Cargo Spa and Club
Gay libertine sauna in Noailles, Marseille: 400 m² over 4 levels, pool, hammam, jacuzzi. Open 7 days a week, from 17 euros.
- Biggest gay sauna in the Mediterranean
- 400 m² over 4 levels
- Pool, hammam and jacuzzi
- Open 7 days a week
- Warm, judgment free atmosphere
- Address
- 9 Rue Jean-Pierre Moustier
13001 Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône - Opening hours
- Mon-Fri 14:00-21:00
Sat 14:00-02:00
Sun 12:00-21:00 - Phone
- +33 4 91 33 45 62
- Website
- cargo-spa.com
An institution of the Vieux-Port
A stone's throw from the Vieux-Port, in the working class district of Noailles, Cargo Spa and Club occupies a 400 m² building spread over four levels. Open since 2006, the venue has built a reputation that reaches well beyond Marseille: it's regularly named the biggest gay sauna in the Mediterranean area.
Reserved for adult men, the place draws regular Marseille locals as well as passing tourists, who come to enjoy an address spotted by international gay guides.
Four floors, a complete circuit
Each level has its own function. You come in through the bar, with the lockers right next to it, before heading down or up to the other spaces: heated pool, Turkish hammam, dry Finnish sauna, jacuzzi. The private cabins let you get some privacy, the smoking room works as a break between floors, and a weight room rounds things out for those who want to keep up a workout while they're there.
The communal showers close the loop of the circuit. The whole thing is designed so you can spend several hours without ever going in circles, between relaxation, sport and encounters.
Atmosphere and crowd
The reviews that come up most often stress how clean the facilities are and how well kept up, despite the venue's age. The atmosphere is described as warm and judgment free, with a crowd mixed in age and background, which makes it easy for newcomers and tourists who don't know the place yet to settle in.
A few older reviews mentioned dwindling attendance in the face of competition from another Marseille sauna, but recent reviews talk instead of steady activity, confirming Cargo's place as a reference point of the local gay scene.
Hours and rates
The sauna is open every day of the year. On weekdays, it's open from 2pm to 9pm, on Saturdays the doors stay open until 2am, and on Sundays opening starts at noon and runs until 9pm.
Entry costs 17 euros, with a weekend pass at 25 euros to enjoy the place over two days. Payment is made in cash on site.
- Entry: 17 euros
- Weekend pass: 25 euros
- Cash payment
- Open 7 days a week
Source: OpenStreetMap and its contributors (ODbL licence). See on OpenStreetMap.