Top Floor · 2 Union Street · PL1 2SR / South West
01
Contact & Socials
02 Opening Hours
06 Facilities
What's inside
Facilities
| Adult Cinema/Video Lounge | Bar (Licensed) |
| Dark Room | Lockers |
| Lounge/Rest Area | Private Cabins/Cubicles |
| Steam Room | Wet Room/Showers |
| Sauna |
Sauna, Steam and Showers
The wet area centres on a 12-person dry sauna built from Obeche hardwood and a 25-person steam room — one of the largest in any UK gay sauna according to the venue. A dedicated shower area serves both. All wet facilities are available throughout opening hours.
Licensed Bar and Social Areas
A fully licensed bar serves beers, ciders, wines, spirits, cocktails, and alcohol-free options. The lounge and chill-out area doubles as a social space with views across the city to Cornwall. A cinema room with multi-tier seating sits at the heart of the venue.
Private and Cruising Spaces
The venue includes several private cabins with locks, low-light dark rooms, and dedicated video rooms. These are purpose-built spaces designed for privacy and discretion.
Changing and Storage
Secure lockers and clean changing areas are provided for all visitors.
07 Events & Themed Sessions
What's on
Events & Themed Sessions
08 Reviews
What visitors say
Reviews
Manticore Spa is Plymouth’s only gay sauna, and visitor feedback consistently highlights the friendly atmosphere, clean facilities, and welcoming staff as the venue’s defining strengths.
Staff are the most frequently praised aspect of the venue. Visitors describe the team as warm, approachable, and genuinely helpful — a recurring factor in making first-time visitors feel at ease from the moment they arrive.
The venue is regularly described as laid-back and non-judgemental, with visitors noting the absence of attitude or pressure. Long-term regulars particularly value the body-positive, community-driven feel over more impersonal alternatives.
Cleanliness is a common positive theme. Visitors frequently comment on well-maintained facilities and a venue that is clearly looked after throughout.
Reviewers regularly highlight the reasonable entry and bar prices. The £18 standard entry (£12 for under-25s) with no membership fee is seen as solid value, particularly within the local Plymouth community.
Weekend sessions draw a sociable mix. Saturday event nights (Naked Blackout, Blackout Jocks) attract the busiest crowds, and visitors describe the atmosphere as easygoing and approachable even at peak times.
> Based on publicly available reviews from Google Reviews and TravelGay as of March 2026. Monitored by gaysaunas.co.uk.
Read our guide Gay Sauna Reviews: Understanding Fair Feedback & Review Etiquette
Based on Google Reviews as of June 2026.
09 About
About
Manticore Spa – Plymouth
Manticore Spa is Plymouth’s only gay sauna, on the top floor of 2 Union Street in the city centre. The entrance is at the rear of the building, shared with Genting Casino — press the buzzer marked Manticore Spa at the ground-floor glass door. Open five days a week (Friday to Tuesday), the venue runs a late-night session on Saturday until 4am, with Friday open until midnight. Themed events run most weeks, including Naked Mondays, Naked Blackout nights, and regular T-Girls & Admirers sessions. Facilities include a 12-person dry sauna, a 25-person steam room (one of the largest in any UK gay sauna), a licensed bar, cinema room, private cabins, and a lounge with views across Plymouth to Cornwall. Entry is £18 standard or £12 for under-25s, pay on the door, no membership required.
Plymouth sits at the southwestern tip of Devon, and Manticore Spa serves a catchment that stretches across two counties. There’s no other gay sauna in Devon and nothing in Cornwall, so men travel significant distances to get here. Exeter is about an hour’s drive up the A38, Torquay around 35 minutes, and Bodmin in Cornwall roughly 40 minutes across the Tamar. Visitors from Truro and Newquay make the trip too — both are around an hour and a quarter away. For anyone searching for a gay sauna in Devon, a gay sauna near Plymouth, or a gay sauna in Cornwall, Manticore is the answer.
The venue’s Union Street location puts it in the heart of Plymouth city centre, close to the railway station and well served by buses. Plymouth is the last major city before Cornwall, and that geographic isolation works in Manticore’s favour — it’s the only venue of its kind between Bournemouth and Bristol to the east, making it a genuine regional destination for gay and bisexual men across the far South West.
10
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