt harassed by prohibitions and regulations, only to find that I was bothered by loud music in the bar area (where I wasn't even welcome with my smartphone anyway), a whirlpool with lukewarm water, and a broken, essential sanitary facility. It's sad how such a beautiful sauna has deteriorated so drastically. I suspect the operator will offer the same "Yes, but..." explanation as last year.

Best gay sauna in Germany. I was there on Thursday evening and really enjoyed it. Using my social media password got me a discounted entry. The very friendly staff offered intense sauna infusions in the evening. Just be careful with your towels, or they'll disappear. Perhaps Pluto Sauna could improve this a bit (e.g., different colored towels, more and better storage space, one free towel exchange per visit). I'll definitely be back.