One of London's biggest gay saunas is shutting down and will be demolished to make way for a hotel.
Chariots Spa in Shoreditch is closing its doors after almost 20 years.
The site is being taken over by real estate investment firm Highgate Holdings, with plans to flatten the building and replace it with a 200 bedroom hotel along with shopping and office space.
Richard Unwin, 36, Chair of LGBT Humanists has been using the sauna every week for four years.
He told the Standard: “At the moment we don't have very many details. We don't know if the sauna was given up willingly or not."
Asked if people would fight the closure, he said: "Recent losses such as The Black Cap in Camden, Manbar in Soho, and The Joiner's Arms in Hackney have left us battle ready!”
Chariots still has three remaining venues in London in Streatham, Waterloo and Vauxhall.
Mr Unwin said: “The news that it is being demolished to make way for a luxury hotel is devastating, and just the latest in a long line of LGBT venues being closed down and replaced with bland heteronormativity.
“I mainly go for massages from their superb on-site masseur. Everyone assumes that because it's at Chariots that it's some sort of sex massage - it's not. Just a really good deep tissue one."
Chariots has yet to release a statement on the plans but tweeted to one of its customers: “We can't tell the closing day just yet but please make sure you pop down to enjoy it while it's there."
