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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kelly-Ann Mills

Inside abandoned brothel seen in Channel 4 show now littered with old costumes

A derelict and abandoned brothel which once appeared on a Channel 4 documentary has been rediscovered by an urban explorer, who has shared the secrets from behind the front door.

Videos and pictures taken by Daniela Zero captured Sheffield's once-famous City Sauna's current condition, since it was abandoned by the owners after it starred in 'A Very British Brothel'.

The building where the documentary was shot is seen in a decaying condition in these images. The pink room, where female workers used to meet and greet clients, is found to be shabby and desecrated.

In 2015, Channel 4 aired the documentary about the brothel run by a mother-daughter duo and showed its day-to-day workings.

It was the only licensed massage parlour on Sheffield's street also called the 'golden mile of sex'.

Jenni, 28, and her mum Kath, 54, run City Sauna, a massage parlour in Sheffield (Channel 4)

The documentary showed how Kath, owner of the brothel, was looking for new premises.

Little did anyone know that the existing famous City Sauna was soon to be abandoned and left to decay unattended.

The building lies in the red-light district of Sheffield, notorious for brothels, massage parlours and swingers' clubs.

Some of the items to be seen in the sauna included dressing gowns, various costumes, underwear, foil from drug uses and newspapers.

"We walked around the perimeters looking for entry points," said 25-year-old Daniela.

"We found one door open on the second floor. Avoiding the holes in the degrading second floor we started exploring. We found the sauna fully intact with a few bedrooms and bathrooms.

"We squeezed down the stairs, where the 'ladies of the night' would have brought clients to their room.

The pink rooms inside are in a bad way (Daniela Zero/MediaDrumWorld)
Sofas are strewn around (Daniela Zero/MediaDrumWorld)

"We went to the ground floor, where the women would sit with clients before choosing whom to spend the night with.

"Dressing gowns were discarded on the floors throughout.

"We noticed a door that led to the cellar that had a pile of costumes that were worn by the sex workers.

"The building was a clear health hazard with excrement, dust and fire damage. The smell of the building is still ingrained in us."

This was not just a normal exploration for Daniela because of the social and cultural relevance of the place.

"The exploration was important because of the taboos in society," she said. "These shots tell the untold stories of people and businesses left behind.

The once lively brothel is abandoned (Daniela Zero/MediaDrumWorld)
It looks in a bad way (Daniela Zero/MediaDrumWorld)

"We had never been inside while the premises was an active business, however, we heard many stories from friends and families in the area.

"Our personal knowledge was mainly from the documentary itself.

"The location has suffered a surprising amount of damage and is unsafe. These photos show the truth of society; when left it slowly decays.

"It was incredible to see how the building has changed from the documentary to the present day."

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