• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Adam Lambert got a job at Starbucks to buy makeup
  • Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool
  • Christine and the Queens hails pop icon Madonna

Gay Bathhouses Across America Threatened By Lowered Attendance, Outdated Public Opinion

Joseph Ehrman-Dupre August 27, 2014

70sBathhouseOriginally conceived as important bastions of sanitation in urban centers, American bathhouses became meccas for gay hook-up culture and entertainment in the 1960s and 70s. At that time, nearly 200 bathhouses were open around the country; now only 70 remain, and owners are scrambling to alter their image and attract youthful crowds of a new generation.

ABC News reports:

"Bathhouses were like dirty bookstores and parks: a venue to meet people," said Sykes, who still owns the smaller North Hollywood Spa. "Today, you can go to the supermarket…"

Privately run, gay-owned bathhouses proliferated in the 1970s, offering a haven for gay and bisexual men to meet. Clubs like New York City's Continental bathhouse and Los Angeles' 8709 Club saw a steady stream of patrons…

Amid the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, bathhouses were vilified for enabling promiscuity and helping spread the disease, and many either closed voluntarily or by legal pressure. Those that remained were stigmatized, and now many younger gays see them as anachronisms.

BathIn an effort to regain appeal, many bathhouses offer cheap admission prices for the younger set and amenities beyond the standard towel. Ohio's Cleveland-based Flex Spa, for example, contains luxury hotel rooms and nightclub venues; as such, it has become a fixture of gay culture beyond its sexual and social connotation, serving as the location for the Gay Games and the city's gay pride parade.

[Flex Spas CEO Todd] Saporito said more progressive views on homosexuality aren't evenly spread across the country, underscoring the need for modern bathhouses in some areas. Still, he takes nothing for granted, regardless of the location.

"Bathhouses at some level will go extinct if you don't offer something more than a towel," Saporito said.

And there is community, safe sex, and companionship to be found as well.

"You're either hooking up online or you are here, or you go to bars in West Hollywood, get drunk and hook up," said [22-year-old Brett] Sparks, acknowledging that although the bathhouse crowd skews older, it's not as risky as going home with a stranger. "Here it's a safer environment — there's condoms and other protection."

Here's hoping that bathhouses overcome the stigma and become important communal fixtures once more.

Topics: Health, News, Pride More Posts About: AIDS, AIDS/HIV, Gay Media, gay rights, Gay Stories, News

Related Posts
  • Studio 54 owner Mark Fleischman dies by assisted suicide at Dignitas, says his business partner
  • Govt’s Halting Response In Ramping Monkeypox Tests, Vaccines May Have Missed Chance to Contain Outbreak Over Last 30 Days.
  • MPX is MonkeyPox is Everywhere; CDC Undercounts Cases; ‘Lesions, Headaches, Debilitating Pain… You Don’t Want This ‘; ROUNDUP
  • Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

    Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John got into shape for his tour by walking six miles a week in his swimming pool. The ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ started in 2018 and is due to …Read More »
  • Christine and the Queens hails pop icon Madonna

    Christine and the Queens hails pop icon Madonna

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Christine and the Queens thinks Madonna is the “most emblematic female voice” in the pop world. The 34-year-old singer worked with Madonna on his new album, ‘Paranoia, Angels, True Love’, and …Read More »
  • Transgender Woman Was Assaulted, Harassed And ‘Humiliated’ By A TSA Agent At JFK Airport

    Transgender Woman Was Assaulted, Harassed And ‘Humiliated’ By A TSA Agent At JFK Airport

    Published by Radar Online mega A transgender woman was harassed and assaulted by a TSA agent at JFK Airport. The victim was allegedly punched, humiliated and left in tears while crying out for help after her …Read More »
  • Kevin Bacon Praises ‘Wigloose: The Rusical’ Amid Anti-Drag Politics

    Kevin Bacon Praises ‘Wigloose: The Rusical’ Amid Anti-Drag Politics

    Published by uInterview.com As part of season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the drag queens put on a stunning show of Wigloose: The Rusical about the queens overcoming a small town that tries to ban drag. …Read More »
Previous Post: « Valerie Cherish Wants Another Take In Season 2 Teaser For ‘The Comeback’: VIDEO
Next Post: 7 Moments That Will Make You Want To Gay Marry Judge Richard Posner: PHOTOS »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • New WSJ poll shows bad news for Ron DeSantis’ ‘anti-woke’ agenda

    New WSJ poll shows bad news for Ron DeSantis’ ‘anti-woke’ agenda

  • Walter Cole aka: Darcelle, Guinness World Record holder for oldest drag queen performer, dies at 92

    Walter Cole aka: Darcelle, Guinness World Record holder for oldest drag queen performer, dies at 92

  • ‘Appalling’: UK police urged to stop strip-searching children

    ‘Appalling’: UK police urged to stop strip-searching children

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • Harry Styles, Emily Ratajkowski And Olivia Wilde Spark ‘Throuple’ Chatter In Hollywood After Wild Make-Out Session Caught On Video

    Harry Styles, Emily Ratajkowski And Olivia Wilde Spark ‘Throuple’ Chatter In Hollywood After Wild Make-Out Session Caught On Video

  • Jennifer Aniston Recalls Cher Poking Fun At Her For Eating All The Cold Cuts In Her Home During Actress’ High School Days

    Jennifer Aniston Recalls Cher Poking Fun At Her For Eating All The Cold Cuts In Her Home During Actress’ High School Days

  • Tony Robinson recalls Miriam Margolyes ‘sexual encounter’: ‘You put your hand down my trousers’

    Tony Robinson recalls Miriam Margolyes ‘sexual encounter’: ‘You put your hand down my trousers’

RSS Partner Links

  • An error has occurred, which probably means the feed is down. Try again later.

Most Recent

  • Adam Lambert got a job at Starbucks to buy makeup

    Adam Lambert got a job at Starbucks to buy makeup

  • Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

    Sir Elton John walks six miles a week in his swimming pool

  • Christine and the Queens hails pop icon Madonna

    Christine and the Queens hails pop icon Madonna

  • Transgender Woman Was Assaulted, Harassed And ‘Humiliated’ By A TSA Agent At JFK Airport

    Transgender Woman Was Assaulted, Harassed And ‘Humiliated’ By A TSA Agent At JFK Airport

  • Kevin Bacon Praises ‘Wigloose: The Rusical’ Amid Anti-Drag Politics

    Kevin Bacon Praises ‘Wigloose: The Rusical’ Amid Anti-Drag Politics

  • Strong turnout in Cuba’s national legislative elections -government

    Strong turnout in Cuba’s national legislative elections -government

  • Tucker Carlson Backtracks After Claiming He ‘Passionately’ Hates Donald Trump: ‘I Love’ Him ‘As A Person’

    Tucker Carlson Backtracks After Claiming He ‘Passionately’ Hates Donald Trump: ‘I Love’ Him ‘As A Person’

  • Toothpaste tablets and syrup on tap: US refill shops cut the container

    Toothpaste tablets and syrup on tap: US refill shops cut the container

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×