Uh oh. From the sounds of it "Sauna 63," the uninspired rebrand of Edge Sauna, has been doing just about as well as its predecessor - that is to say, not well at all. Apparently while the decor is fabulous, and the space meticulously clean, the gay boys, and the bi-curious/straight men that love them, simply aren't showing up. Frankly (as I've stated in previous posts), I'm just not surprised.
The problem with Sauna 63 is a branding issue. The sauna just can't seem to figure out who it's intended demographic is. Twinks? Fat chance, they're too self conscious to show up unless it's Saturday night and they're overly drunk from Edge. Pigs? Nope, dirty, dirty men already go to Club Ottawa on Wellington St. People who are sick of Steamworks? Bingo, but they're not going to pay for admission if the word on the street is your venue has less attendance than a Eddie Murphy movie.
This is a time where Sauna 63 could act bold are really put itself out there in your face like Oasis in Montreal. Oasis has no shame in admitting that its a bathhouse, and actively encourages people to visit, with bold advertisements on its storefront.
Who'd want to visit some dirty, dingy hole in the ground where you need to knock three times on the door to be grants access? There's a reason why Montreal saunas are successful - it's because they are always full of guys, 24/7; and it's clean and accessible.
Sauna 63 should pull something big to capture the imagination of Ottawa fags. Advertise the hell out of it. Perhaps a free night, or a $2 locker rental on a Saturday evening. Either way it'll bring in more money than what they're currently getting, and keep yet another gay venue from shutting up shop.
No comments:
Post a Comment