A Northern Quarter sauna which offers a ‘safe space’ for gay and bisexual men and an alternative to the ‘dangerous chemsex scene’ has been granted a licence to serve alcohol.
Basement Complex on Tariff Street in the city centre had applied to Manchester council to vary its premises licence to be able to serve alcoholic drinks in the lounge.
The application had received written support from men who use the sauna, who also raised concerns about ‘unsafe’ private parties being organised in people’s homes in the city.
These included fears about the consumption of the drug ‘G’ at parties, also known as ‘GHB’, either in the form of of gamma hydroxybutyrate or GBL – gamma butyrolactone – which can be potentially lethal if combined with alcohol. “Th