How does one even begin to cruise at a gay sauna? Can a straight-forward conversational artist learn subtler ways to navigate bathhouses?
A huge THANK YOU to my dear friend Shane from WAAC (Western Australia AIDS Council) for sharing with me his knowledge! There’s so much we talked about that simply couldn’t fit into a short comic, so if you’re a Perth local I would highly recommend popping into his Sauna Etiquette workshops if you see one!
Matt added Note! After you towel down and cool off from Hien’s hot and steamy comic… come by and join in on the Patreon ;D I love love love todays comic, and hope you do too! Join up and help us make moreeeee!
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↓ Comic Transcript
Page 1
Hien Pham draws in a lushly rendered style that alternates between realistic illustrations and simplified chibi cartoons in textured pencil lines. He uses the full spectrum of colors.
Hien and Shane stand in front of an Australian sauna with brick walls and a teal-colored tiling roof which catches clusters of sandy colored leaves from the trees growing overhead. Other patrons approach the venue, chatting away with each other. One is a black trans man in a blue jacket. He has a neat full beard and a soft, loose pompadour hair style.
His companion is an older white man with a full grey moustache and shaved head.
"Shane, can I ask you something?" Hien says to his friend. Hien is a bespectacled, dark-skinned, heavyset man with thinning hair pulled into a bun and a bushy beard. He wears a pale mint green tank top, olive cargo shorts, and yellow shibari ropes worn as bracelets on both wrists and as a belt.
"Sure, buddy!" Shane exclaims. A white man with bushy moustache and short buzz cut hair, he looks quite smart in his black leather trousers, black leather vest, and a black leather bowtie. A caption next to him explains that he is a local Kinkster and Population Health Officer at WAAC.
"How do I cruise at the gay sauna?" Hien continues. "A while ago, I was cuddling with a friend on a couch at the bathhouse... I asked him:"
In a darkly lit purple and pink-hued flashback, Hien and his friend snuggle in a steam-filled room wearing nothing but towels over their lower regions.
"Can I... touch your penis?" Asks Hien tenderly to the chubby Asian man with a short beard and blond-dyed soft, short hair that leans into his embrace.
"Huh!" The friend starts in amused surprise. "No one's ever asked me in that way before!"
Back to the present, Hien disolves into a panicked sketch resembling the figure from Munch's painting, The Scream, while he, himself, wails, "And I was like... are there OTHER ways to initiate that??? I have no game!!! It doesn't make sense to my brain not to be straight-forward!!!"
"Haha!" Shane laughs good-naturedly. "There's nothing wrong with being earnest!"
"Please!" A chibi-fied Hien drops to his knee with intense determination, like a medieval knight waiting to receive his quest. "Teach me the subtle and mystifying ways of the gay sauna!!!"
Holding his chin between his forefinger and thumb, Shane thoughtfully answers, "I can't cover everything, but I do definitely have some tips you can start out with!"
Page 2
As floating chibi heads, Hien and Shane float through the rooms of the purple and pink-lighted sauna.
"Communication styles will differ based on where you are in the gay sauna!" Shane explains jovially, taking in the variety of masculine people enjoying the various steamy quarters."Social spaces like the bar, hot tubs, and locker rooms are good to carry full convos. Cruising areas like the corridors and porn theaters lean toward non-verbal cues. Meanwhile, dark rooms prioritize anonymity and physical touch. A perfect starting point for cruising is eye contact! Hold a person's gaze and give them a nod or a smile to indicate interest! Then, gesture toward a room or head to a corner. See if they follow! If they do, game on! Continue a conversation to see what you'd like to get up to!"
Page 3
Shane's chibi face continues as a couple gently stroke and caress each other in the steamy room. "You can also use light touches to catch someone's attention."
"Oh! That makes sense!" Agrees Hien.
"Use two fingers or the back of your hand to gently glide along their arm, across their chest, or hip. Aim for a caress, and not a grab! This physical language is especially important in dark rooms where visibility is limited and voices are expected to be kept low."
Like in a classic cartoon, the scene is cast into complete blackness with only two sets of cartoon-y eyes visible. Across the panels, they act out Shane's narration.
Narration: If someone's standing against a wall, situate next to them for a moment. If they don't inch off or shy away from your light touch, that's a pretty affirmative sign to keep going!
Page 4
Returning to their original spot outside the sauna, Hien asks, "That's one more example of a 'yes,' but what about a 'no'?"
"Yes!" Nods Shane. "Declining in a firm, fair, and respectful manner is important!"
The chibi head of Shane floats over a couple different scenes back inside the steamy sauna rooms again that illustrate the examples he and Hien describe.
"Personally, I like a double tap in response to the other person's touch. On their hand, elbow, or arm in a 'thanks, bro' kinda way."
"Interesting!" Hien's chibi head observes, looking on at a man giving a friendly rejection to another. "I also incorporate hand gestures into the way I do it!"
"I'm alright, thank you!" Waves a patron at another person who has hopefully rested their hand on his shoulder.
Returned again to the present in front of the sauna, Shane continues, "That's great! Especially when you use 'I' statements! 'I'm good' or 'I'm looking for something else' centers you and what you want out of the space."
"Right, it could lessen the sting for the other party." Hien realizes thoughtfully.
Sample scenes inside the sauna illustrate the scenarios described by the narration.
Narration: Simply ignoring someone might not send a clear enough message for them to stop their pursuit. But, if they're persistent, you have every right to approach a staff member for help!
Page 5
With a relieved sigh outside of the sauna, Hien says, "Thank you, Shane. You've given me a great deal of relief! I've always felt like I didn't belong in these spaces, but maybe I just didn't have the right tools to begin navigating them."
"Oh, buddy!" Shane laughs with a friendly wink. "You're too hard on yourself, Hien. I think it's great that you're more conversational! Not everyone at the bathhouse will be on the same wavelength. There are folks who prefer the social areas that you do."
"Yeah... You're not wrong." Hien admits with a bashful blush. "I Honestly find a 'can I touch you?' so hot, after some getting-to-know... It's deffo just the way I prefer to be propositioned."
"Well!!!" Hien exclaims, transforming into his chibi self so he can give an epic high-five to chibi-Shane. "Now I'm all fired up with knowledge and enthusiasm!"
"Attaboy!" The power of Shane's high five creates an electric burst of energy between their palms.
"Who knows, maybe cruising won't even be for me," A tiny chibi Hien leaps into the air behind full-size Shane's shoulder. "but I look forward to finally giving it a proper try!"
"Best of luck, my friend!" Shane encourages him, and then with a wink to the reader he holds up a condom between his fingers, saying, "Have fun, and stay safe out there!"
By Hien Pham - HienComics.com.au
Transcribed by Erika Moen on Septeber 7, 2026
Hien Pham draws in a lushly rendered style that alternates between realistic illustrations and simplified chibi cartoons in textured pencil lines. He uses the full spectrum of colors.
Hien and Shane stand in front of an Australian sauna with brick walls and a teal-colored tiling roof which catches clusters of sandy colored leaves from the trees growing overhead. Other patrons approach the venue, chatting away with each other. One is a black trans man in a blue jacket. He has a neat full beard and a soft, loose pompadour hair style.
His companion is an older white man with a full grey moustache and shaved head.
"Shane, can I ask you something?" Hien says to his friend. Hien is a bespectacled, dark-skinned, heavyset man with thinning hair pulled into a bun and a bushy beard. He wears a pale mint green tank top, olive cargo shorts, and yellow shibari ropes worn as bracelets on both wrists and as a belt.
"Sure, buddy!" Shane exclaims. A white man with bushy moustache and short buzz cut hair, he looks quite smart in his black leather trousers, black leather vest, and a black leather bowtie. A caption next to him explains that he is a local Kinkster and Population Health Officer at WAAC.
"How do I cruise at the gay sauna?" Hien continues. "A while ago, I was cuddling with a friend on a couch at the bathhouse... I asked him:"
In a darkly lit purple and pink-hued flashback, Hien and his friend snuggle in a steam-filled room wearing nothing but towels over their lower regions.
"Can I... touch your penis?" Asks Hien tenderly to the chubby Asian man with a short beard and blond-dyed soft, short hair that leans into his embrace.
"Huh!" The friend starts in amused surprise. "No one's ever asked me in that way before!"
Back to the present, Hien disolves into a panicked sketch resembling the figure from Munch's painting, The Scream, while he, himself, wails, "And I was like... are there OTHER ways to initiate that??? I have no game!!! It doesn't make sense to my brain not to be straight-forward!!!"
"Haha!" Shane laughs good-naturedly. "There's nothing wrong with being earnest!"
"Please!" A chibi-fied Hien drops to his knee with intense determination, like a medieval knight waiting to receive his quest. "Teach me the subtle and mystifying ways of the gay sauna!!!"
Holding his chin between his forefinger and thumb, Shane thoughtfully answers, "I can't cover everything, but I do definitely have some tips you can start out with!"
Page 2
As floating chibi heads, Hien and Shane float through the rooms of the purple and pink-lighted sauna.
"Communication styles will differ based on where you are in the gay sauna!" Shane explains jovially, taking in the variety of masculine people enjoying the various steamy quarters."Social spaces like the bar, hot tubs, and locker rooms are good to carry full convos. Cruising areas like the corridors and porn theaters lean toward non-verbal cues. Meanwhile, dark rooms prioritize anonymity and physical touch. A perfect starting point for cruising is eye contact! Hold a person's gaze and give them a nod or a smile to indicate interest! Then, gesture toward a room or head to a corner. See if they follow! If they do, game on! Continue a conversation to see what you'd like to get up to!"
Page 3
Shane's chibi face continues as a couple gently stroke and caress each other in the steamy room. "You can also use light touches to catch someone's attention."
"Oh! That makes sense!" Agrees Hien.
"Use two fingers or the back of your hand to gently glide along their arm, across their chest, or hip. Aim for a caress, and not a grab! This physical language is especially important in dark rooms where visibility is limited and voices are expected to be kept low."
Like in a classic cartoon, the scene is cast into complete blackness with only two sets of cartoon-y eyes visible. Across the panels, they act out Shane's narration.
Narration: If someone's standing against a wall, situate next to them for a moment. If they don't inch off or shy away from your light touch, that's a pretty affirmative sign to keep going!
Page 4
Returning to their original spot outside the sauna, Hien asks, "That's one more example of a 'yes,' but what about a 'no'?"
"Yes!" Nods Shane. "Declining in a firm, fair, and respectful manner is important!"
The chibi head of Shane floats over a couple different scenes back inside the steamy sauna rooms again that illustrate the examples he and Hien describe.
"Personally, I like a double tap in response to the other person's touch. On their hand, elbow, or arm in a 'thanks, bro' kinda way."
"Interesting!" Hien's chibi head observes, looking on at a man giving a friendly rejection to another. "I also incorporate hand gestures into the way I do it!"
"I'm alright, thank you!" Waves a patron at another person who has hopefully rested their hand on his shoulder.
Returned again to the present in front of the sauna, Shane continues, "That's great! Especially when you use 'I' statements! 'I'm good' or 'I'm looking for something else' centers you and what you want out of the space."
"Right, it could lessen the sting for the other party." Hien realizes thoughtfully.
Sample scenes inside the sauna illustrate the scenarios described by the narration.
Narration: Simply ignoring someone might not send a clear enough message for them to stop their pursuit. But, if they're persistent, you have every right to approach a staff member for help!
Page 5
With a relieved sigh outside of the sauna, Hien says, "Thank you, Shane. You've given me a great deal of relief! I've always felt like I didn't belong in these spaces, but maybe I just didn't have the right tools to begin navigating them."
"Oh, buddy!" Shane laughs with a friendly wink. "You're too hard on yourself, Hien. I think it's great that you're more conversational! Not everyone at the bathhouse will be on the same wavelength. There are folks who prefer the social areas that you do."
"Yeah... You're not wrong." Hien admits with a bashful blush. "I Honestly find a 'can I touch you?' so hot, after some getting-to-know... It's deffo just the way I prefer to be propositioned."
"Well!!!" Hien exclaims, transforming into his chibi self so he can give an epic high-five to chibi-Shane. "Now I'm all fired up with knowledge and enthusiasm!"
"Attaboy!" The power of Shane's high five creates an electric burst of energy between their palms.
"Who knows, maybe cruising won't even be for me," A tiny chibi Hien leaps into the air behind full-size Shane's shoulder. "but I look forward to finally giving it a proper try!"
"Best of luck, my friend!" Shane encourages him, and then with a wink to the reader he holds up a condom between his fingers, saying, "Have fun, and stay safe out there!"
By Hien Pham - HienComics.com.au
Transcribed by Erika Moen on Septeber 7, 2026