Sauna clubs in The Hague sit on the industrial fringes, around Binckhorst and the ring-road belt, rather than in the Centrum. Costs come in two parts: an entrance fee for the facilities, then cash paid directly and separately for time with a companion. Shower first, keep your phone in the locker, agree everything upfront, tip if the time was good, and always verify a club’s current status before you make the trip. This scene shifts ownership and names more often than the postcard streets do.
Sauna clubs are the quiet, steam-fogged cousin of The Hague’s better-known red-light corners: private, all-inclusive, and built for slow afternoons rather than quick transactions. They sit mostly out of sight, tucked into industrial edges and business parks, and they run to a completely different rhythm from the street.
What a “Sauna Club” Actually Is Here
In Dutch adult culture, a sauna club (also called a relaxhuis or wellness club) is a licensed venue built around a spa: steam room, jacuzzi, lounge bar and sometimes a pool. The entrance fee covers the facilities. Time with the women who work there is arranged and paid for separately and privately, per service or per hour. It is the opposite of a Doubletstraat window. Instead of a short encounter behind red-lit glass, you pay for an afternoon or evening of unhurried time, with a robe, a locker and a relaxed atmosphere. Some places are openly erotic the moment you step inside, while others present themselves as wellness clubs with an adult option added on. Check the website and get a feel for the place before you commit, since the better venues make clear from the start which kind they are.
Where They Tend to Cluster
You won’t find sauna clubs anywhere near the Centrum’s tourist grid. They are licensed businesses that need parking, discretion and space, so they turn up in the same zones as garages and wholesalers: the industrial fringes around Binckhorst, pockets near the ring roads towards Rijswijk and Voorburg, and scattered spots along the arterial roads out to Zoetermeer and Delft. This is deliberate. Municipal licensing pushes this category of business away from residential streets and the historic core, so don’t expect to stumble on one while wandering from the Grote Markt. You drive or take a taxi there on purpose, which is part of why it never feels like a tourist circuit. It is a local, appointment-minded scene.
How the Money Actually Works
Expect a two-tier cost structure, and don’t let anyone tell you differently:
- Entrance fee: this covers the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, robe, towel, locker, and often a drink or a light buffet. Depending on the club and whether it’s a weekday or the weekend, it typically lands somewhere in the €25–€50 range just to be inside.
- Companionship, negotiated separately: time with one of the women is paid directly to her, in cash, and agreed before anything happens. It is not bundled into your entrance ticket, and any venue implying otherwise is a red flag. Full-service rates in this format run well above window prices, because you are paying for time, privacy and the setting. Roughly €100–€200+ for an hour is a common bracket, but it varies enormously by club, by woman and by what is actually agreed, so treat any number you read online as a rough compass, not a menu.
Cash is still king in this corner of the industry. Bring more than you think you’ll need, in small notes: nobody wants to break a €50 note at 11pm in a lobby.
The Etiquette Nobody Tells You
Shower first, no exceptions. That is simply how the house runs, and turning up without doing so flags you as a newcomer straight away. Lay a towel down wherever it’s wet, and put a robe on when you walk between rooms. Treat the women with the professionalism they deserve: greet them, ask, negotiate without pressure, and if the answer is “no”, accept it at once and without attitude. Photography is out of the question. Phones are meant to stay locked away rather than in your pocket, and taking one out in a shared space is the surest way to be shown the door. Tips aren’t expected the way they would be at a bar, but a little extra after a genuinely enjoyable time and good conversation does get noticed and appreciated. Go easy on the drinks too. A decent sauna club wants relaxed guests, and anyone who has had too much will be cut off and asked to leave.
Mistakes Visitors Make
- Assuming the entrance fee covers everything. It doesn’t, and turning up short of cash for the companionship itself is an awkward, entirely avoidable mistake.
- Treating it like a nightclub with a plus-one. These venues run on quiet, unhurried etiquette. Loud groups, stag parties in full cry and drunken bravado will get you asked to tone it down or leave.
- Not checking current status before driving out. This kind of venue changes hands, rebrands or closes with little warning, more often than a city-centre bar does. A club recommended two years ago may have new owners, a new name, or may simply be gone. Check a current, live listing or call ahead rather than trusting an old blog post, this one included.
- Ignoring the licence. The Hague’s gemeente requires an exploitatievergunning for this kind of business. It won’t be displayed on a laminated sign, but a legitimate club won’t dodge the question if you ask, and staff should answer calmly and professionally.
Why It’s Worth Understanding, Even If It’s Not Your Scene
The sauna club world says something honest about how The Hague handles its adult industry in general. It is compartmentalised, licensed, kept at a practical distance from the historic streets tourists photograph, and at its best respectful of the people working in it. Forget the back-alley image: this is a regulated economy of cash and time with its own manners. Bringing the same courtesy you’d show any professional service is what marks you out as someone who understands the city rather than someone passing through it.