What is a gay bath house
The movement to revive the classic bathhouse spirit in the US started in San Francisco – in spite of, or perhaps because of, the proof that bathhouses had not existed there since the city’s public health director notoriously ordered most of them to be closed in 1984, with the rest following suit thereafter. In 2004, DJ Bus Station John began decorating tiny, gritty dive bar Aunt Charlie’s with old bathhouse signs and pictures from vintage homosexual porn magazines for his weekly party, The Tubesteak Connection. He limited his music to the bathhouse era heyday, mainly 1974-1983, much of his vinyl inherited or sourced from gay men who had died from AIDS. The term “bathhouse disco” got attached to his style, and his parties now draw visitors from around the globe. Along with queer London DJ quartet Horse Meat Disco, whose popular excavations of the disco sound brought a wave of aged school charm to larger dancefloors, the bathhouse disco movement encouraged a wave of fledgling queer crews in cities across the US to embrace the pre-AIDS past.
While many of these “new queer underground” crews forego a purely bathhouse disco sound in favor of cutting-edge techno, classic and acid house, they uti
The Freddie Guide to: Bathhouses
What is a bathhouse?
Bathhouses – also established as baths, saunas, or same-sex attracted saunas – are spaces where queer men* meet to socialise, relax and have sex. They are legal, licensed sex venues, as opposed to regular saunas or steam rooms where people cruise.
The number of gay bathhouses in North America peaked in the 1970s. Most of them closed in the 1980s, as local governments made public health rules to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These rules were often rooted in homophobia.
Today, there are still bathhouses in most major cities across the world. You can find them through Google or on cruising sites fond of Squirt and Sniffies.
* Historically, bathhouses only admitted cisgender men. They are generally becoming more inclusive. Many have more relaxed door policies or dedicated times and events that are safer spaces for trans and non-binary people. If this applies to you, it’s best to check online or ring ahead before visiting a venue for the first time.
When you arrive
When you enter at a bathhouse, you’ll gain to a front desk with an attendant. This is where you’ll pay for your entry along with any extras enjoy private rooms (if the venue
Did you know that men have been cruising each other for sex at bathhouses since the 15th century?
While the original intention of men’s bathhouses may have been hygiene, today’s gay bathhouses or saunas, along with other types of sex-on-premises-venue (SOPV) or sex venues, are intended as places where you can meet others for casual sex. SOPVs offer a place to search and play with a wider variety of people, many of whom might not appear on a dating app grid.
Walking around a gay sauna or SOPV, you might quickly realise a whole new position of rules is at play; with everything from navigating consent to existence comfortable in a sexualised space, there can be a lot to comprehend. Here’s what you should know before heading into a sex venue for the first time.
How does a queer sauna operate?
Like a hotel, you’ll appear at your venue, and there will be a front desk where you’ll pay an admission fee, and in return, you’ll get a locker key and a towel.
From there, it’s a matter of heading to the changerooms to change into the towel and store your clothes in a locker. Upon arriving, many people will also shower to freshen up, and many venues may own douching facilities if you want t
Should you visit a homosexual sauna in a strange city? We’ve got some gay sauna advice
When we’re away from home, it’s tempting to try brand-new things. Going to a gay bathhouse (or a gay sauna, as they call them in Europe or Latin America) in a different city seems particularly appealing because we won’t run into friends, colleagues or other people we wouldn’t want to see us cruising. It can be a swift way, other than bars and apps, to come across local gay and bi guys.
But then again: How do you find (or pick) a gay bathhouse in a strange capital and, once there, navigate all the rules and social rituals?
Though each male lover bathhouse has its possess way of doing business, certain elements are often standardized. You pay an admission price, which gets you a locker or a room where you can store your clothes after stripping down to a towel or less. A room can approach in handy because it’s a space of your own where you can invite other guys and close the door. There is usually a dehydrated and a wet sauna, a hot tub and dark places, sometimes cabins, where patrons can receive intimate with one another. Sometimes there is a bar and other amenities. Though some cultures are chatty (think Latin America and South Africa), mo