Welcome to TheBearProject!
We are a local gay community group where size matters. Our events aim to create a friendly environment where bears, cubs, “G-men” and other stocky and big-sized men – as well as the guys who love them – can hang out, exchange ideas and ming
le.

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The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision.
~Lynn Lavner

Sunday, July 1, 2007

New Recreational Club in Town: The Ten Men's Recreational Club (A non-comprehensive review)

Why I Did What I Had To Do

The very 1st thing that VitalAuto asked me about this place was that, "What does Ten Mens mean? Men is already plural what... why got another 'S' there..." You know what VitalAuto, I went to Google up & down the internet right, I couldn't find any significance on the word 'Ten mens'. If anyone knows the significance, please share... heheh..

So I think there have been a couple of re-shuffles of management here and there recently, like X'pose now had become 'Same' and I heard Diamond went to tap into the straight-men market, as in they stopped branding themselves as being a Gay sauna anymore. Thats good isn't it, at least the market is moving and evolving... Which also means that crowds will disperse and form new ones.

So there I was after contemplating for awhile to go there since I had nothing better to do on a late Sunday afternoon... no no its not an excuse ok... Well I was just curious and thought maybe I could do a review of the place since it has termed itself a Bear Sauna.


The Review

1st thing 1st, if you are very unsure where this place is, its actually a level below Mox. It used to be a lesbian bar but now its mixed... Anyways, you just take the same lift but stop at level 3 and the entrance is directly just outside the lift area. It reminded me Rainbow Sauna in Hong Kong... or maybe some Saunas in Bangkok can't remember. So its quite private as it is. The only downside I can ever think of, is that when you accidentally bump into your fellow friends in the lift on one of your 'discreet-escape' to the sauna. That is if they're on their way to Mox and your not hahah... But of cos, you can always pretend that you're gonna join them at Mox anyway. :P

The entrance fee I had to pay is $18, $8 for entry and the other $10 is membership. It should be a one-time payment for the membership and members will be able to enjoy promotions at a later time. The membership card is quite professionally done! Its plastic & discreet too! Not those cheapo cardboard paper material.

There will be someone to escort you to the locker area (if they think you're new) and briefly just explain to you where the steam room is, where to smoke, the darkrooms etc. The lounging area is pretty spacious, with new comfy sofas and a big LCD tv smack on the wall where you can watch movies. The bar counter is also quite nicely done except for the fact that they don't serve soft drinks or coffee (maybe not yet), and 2 stale-looking plates of pastries sitting there. Oh they do have drinking water... but its almost empty most of the time. One thing I thought was really jarring was the PC monitor where you can surf the internet was placed smack on the bar counter and everyone will be able to see what you're surfing... Shouldn't there be some level of privacy?

The locker area is very nicely done actually, intuitively designed and not just straight blocks. They're actually curvy. Not too bright and not too dark, just nice to see yourself while changing and other things you want to see! The lockers are new, clean and spacious and the management STRESSES on SAFE SEX! The condoms and lubricants are dutifully provided and placed neatly alongside these mini-cards that provided information about AIDS and reminds you about safe-sex once again. This is good, cos I think its time we grow up a little, instill a little bit of that knowledge & responsibility in our brains. There are just too many ignorant people out there who not only harm themselves but also others.

Ok I think I talked too much... So I went for a smoke out at the balcony which is open-aired, like a corridor where the toilets were and bamboo blinds are used to cover up the place so that nobody can really see what the heck goes on there. The toilets are clean enough, and the impressive thing that I noticed was that there were big shower-heads coming out from the ceilings, and liquid soap is provided as well! That means... you can practically shower & shit at the same time! How convenient is that? Well of cos when they showers are full, you can use the toilets to shower instead... Or whatever sick fantasies you have. Oh, also the floors are a little slippery so thread with care. So thats that...

Oh I failed to fully check out the steam rooms cos... well I got a little intimidated by some people there so I left early. But I had a glimpse... dark and steamy... Went in less than 5 seconds then I stepped out. It smelled clean, nothing slimy nor gooey on the floor... (Yet...) So since its still new, seems like it is the best time to visit.
But all in all its still better than many other saunas I've been to. *oops* Hmm what else... The most important part of that place which I didn't go to... were the dark rooms and the *ahem* rooms where you play. I guess I wasn't adventurous enough today. (Too many scary looking guys standing awaiting their 'catch' by the door ways...) But the rooms look functional. So for those who will be visiting this club, do let me know how the darkrooms and play-rooms are. :P


Conclusion

So to wrap up, I think Tenmensclub did a good job in the decor and packaging of the experience. However, I felt that they're lacking abit of that essential experience in running a Sauna, probably they were under-staffed. I Don't know, just felt they could have done a better job since it was their 1st opening day... Oh one more thing, its always good if they can attract different groups of bears or variety of bears there. Cos I realized... that place seemed like A Day-Time Oso Bar... I'm not exaggerating... Anyways, do visit Ten Men's Club and experience it for yourselves!

Follow the link for more information! http://www.tenmensclub.com/

yours critically,
Asimov_22

*The author of this post apologize if he had offended the management in any circumstance. The purpose of this review is not to put-down any organization but only providing a different degree of perception for the bloggers. They are entitled to their own opinions and so do the author.

30 comments:

VitalAuto said...

was smsing with alaskan, our bear/chub circle is so small. not sure if another bear sauna would work at all. like what asimov said, it's the same group of ppl from oso bar. what are the chance of meeting a stranger to have an anonymous encounter?

Anonymous said...

Ten Mens Club...

Other than the fact (or fantasy?) that we wanna see more 'S'es, could it be another unfortunate incident similar to 'LA Bear' - the now non-existent pub/bar/hang-out place in KL? (correct me if i'm wrong)

A little bird told me 'LA Bear' was supposed to be 'Le Bear' which makes more sense since 'le' is the article used before a masculine noun and 'la' is the article used before a feminine noun. OK.. enough rambling. What I'm trying to say is...

Why the spelling like dat? Typo izzit?

Sorry I had to bitch about this... Got bitten by an Aedes-wannabe mozzie.

Anonymous said...

Just wait for the pups to become cubs. Cubs and bears are in the same family aren't they? :-p

Anonymous said...

well, i think it is ten men's club, as in a club owned by ten men or shareholders... u know, men's club, men's health, etc... the apostrophe really makes all the difference and omitting it can cause a lot of understandable confusion...

VitalAuto said...

heh heh don't think they will reject what "creatures"... pup, cub, bear, monkey... :) I know two pups, both cute :)

Anonymous said...

Mi@w, you sound as if you're writing the obituary of Ten Mens already. :)

I mean, give the fledgling club a break, will ya? They just opened yesterday, for crying out loud! I believe they deserve to be given a chance to thrive in this small confined space of ours.

LA Bear is such a bad comparison to Ten Mens. LB is so wrong right from the start...bad food, bad location, and it's neither a restaurant nor a bar. In short, they seemed to be neither here nor there. I believe Ten Mens has got its direction all set. It's a club for people to meet and get it on and it's nestled in between two pretty happening clubs. So, I'd say they got the location right.

Now, let's debunk the myth that is Ten Mens. Ten is actually a Jap word for "sky", and Men is actually a Jap word for "gate"...so it loosely translates to "Gate to Heaven"? I have no idea about the extra "s". Probably they wanna make it sound like "Ten Men's Club".

I say, typo or not, let's just be happy that there's an additional place for us to hang out and be ourselves. It's really not too long ago that we were hard-pressed to find a place like this to waste away our weekends, you know? :)

TheBearProject said...

Wow sundevil,
Thanks for the revelation about the word 'Ten Men'. It could very well be true that this is what they wanted for their name to be, Heaven's Gate. I don't think they are catering to the abstract idea of having '10 men' as a symbol. Heaven's Gate sounds more logical.

Never heard of this La Bear place... sounds pretty bad. But Location wise, it can be a very good start for them. However, I've got a feeling that its much more prone to police raids. Provided that they maintain and build a good reputation. Being squeezed in between high-profiled clubs can prove both at an advantage or a disadvantage.

gareth said...

i know what a cub is, but what is a pup?

VitalAuto said...

think it's between wolf and cub?!!

gareth said...

but musclepup is actually a cub and not a pup right?

gareth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I believe 'gate' in Japanese should be 'mon', not 'men'. 'Men' in Jap can be face, mask, noodles and probably some other meaning. Heavenly noodles anyone?

VitalAuto said...

hahaha we are more interested in the name and not the club! :p salah!

Anonymous said...

Yup, I'm talking about the name of the club. I would think it is unlikely that they named it Ten Mens with Japanese in mind, as what sundevil suggested. It would be a typo, or they are calling the club 'Heavenly noodles'

TheBearProject said...

Hahaha Heavenly noodles~ Cos these noodles could be either fresh, going in from the mouth or *gulp* coming out while you're... Well Im sure VitalAuto knows what I mean...

Now you wonder what exactly 'Heavenly' meant haha...

Anonymous said...

Sundevil, I'm not slamming the poor club lah. The mozzie made me write that....

Actually I'm kind of glad there's a new establishment to hang out at.

And sg_pub, if the cat can go play there, you can too.... :)

Anonymous said...

Ooops... I meant sg_pup, sorry.
See the mozzie is doing it again...

TheBearProject said...

mi@w, you're having mozzie fever ah? How are you coping with it?

Anonymous said...

asimov, it was just a scare. Had dengue 2 years back, and recently had the same signs, so a bit scared. But I'm ok already. Thanks....

Must blame the mozzie for something mah.... And I'm bored at home hehehe
Talk about being drama... Sundevil hor :)

TheBearProject said...

Can I ask, Sundevil & mi@w = friends (in real life)? No? Just curious...

Anonymous said...

asimov, to clear the air...
Been there, done that....
(Hope I got the correct person though hehehe)
Will the real Sundevil please stand up?

VitalAuto said...

Mi@w Mi@w Hihi!

Anonymous said...

I've only been gone for half a day and I've got people in here slandering me. :(

Mi@w, yeah..go on...blame everything on the mozzie. From the looks of it, I'm sure you got stung on the ass by the mozzie cos' you sounded very anal.

By the way, do I even know you? Are you sure you got the correct person? "Been there, done that"? Been where and done what? Please stop acting like you know me, ok! Cos' this guy right here...this SunDevil...is as real as it can get !

Anonymous said...

Asimov, if given a choice, I'll go with Heavenly Noodles anytime over Heaven's Gate.

Heaven's Gate is a name of a cult in San Diego CA and all members committed suicide a decade ago because they believed an UFO trailing behind the Hale-Bopp comet was gonna come and bring them to heaven or something. And get this...a lot of their male members performed voluntarily castration on themselves so that they can detach themselves from worldly things. Freaky!!

Sounds exactly like a cult, or club that I will never ever step my foot in for as long as I am alive. :)

TheBearProject said...

SunDevil,
Yeah I realised that the name rang a bell "Heaven's Gate". I'm in to UFOs, aliens and all that stuff though hehe. But not castration...

Anonymous said...

Castration will allow you to hit the high notes, asimov :P. The gramaphone recording of the last castrato singing. Freaky!

http://www.usrf.org/news/Ave%20Maria.mp3?obj=v20410

Anonymous said...

Sundevil, you seem pretty obssessed with my rump.

I didn't slander you. I guess I must have mistaken you for someone more enlightened...

VitalAuto said...

hey people... be nice hor :p else i'll slap all your rump! I'M STRESSED! so I'll be more than glad to slap a few rump! :p

Anonymous said...

Mi@w, if I sounded obssess with your rump, it could only be for one reason and one reason only....that is, I wanna HUMP your RUMP! So, please start thinking with your brain more than your rump cos' your rump is only meant to be humped.(What a tongue twister!)

VA, hands off, dude! His rump is mine. And you're not the only one who's stressed...I am gonna do some chanting to alleviate my stress...HUMP RUMP! HUMP RUMP! HUMP MI@AW'S RUMP!

デス sleepy K. said...

ten = 10 = 1 and 0
^_^