King Spa has the most hawkish guards of any Chicagoland spa. They are on the lookout for everything, including talking audibly, toes touching and men (including those who are clearly in relationships) sitting alongside one another. That said, in terms of race, ethnicity and nationality, it may have the most diverse mix of all the spas. The nudity requirement of the wet area means that you are guaranteed to see men naked. I do not recommend going there with intimacy onsite (even hugging) in mind.
Chicago Sweatlodge - Mondays very old men, Tuesdays usually dead, Wednesdays regular buddy groups aged early 30s to early 80s, Thursdays moderately busy and unpredictable crowd, Friday evenings diverse mix of Russians/Ukranians/Lithuanians/Poles/Mexicans/Latinx/African-Americans/Arabic/U.S. born Caucasian all skewing 20s to 50s, Saturdays similar to Fridays except more heavily Mexican and Russian/Ukranian with traffic throughout the day rather than high time of 6 to 9 PM, Sundays busy throughout the day but skewing older and whiter/more Latinx than the most diverse days which are Fridays and Saturdays. Most guys are naked coming in and out of the cold plunge pool. Some fit guys, lots of dad bods on display each day - more BMI overweight than obese.
Go weekday daytime if you want to be alone or have few to no guys with whom to socialize. Go on a Wednesday evening, Friday evening, Saturday noon to 10, or Sunday 10 to 8 if you want a more social experience.
Note: Proof of vaccination requirements and Putin's war on the Ukraine have resulted in a decline in traffic to the Sweatlodge. Once the vaccination requirement is lifted, and once the war either ends or is better managed, the crowds at the Sweatlodge are expected to be considerable again.
Be discreet and ask for numbers if you want to have sex later. Masturbating or having sex DURING your time at the Sweatlodge is very risky for you (you could be kicked out and arrested) and also promotes an environment that discourages the hot alpha guys you want to see from coming. Please, don't do this. Invite a guy who you know is interested home for sex or go to Steamworks, where you might see ~some~ of the same guys anyway.
In terms of crowds, Red Square Spa is very similar to the Sweatlodge except Red Square has more U.S. born men of all races but especially white men due to the Wicker Park location, more men in shorts as the coed dry sauna requires them, and less friendly men overall (I think this has something to do with the fact that many men come with their girlfriends or wives and don't want to be seen preferring the men's side). It's sometimes dead on a Friday night but can be hit or miss in terms of foot traffic on weekends, Wednesday nights and Thursday nights. Gay men are certainly represented among the guests. The Russian owners may wish differently, but the reality is that it's gay men who remain most loyal to the baths in the best and worst times.
Red Square also has a steamroom and hot tub that isn't always hot. These are spaces where gay men are more comfortable in honest conversation, as the dry sauna is often full of straight couples and the wet sauna and cold plunge have men throwing around the word f----t to assert their masculinity. (Of course, some of those same men are closeted and on the prowl.)
