Blanche DuBois

One of the last throwbacks to Shoreditch’s gloriously sleazy past, the sprawling gay sauna Chariots closed last weekend after serving 20 years as a cruising venue for gay men in London. The prime plot of land it sits on will be converted into a hotel. A luxury hotel, of course. For a personal perspective on its closure, we asked leading London cabaret performer Mr Blanche DuBois. Blanche’s first job in London was at Chariots, and as we find out, it was a liberating and eye-opening introduction to the city… London was a very different city 13 years ago, when I arrived here from Mexico on a scholarship to study corporeal mime. As a student I had the right to work 20 hours a week. It was exciting, not because of the prospect of getting paid, but because of where I’d decided to work: Chariots sauna in Shoreditch. In my late teens back in Mexico, I had enjoyed hearing stories about saunas – about beautiful men and amazing spaces – from adventurous friends who had visited Europe. In my fantasies they sounded like the ancient Roman baths where soldiers bathed in thermal pools and swam together in the nude. For me, Chariots was the embodiment of all those things I had heard and fantasised about in my teens. It didn’t take long before I got a job there, which gave me the benefit of being able to visit whenever I wanted. It seemed perfect, except for one little detail: I hadn’t actually considered what the job entailed. ‘I came across every possible expression of sexuality’ My officia