熱那亞 的最佳 同志三溫暖

Genoa smells of the sea and of warm focaccia. Its old town is a steep, shadowy maze of caruggi, alleys so narrow the sun barely reaches the washing strung between the walls, and its streets climb the hillside in stepped lanes called salite. It is on one of those, a short walk from the fountain in Piazza De Ferrari, that you'll find the city's sauna. The summary is short: Genoa has one gay sauna, Aqua Club, a small, long-running men's club that opens only in the afternoon and only four days a week. Reviews are mixed, so go for an unhurried afternoon rather than big expectations, and check the hours before you set off.

Legal in one line: Sex between men has been legal in Italy since 1890 and same-sex civil unions since 2016, though there is no full marriage or joint adoption and no national hate-crime law covering sexual orientation. Gay saunas operate legally as private members' clubs, which is why you'll be asked for a membership card.

The card you'll need: ARCO (still often called ANDDOS)

Italian gay saunas and cruise clubs are run as private associations, so entry is for members. Older guides and some directories still talk about the ANDDOS card; Aqua Club is listed by ARCO, today's main national club network, as a member club where ARCO membership is required.

• ARCO's standard AllClubs card is valid for one year from issue at all ARCO clubs in Italy. There's a cheaper Young card for under-27s.
• Visitors who are not Italian citizens can take the reduced-fee Travel card, valid for 90 days.
• Fees are set by each club, and not every club issues every type of card, so ask at the door which ones Aqua Club offers. Bring photo ID.

Keep the card if you're travelling on: it opens the doors of ARCO saunas and clubs across Italy, including Milan and Turin (see below).

Aqua Club: Genoa's sauna

Address: Salita Salvatore Viale 15r (the r means rosso, a red shop number; Genoa numbers shops and homes separately), 16128 Genova, a short walk from Piazza De Ferrari. Phone: 010 553 3098. Email: aquaclubgenova@live.it, according to ARCO.

Our take: Aqua Club is a small neighbourhood sauna with limited hours, not a destination venue. Reviews are mixed, and the complaints are mostly about cleanliness and rooms that aren't hot enough. Go for a quiet couple of hours on a rainy afternoon, not for a big night; if a sauna is the main point of your trip, Milan and Turin have more choice (see below).

ARCO describes it as the city's historic first gay club, with an informal, relaxed atmosphere popular with locals and tourists. It's a men-only club, and Travel Gay and misterb&b both describe it as the only gay sauna in Genoa.



What's inside

ARCO lists a lounge bar, a steam bath and a relaxation area. Travel Gay and misterb&b add a dry sauna, a Turkish bath, a whirlpool, lockers, a video room, private cabins, a maze and a darkroom. Recent visitors also mention the Turkish bath and towel service; one asked for the whirlpool to be switched back on, so don't count on every facility working on the day.

Hours

ARCO gives 15:00–20:00 on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. A recent visitor also reported it closing three days a week and shutting at 20:00, and another said changed hours were posted only on a sign at the entrance. Some directories still show it open until midnight every day except Tuesday. Phone ahead, especially on a weekday.

Prices and payment

No price list is published, so we can't give a current figure. Expect a door charge plus the membership card if you don't already have one. Visitors report that card payment is unreliable (one couldn't pay by card, another found the terminal not working), so bring cash.

What to expect

Keep your expectations modest. Online reviews from 2023 to 2026 are mostly critical, with complaints about cleanliness, cool rooms, few customers and a decline since a change of management, though some reviewers praise the staff, the Turkish bath and the towel service. A May 2026 pair of reviews sums it up: one five stars, one two. It's a small local club, and several reviewers found it nearly empty, so don't expect a crowd. One visitor without a card was turned away, so have your ID ready.

Other names you may see: Genoa has no second sauna in 2026; we found no other bathhouse trading in the city. The men-only cruise bar Lux Club (formerly Lussurian), at Via Sampierdarena 112r, is not a sauna. Its status is unclear: misterb&b now marks it closed and we found no dated 2026 events, while Travel Gay, last updated in May 2025, still shows late-night hours on Wednesday and from Friday to Sunday. Check its social media before making the trip, and see our Genoa cruising guide.

Keep it indoors. Some directories list outdoor cruising in Genoa. Sex in a public place is illegal in Italy and can bring fines of thousands of euros, and local LGBTQ+ sources describe such spots as unsafe. The sauna is the safe, legal option. Parts of the old town, especially the lower lanes around Via Prè and the port, can be rough late at night: stick to busy streets after dark.

A Genoese day around the sauna

The sauna opens at 15:00, and only on Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday according to ARCO, so plan the day around it.

• Morning: breakfast the Genoese way, a square of fugassa (focaccia, glistening with olive oil and salt) dunked in a cappuccino. Then walk Via Garibaldi, the old town's street of palaces.
• Late morning: from Piazza Portello, a few minutes from Via Garibaldi, ride the Castelletto Levante lift up to the Spianata Castelletto, a belvedere with a view over the rooftops of the old town and the port.
• Lunch: trofie al pesto made with Ligurian basil, or farinata, a thin chickpea pancake from a wood oven.
• Afternoon: if it rains, this is when the sauna makes most sense. Aqua Club is a short walk from Piazza De Ferrari.
• Evening: aperitivo near Piazza De Ferrari: walk a few minutes down into the old town to Piazza delle Erbe for a spritz as the caruggi come alive. For later, our Genoa bars guide covers Virgo Discoclub, the Saturday-night gay disco in Sampierdarena, and the queer-friendly bars of the caruggi.
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Aqua Club Di Moroni C.

More choice within reach: Milan and Turin

If Aqua Club is closed, or you want more choice, Milan and Turin are an easy day trip by train. The fastest trains to Milan take about 1 hour 30 minutes; to Turin, about 1 hour 45 minutes, with many trains taking longer. Both cities have saunas in the ARCO network, so the card you bought in Genoa (or the 90-day Travel card) works there too:

• Milan: Metrò Sauna Milano, Via G. Schiaparelli 1, a men-only club that ARCO says has been part of the city's gay history since the 1990s; and Fenix Sauna, Via Oropa 3.
• Turin: 011 Sauna Club, Via Messina 5/D, a men-only club that ARCO describes as a basement space of about 800 square metres in a former factory.

Check each club's ARCO page for current opening hours before you travel.

Practical tips

• Getting there: Genoa's single metro line runs from Brin through Principe, San Giorgio and Sarzano/Sant'Agostino to De Ferrari and Brignole. Get off at De Ferrari for the short walk to the sauna. Genova Brignole and Genova Piazza Principe are the main railway stations.
• Timing: the sauna closes at about 20:00, so arrive by mid-afternoon. With such short hours, you won't need night transport to get home; if you head on to Sampierdarena later for the disco, take a taxi.
• Cash and ID: bring euros in small notes and your passport or ID card for the membership card.
• Language: reception staff may speak little English, so the words below help.
• Apps: Grindr and Romeo are both used in Genoa.
• Health: Arcigay Genova, at Via del Lagaccio 92R, can tell you where to get an HIV test in the city. If a condom breaks, PEP must start within 72 hours: go to a hospital emergency department (pronto soccorso).

Liguria Pride

Liguria Pride 2026 was held in Genoa on Saturday 13 June, under the theme "Quella volta che la paura era dappertutto e ci ripensammo tempesta". Marchers gathered at 15:00 in Via San Benedetto, near Principe station, and set off at 16:00 along Via Balbi, Piazza Corvetto and Via XX Settembre to Piazza De Ferrari, a few minutes from the sauna. The party carried on in the Pride Village between De Ferrari and the Giardini Luzzati, with concerts and an official after-party at Banano Tsunami. The 2027 date hadn't been announced at the time of writing. Next summer, Italy also hosts EuroPride 2027 in Turin, from 18 to 26 June 2027, and your ARCO card works at the clubs there too.

A few words of Italian

• Tessera – membership card. Ce l'ho / non ce l'ho – I have one / I don't have one.
• Sono straniero, posso fare la Travel card? – I'm a foreigner, can I get the Travel card?
• Ingresso – entry. Quanto costa? – how much is it?
• Si può pagare con la carta? – can I pay by card?
• Oggi siete aperti? – are you open today? (useful on the phone)
• Asciugamano – towel. Ciabatte – flip-flops. Armadietto – locker.
• Bagno turco – steam room. Idromassaggio – whirlpool.
• No, grazie – no, thanks. It works anywhere in a sauna.
• Belin! – Genoa's famous all-purpose exclamation. Best saved for when you know someone.

At a glance

Frequently asked questions

Is there a gay sauna in Genoa?

Yes, one: Aqua Club, at Salita Salvatore Viale 15r, a short walk from Piazza De Ferrari. It is a small, men-only neighbourhood sauna with short afternoon hours, so keep your expectations modest.

What are Aqua Club's opening hours?

According to ARCO, it opens four afternoons a week, Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, from 15:00 to 20:00. Other directories show longer hours, so phone 010 553 3098 before you go.

Do I need a membership card for the Genoa sauna?

Yes. Aqua Club is an ARCO member club and ARCO membership is required. Bring photo ID; visitors who are not Italian citizens can ask for the 90-day Travel card, which also works at other ARCO clubs in Italy.

Is Aqua Club in Genoa still open in 2026?

It appears to be. It is still on ARCO's club list with current opening days, and visitors were posting reviews in May 2026. Reviews are mixed, though, so check the hours by phone and manage your expectations.

When is Liguria Pride in Genoa?

In June. Liguria Pride 2026 was held on Saturday 13 June, with the parade leaving Via San Benedetto at 16:00 and ending in Piazza De Ferrari. The 2027 date had not been announced at the time of writing; EuroPride 2027 takes place in Turin from 18 to 26 June 2027.

Part of the GayOut saunas series. See the full gay Genoa guide for bars, hotels, restaurants and organisations, plus our Genoa bars and Genoa cruising guides.