FLEX Cleveland

Went for the first time cuz I was traveling back home to Cleveland and my friend was the driver. Our last bar we went to my friend, who I love dearly, was reunited with another group of friends who were doing shots at the bar and slinging back drinks. Since he was the DD I told him we should get a a cab and books room at a motel or a B&B. He said he had a membership to Flex where a private room, hot tub, pool, gym, all await us. Cool! I’m in! I love hotels. When I get there this was not a hotel. It is a bathhouse. I have never been to a bathhouse before so I was worried as hell. We check in. He has a suite on the first floor. I opted for a canopy room over a locker choice. You have to choose to go get in. Consider the purchase of a canopy room or a locker option as an admission fair to a concert. One has better seating (canopy) the other (locker) is general admission, standing only. I get to my «canopy» and freak out because it is literally a jail cell. A comfy jail cell. Naked men walking by my jail cell saying «hi cutie» «hey there cream puff «yada yada. My jail cell canopy was my admission so I got the hell out of my canopy and went down to my friends room. Sigh of relief. I’m in my friends room with door open and two guys walk past and talked to is like normal people not like a fresh piece of meat in a shark tank. I love these guys. We talk and bull shit, snap chat, go out for a cigarette on the awesome balcony. The outdoor smoking area has a big pool which I imagine would be the ideal spot for gay boy pool parties. While we are smoking and talking to these two wonderful guys we get a mental run down of the layout of Flex. Gym, indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna, vending machines, pervert areas, etc. We finish our cigs And head towards the huge beautiful pool room. Now this pool and jacuzzi room puts the YMCA to shame. Whether you are at Flex to hang with friends, stay at flex like a hotel, or use flex like a dirty whore house… which flex was not dirty at all, very well cleaned and maintaned better than a Bally or a YMCA; the pool room is show stopping. State of the art pool kept very clorinated and Crystal clear which I did plenty of laps in and dove and worked the center island pillar. I’m a swimmer so swimming is always my main choice of gym equipment. The pool is amazing! The jacuzzi was also state of the art with just the right amount of jets encompassing a large rectangular 3 ½ to almost 4 foot super heated super clean super clorinated super filtered jacuzzi. Oh boy was that jacuzzi the highlight of the night. So clean and, crystal clear and so hot. It was the perfect temperature despite other patrons semi complaining it was too warm. Well, I was cold from puffing a Winston outside. That jacuzzi was the perfect temperature to bring my core to a slightly than normal sedative feeling of bliss. Then back to to pool for more laps to cool down. My friend was still enjoying the jacuzzi and the other handsome men too. Which, by the way, there were 3 to 4 really handsome and attractive men on a Monday night. Not bad! Actually not bad at all. And, they were really friendly so that’s a perm too cuz I’m from the Midwest and we are really talkative and down to earth type of people. I remember talking to One of the other boys about walleye fishing. Wtf? That’s so cool. Ok so I’m rating a bath house and writing about my experience. No I didn’t have sex. Nope. Not even a remote sexual experience even though the options to explore that inhibition were abundantly available. Refer to my canopy room that I briefly described… actually just leave it there. I spent 30 seconds in my canopy and most of my time in pool and jacuzzi and slapping my buddies in the 1^st floor suite with pillows and towels. Kinda immature. Flex is every gay man’s YMCA. Use it for a night, stay for a weekend, join it for a yearly membership just like a Planet Fitness but with aquatics, beat thumping music, and men of all kinds. The only reason I rated Flex 4 of 5 stars was the fact that my tennis shoes were stolen. I am pretty sure I know who stole them. I left them by the jacuzzi and then went in the pool for laps for about a half hour. Flex didn’t steal my tennis shoes though. I know who did. And they can have all the fun they want with a 3 week worn pair of Nike’s. Not flexs fault. I should have not brought them down to the pool area. So that is my only caution and warning. Everythinn else is a green light. This place not only saved our night from a (DUI) even though I wasn’t drinking but my friend was who was driving, it saved other drivers on the road, have us plenty of time to wear off our buzz, enjoy time with other clevelander boyz and men and just have some fun and continue a great Monday night out.

The facilities are very impressive. The entire complex is an immense labyrinth the goes on and on. The outdoor pool is heated, the roof top beach has a nice skyline view of Cleveland, and all the inside facilities feel clean, not spotless but definitely very clean.
The attached gym has a great selection of current equipment in good working condition. I did not have a drink at the bar but it looked okay though the bartender was not friendly.
The pricing is very reasonable for what you get. My one day membership and standard room was $ 32.00 all together. I did not see any of the hotel parts but heard good things about them from a regular.
The indoor attractions such as the pools, saunas, lounges and movie room well exceeded my expectations. The dungeons and glory hole areas were nice but more standard fair. The steam room was huge and had a primal cave man design, which i liked. However the steam room did have puddles.
The standard rooms on the second floor were good, but they did not have lockers in them you instead use a locker at the front desk. The also had a large wooden bench with a pillow and sheets but not a mattress or cushion. The first floor upgraded rooms had nice beds with real sheets and duvets with a bedside stand and chair. There was plenty of room for 4 – 6 people if you do not mind being close.
The crowd was the typical for most bathhouses that I have been to: about 10% of the guys were college age, 25% were very attractive, 40% were good looking or better and the remaining 60% were older, not in shape and less than okay looking. I had a pushiness/​trailing problem with a very small portion of the older guys (2 in my case), which has never happened to me before before at other bathhouses, as soon as I was vocally loud about it in a crowded area it stopped though. A couple local regulars I talked to said Saturday nights and the Monday specials are the busiest times. I was there on a Friday night and there were probably 60 – 75 guys there.
The location is 2600 Hamilton Ave, Unilocal had another address listed that I went to first. It is in a sketchy part of the city so walk swiftly. The path was mainly just abandoned roads when I was walking there at 11:00pm. Note that you must go through the parking lot entrance to get to the entrance to the spa I walked around the building for a while trying to figure out how to get in worried that it was closed.
The staff, aside from the cleaning staff who were very congenial, were not rude but they were not polite either. They were just monotonous and not well trained. No greetings when I came in or left for the night and the minor difference between not asking «How may I help you?» or «Would you like???» and asking «What do you want?» instead.
My only complaints would be that there are no complimentary lube or condom offerings, which I think of as standard at bathhouses, especially condoms. There is also a limited porn selection on the TV’s and some of it is straight.

Outstanding facility. This is a spa retreat location in the heart of Cleveland Ohio. This has a state of the art wet area, full gym, steam and sauna and luxury hotel rooms-​the presidential suite has piano in it as well. Every Monday (not on holidays) the rate for a standard locker is $ 1.00. The place is packed with good looking guys that want to play. A good mix of all age groups, nationalities, and demographics. Saturday night is very busy for out of town gentlemen and they have special theme parties such as Claw (a leather event) which are really spectacular. This venue has a full service bar attached-​The Mean Bull, as well as a club bar in the Flex complex next to the outdoor swimming pool. In the summer they have a real sand upper sun deck and they host outdoor patio parties that draw quite a crowd for a nice tea dance on Sunday. The facility also as free internet wi-​fi and offer four personal PC to use in the lounge area. The lounge has a separate room that features a full service professional massage therapist for after your work out massage or just a day at the spa. Book early for hotel rooms on major event days since they sell out early. Off street parking that is will lit and secure gated by brick concrete walls for privacy while at the club. Live DJ’s spin on the weekends that are broadcasted live online as well. A quite sections of the venue offers patrons an area to relax without music for an extended stay, some rooms even have personal and private bathrooms and large flat screens for the pleasure of the executive quest. A must see in Cleveland Ohio.

It deserves five stars if only judging by size, but by overall experience, definitely 3 stars. The management seems to have a problem with maintenance, of showers and sauna. Crowds have been thin on weekends, despite promotions to beef up the traffic. Mostly older men, especially less attractive ones. The bathhouse scene in Cleveland has declined in recent years. The other baths in town– Club Cleveland– closed recently. Flex is the only game in town, and not busy most of the town. One would expect Saturday night to be jumping, but often the hot guys are few and far between. The size has its disadvantages too. So many hallways and rooms that it can be very easy to miss the man youre looking for. Also the neighborhood is sketchy– mostly day laborers and homeless wandering back streets near the railroad tracks. Two gay bars, though, are close by, Mean Bull on Hamilton Ave and Leather Stallion on St Clair.

For the unfamiliar — Flex is a gay bathhouse — Men Only!
At 50,000 square feet, I would guess this is the largest bathhouse in North America — perhaps the world. A former Greyhound office and bus terminal, the facility has been restored with a similar aesthetic.
There is an enormous gym, a large pool, jacuzzi, sauna, a large maze-​like steam room, a massive lounge, a bar where they serve food and drink, an outdoor pool, an outdoor «beach» (a patio with sand), lockers, private rooms, hotel rooms, as well as several ‘play’ areas.
I very much appreciated the fact that one could rent hotel rooms. The hotel rooms were in the $ 120 – 150 range (including tax, etc.) and are not a bad price considering all that the facility has to offer. Certainly better than paying similar rates at another hotel in Cleveland.
I found Flex to be generally clean and well maintained, and the staff to be cordial. There were some areas that could be improved however.
There weren’t that many men there. I checked in on a Saturday afternoon and stayed through Sunday morning and I would guess there was no more than 40 men in the entire facility at any given time. In a 50,000 square foot facility that felt sparse.
The drainage in the steam room was not in great working order, with several standing puddles throughout (gross!). And I found the flooring to be very uncomfortable. It was mostly an unswept coarse industrial tile that felt uncomfortable in bare feet.
I also found the lighting in the ‘play’ areas to be far too dim — but I realize that many folks prefer it that way.
But overall, this is a spectacular facility and I certainly had a fun visit. I’d highly recommend it.