Elite Retreat - CLOSED

Elite Retreat - CLOSED

Elite Retreat - CLOSED

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1 Alfred Street, St Phillips, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS2 0RF

Reported CLOSED (August 2016)

This private members club for men, complete with steam room, sauna and sun terrace, is a discreet venue in the centre of Bristol, a 5-minute walk from Old Market.

Facilities include a hot tub and pool table. An in-house massage therapist is available, with treatment starting at £20. During the summer, Elite Retreat opens up their rooftop garden. Prices starting at £9.
Rate Elite Retreat - CLOSED
2.9
Audience Rating

Based on 45 votes

E
Elite

25-May-2016

Open late on Saturdays

Hiya we would like to invite you to THE ELITE RETREAT LATE OPENING HOURS ON A SATURDAY EVENING! DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND! FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL THE ELITE AND ASK FOR JESSIE.
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Robert

18-Apr-2016

No stars, no return visit.

Boy how wrong can you be. Bristol's premier sauna, well as its all Bristol has to offer would be hard to find somewhere. As dirty, totally not as shown in the pictures. Grubby steam room "gaffer" tape holding the door on! Paint and plaster falling off the walls. Damp and totally nasty place. Sorry nut no stars, no return visit.
E
Elite

2-May-2016

Elite Team

Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay here. We are having the steam room fully repaired this week along side the hot tub which has already been fixed. We ask our customers to inform us of anything that they are unhappy with so we can keep the sauna on top form each day we're open. We hope we have not discouraged you from returning in the near future and checking out our facilities now they have been fully repaired. Many thanks, Elite team.
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David

10-Apr-2016

Down hill

Avoid with at all cost. Dirty, unwelcoming, sadly gone down hill faster than eddy the eagle. Females doing massage's..closing rooms to do so. Won't ever be going again.
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Jon

29-Feb-2016

Friendly and welcoming

I went for the first time last week and will definitely go back. The guys working there were relaxed, easy to talk to, and very welcoming. The steam room, sauna and jacuzzi all worked fine and there were plenty of rooms upstairs. I thought it was a relaxing place to be and look forward to going again.......
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Chris

17-Feb-2016

Friendly and fun

This place is great and I have had many enjoyable times there. It's fun, friendly and I've never come away without getting a little bit of action at least. My experience of the staff have always been that they are warm, friendly and more than willing to talk/chat. When things go wrong occasionally, as they always will do with premises, then people like Jessie have been very innovative in trying to come up with solutions - the day he ran the hose pipe to get hot water into the hot tub being one of my favorite. Likewise I have seen him diligently cleaning up without complaint after other people's messy sessions. Annette is lovely as well .... and yes she's a woman, and yes it's a bi-sauna, but personally having a sexy woman dressed in a PVC outfit (or a warm jumper if it's cold, LOL) just adds to the charm of the place for me. For me, though, you get out of it what you put in. I tend to visit in the day and sometimes it's busy, sometimes it may be quiet. Over the months I've found I meet up with the same people and that's also part of the charm for me. Other times, it might be all strangers, which also can "tick the box" if I'm in that mood. I can also x-dress or not, depending how I feel and everyone is relaxed about that. In short,. if you're thinking of going then do so. If it's your first time then maybe take the time to say Hi to Jessie and Annette, and relax in the hot tub a bit so that you can settle in, which makes wandering upstairs for a potential play all the more easier. Finally if you see a 6ft cross dresser (in heels) then come and say hello to him as well .... he won't bite (much) and promises to be gentle ...lol ..xx
j
john

2-Jan-2016

Friendly staff

Really enjoyed my day there friendly staff always cleaning and I been there today there is hot water however the Jacuzzi was not in order. I spoke to the staff and they stated that some one is coming out this week. Its understandable that things break down and sometimes can't be fixed straight away. It was £13 pound entry however I was let in for £10 pounds and a free drink due the Jacuzzi not been on which was nice.
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Gaz

30-Dec-2015

Mr

Visited just after Christmas - what an utter disappointment it was. The jacuzzi was out of order and there wasn't even any hot water in the building so was freezing cold! Only heating they had was a tiny portable type in main reception. Although the venue was very outdated, remained partially clean. The toilets were absolutely filthy. Upstairs was dingy, but ok. I don't understand why there is carpet around the stairs? Surely that must a health hazard. The stairs on the wall leave a lot to be desired. After speaking to the only other person in there at the time it seems the place has a very high staff turnover. I don't believe this is down to the staff but actually management. I was also told there were 2 couples that worked there which is very nice. It keeps everything together. All in all a very disappointing visit. I think should be be free entry then I would return, otherwise I'll give it a miss and go to lads locker room..
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Jessie

7-Jan-2016

The Elite.

Hi there, extreme apologies for you not having a satisfying day @ The Elite. It was just unfortunate that you came at a time when both our Jacuzzi and boiler were not working! We had our boiler fixed the next day and our Jacuzzi is to be fixed tomorrow 08/01/2016. If not we are having a new one within 4 weeks as this is how long it takes for installation. We had hot water upstairs but not down stairs so we had to improvise with a gas heater so you customers were not cold! However i do have to say that we have cleanliness checks every hour and staff are always going around the sauna to check standards of hygiene. If it was that the toilers were un clean, this would not of been for a long time as we do get some messy customers and our staff would of been cleaning or serving other customers. It takes time and money to renovate the sauna and we have had builders out within the past few days about the current state of the stairs. Myself (Jessie) and Liam are the couple that work here and if you choose too return please speak to us or another member of staff who is on duty to notify us of any issues you have to we can amend them!
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Simon

14-Dec-2015

Needs Tidying Up

Showers often out of action or dirty. Toilet doors inadequate. Very inconsistent really Never seems to be all clean and working. Real shame as when all in order can be good. Never seen any women!
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Jessie

7-Jan-2016

The Elite!

Our shower is in full working order and is cleaned every hour or less dependent on how busy the sauna is and we perform cleaning every hour or less too!! if it is you see something not to your standards please tell a member of staff to have a look!!! It is a gay/bi-sexual mans sauna however we are having a swingers night where women are welcome on the 21st January and then every 3rd Thursday of each month from then on. Apologies for you not been satisfied with your stay! Many Thanks
S
Sam

14-Dec-2015

Consistant attention to detail

I have been visiting Elite Retreat since it first opened (member No 16). It started off well and has varied from excellent to very poor since. As a Bi sexual male I would luv the opportunity to have some MMF fun a "Mistress". The absence of a furnished "darkroom" would also be most welcome.
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Jessie

7-Jan-2016

The Elite

Hi, We have not had our members cards in use for a while now. Myself and Liam have been here at the sauna for the past 6 months and are trying our best to get the place up to scratch!! We are having a swingers nights on the 21st January where women are welcome so come along and have a look at our website for prices ect! Many thanks
m
martin

7-Nov-2015

elite retreat

I have visited elite retreat many times and have had a great time, being bi I have no problem with women being there in fact I find it a turn on and would love to know when they are there. Upstairs is always great fun as well as the sauna and steam room, I look forward to my next visit very soon from Martin x
J
Jason

17-Oct-2015

Elite retreat

Went to the sauna back last year - it was very poor attended. There this week was overly surprised how much its changed the staff are much better the place seems totally different and much cleaner good to see its changed keep it up guys.
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Jessie

7-Jan-2016

The Elite!!

Hi, Brill!! this is the feedback we want to hear! we are trying our best and hope to see you return soon!! Many thanks
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Stephen

5-Aug-2015

Won't be back

Sadly I won't be returning as this sauna has gone from mediocre to bad to bloody awful. The jacuzzi always has dirt at the water line The steam room should be renamed as storage room as it's not working more than it is The staff are either rude [moderated] And the fact there are women in an all gay sauna is quite off putting. I was a regular and kept going back to give it "just one more chance" but every time I have been let down. I will use other saunas now even tho elite was practically on my doorstep. My membership number was 904 before you make out I'm a rival sauna or make believe person.
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Shaun

17-Oct-2015

Positive changes!

Hi, So sorry to hear that you've had such a bad experience here at The Elite Retreat. The premises is under new management and subsequently is being brought back up to date. We have taken the fact of it being dirty into consideration and have now got a full time cleaner. The whole building regularly undergoes through cleaning, likewise with the steam room and hot tub. We're sorry that the hot tub always seemed to have dirty around the water line. We have ensured sufficient training is being provided to our staff in ensuring that the hot tub gets cleaned properly, inside and out. On occasions there may be a female here and we understand that this isn't the best experience. However she is the business owner and she must visit on occasions to ensure the day to day running is appropriate. In reflection of the changes I do sincerely hope you have 'any other try' and see if the changes are sufficient to your needs. Once again, sorry for the bad experience and I hope we see you in the not too distant future. Regards, The Elite Retreat Team.
S
Simon

1-Jul-2015

It's great.

I don't know what the negative reviewers' motivation is but I've been visiting Elite Retreat since it opened & can't fault it. I've never seen it in any way dirty & have never had any problem with the staff who have always been friendly & happy to help. If I were to be critical I would agree better lighting in the hot tub room would be an improvement but maybe some guys prefer it dark? The roof terrace is great, where else can you lie in the sun naked in Bristol? If you're thinking of visiting please don't be put off by the above bad reviews, give it a try & make your own mind up.
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Denis

1-Jun-2015

Never go here

This place is a joke the facilities are discussing, the staff are rude and at times abusive and the drinks were over priced. I am from Newport and I visit Bristol from time to time and I love the city. Broad Mead and Cabort Circus have excellent shops and I love going for drinks at the Queen Shilling and Bent. I took my partner to visit this place on one of their "bears and cubs events" under the assumption that it would be a nice place to spend the afternoon. I was very very very wrong. A woman that appeared to be in charge was rude and unwelcoming. They were playing terrible music that my partner asked them to change multiple times and they refused. The toilets looked like something out of train spotting and again when I mentioned this to the staff they would not even refresh the toilet paper. The customer service was a joke and it made me and my partner feel really very unwelcome. I am going to go to the Green House (my local gay sauna) and warn all of my friends about this place because I feel no one should have to put up with the ordeal that I went though. After spending the afternoon here my partner was so upset that we had a massive argument and he never wants to return to Bristol. Personally I would not say it was quite that horrible but I would not wish a day their upon my worst enemy. Avoid this place. Thanks for read denis
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Dan

5-May-2015

my first time

This was my first ever time to a gay sauna, I was so nervous on the way but arriving there was no one there other than the 2 staff, I was greeted and told no one else was here but to be honest I was quite glad really at the time being so nervous. I was just hoping people would drip in. I'm 20 go to the gym and take care of myself. Seeing that I was on my own and getting a bit bored the lad with black curly hair and glasses joined me (I knew he fancied me) anyway we was in the hot tub talking when he invited me upstairs, by this point I was so horny!. Ps Annette don't tell him off he had good stuff to say about you and your sauna x
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Tim

16-Jan-2015

Awful

This gay sauna was regarded as a welcome alternative in Bristol to the Cottage Sauna when it opened in May 2013. Since then I have been there many times opened but unfortunately it has been neglected by the owners. It has now gone downhill to the point where I would rather drive 40 miles to a decent gay sauna in Newport or Swindon, than go to Elite Retreat again. Elite Retreat is extremely badly managed. As examples, the soap dispensers are frequently empty, towels are not collected; the staff are far more interested in playing their choice of music too loudly than create an atmosphere to suit the customers. Inside the premises are untidy, dirty and mouldy. Much of the floor is covered in blotches of paint. A few months ago I emailed the management to complain about the state of the place – the lavatory doors, the endlessly dripping shower next to the Jacuzzi, and the soaking roof top Astroturf which was so waterlogged that the flat roof below it must have been close to collapse. The result was zero response. No reply. Even now, two of the three toilet doors do not close properly, and the middle shower still sticks on. Recently the web site announced that Elite Retreat would be closed for a few days for improvements. When it reopened the Jacuzzi was not working. It did not work at all for a month. The management make almost no attempt to contact their customers; we were never told via the website or social media that the steam room was going to be closed over two weeks ago, but last time I visited it was. Today I asked if everything was working and was told that it all was except the steam room, which is still not working after 3 weeks. The guy on the door lied; the Jacuzzi is still not working properly; 2 of the four air pump controls do not operate as they should. When Elite Retreat first opened, the Sunday buffet used to be very nice. It included Sushi! It still includes fruit, which is nice but the sushi has been replaced by tasteless white sandwiches, which are clearly made from the cheapest materials. You cannot tell by colour or taste whether you are eating ham or cheese. Even the web site is appalling. It is bland and misleading; the Twitter link is incorrect. Once you find it, you will see that the correct Twitter page has not been updated since May 2013. The Facebook page has not been updated by the proprietors since May 2014. It wrongly states that Elite Retreat is open 24 hours. Two extremely negative reviews were posted on it on 14/1/15 by other customers who have also had enough of the place. I suspect they will be deleted by the owners.
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Matthew

28-Nov-2014

Confusing! Women there as well.

Tried this sauna yesterday. Modern sauna but small. I went upstairs to a ?cruising area and I found that there are women upstairs that are available for straight guys. Someone else there told me that they can be paid for services. Total turn off. And the staff there seem to have a bit of an attitude. Everything seems like a hassle to them.
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Annette

27-Mar-2015

For your attention

I will not be moved by the negative comments regarding my sauna. It is none of the above and never will be. With over 4 thousand happy members I believe that says it all really. Will always have the odd hater but hey Ho I just shake it off and carry on. Thank you to all my wonderful staff and regular members I love you all. Annette
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Calum

26-Oct-2014

Amazing

Absolutely outstanding! Clean, well presented, lots of facilities. I only wish it was 24 Hours on the weekend.

Comments / Reviews are the subjective opinion of Travel Gay users, not of Travel Gay.