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Home / World

Outrage after man demanded to sit in strict female-only sauna in Sydney

By Jasmine Kazlauskas
news.com.au·
24 Sep, 2022 07:56 PM3 mins to read

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Milly asked her followers for their take on the situation. She was alarmed by the man's attitude. Photo / TikTok / @millyrosebannister

Milly asked her followers for their take on the situation. She was alarmed by the man's attitude. Photo / TikTok / @millyrosebannister

A woman has shared the unbelievable moment an unknown man barged into a strict female-only sauna – and then got angry when he was asked to leave.

Sydney influencer Milly Bannister shared the confrontation online, where she detailed how she and a girlfriend were sitting in "brief clothing" in the women's sauna.

The 25-year-old explained that in her building, there are both male and female dedicated sauna rooms, to ensure the comfort and safety of patrons.

So when an unknown male "barged" into the female-only sauna where the two women were relaxing, they were confused and alarmed – so they quickly asked him to leave.

However, this angered the stranger, and he was captured on film wearing nothing but a speedo, arguing with the women and refusing to leave, despite the men's sauna being empty.

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Milly explained that the man's defence to his actions was him stating that he could be "gay" and therefore allowed to use the female sauna – but then later confirmed he preferred the women's sauna as it "gets hotter".

"Okay, so I'm at the pool in my building complex that I have a pass to," she began the video, titled "Male privilege check".

"There a couple of saunas that are in here, one of them is male, and one of them is female.

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"Of course, I would prefer to use the female, because I'm in brief clothing, I'm sweating, I'm sitting with my girlfriend having a conversation, in a very enclosed space.

"It's very personal and intimate.

The man turned angry when the women asked him to leave. There were clear male and female only saunas. Photo / TikTok / @millyrosebannister
The man turned angry when the women asked him to leave. There were clear male and female only saunas. Photo / TikTok / @millyrosebannister

"So my friend and I were sitting in this female sauna, when this man barges in without asking, and sits right smack bang in with us.

"The question is, am I the a**hole for asking the man to leave, because I don't feel comfortable in a female-only sauna to have a man there who I don't know."

Milly filmed the man for a brief moment, who appeared angry at the situation and said the women "shouldn't judge".

She wrote that she and her friend then decided to exit the sauna, because despite asking him to, the man refused to leave.

Milly confirmed that she would mention the incident to the building manager.

Many of her followers were horrified at what had happened, with many stating the man should face disciplinary action.

Others even suggested the stranger could have had sinister intentions.

"The fact that he didn't leave and fought you on this is a scary red flag," one person said.

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"The way he acted makes me think he had a motive, so you have done the right thing."

"Female only sauna = female only. If it had been unisex or unspecified it would be different, but the sign literally says female only," commented another.

"The way he goes right to 'how do you know I'm not gay' it's a big red flag," one pointed out.

"There are designated saunas for a reason, it's a safety issue. Don't be alone with him."

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