Gay men bath house
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 present a place to investigate 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 rapidly realise a whole modern set of rules is at play; with everything from navigating consent to being comfortable in a sexualised space, there can be a lot to learn. Here’s what you should know before heading into a sex venue for the first time.
How does a gay sauna operate?
Like a hotel, you’ll arrive at your venue, and there will be a front desk where you’ll pay an admission fee, and in restore, you’ll receive 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 contain douching facilities if you want to pr
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 , with the rest following suit thereafter. In , DJ Bus Station John began decorating tiny, gritty dive lock Aunt Charlie’s with ancient bathhouse signs and pictures from vintage gay porn magazines for his weekly party, The Tubesteak Connection. He limited his harmony to the bathhouse era heyday, mainly , much of his vinyl inherited or sourced from same-sex attracted men who had died from AIDS. The word “bathhouse disco” got attached to his style, and his parties now depict visitors from around the globe. Along with queer London DJ quartet Horse Meat Disco, whose famous excavations of the disco sound brought a wave of old school charm to larger dancefloors, the bathhouse disco movement encouraged a wave of fledgling gay 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 utilize vintage imag
Hitting the tubs. Taking the vapours. Making a pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Mists&#;
If you’re a gay man, there’s a possibility you’ve visited a bathhouse at least once, and probably familiar with the ritual.
What happens in a gay bathhouse?
A ‘membership’ fee provides you with entry, a towel, and the privilege to utilise various steam, shower, spa and dry sauna facilities.
There’s some rather nice incidentals too – porn plays on continuous loop, the lighting is flatteringly subdued (or non-existent), and wandering towel-clad through the darkened passages are a bunch of other guys, which you may choose to get to know finer in one of the many private rooms.
It all contributes to an atmosphere of being in the — quite literally — steamiest place in town.
Gay bathhouses through history
Though closely aligned with gay tradition, bathhouses have been a fixture of the general population from way endorse. Community bathing facilities were common in ancient Greek and Roman times, often featuring quite sophisticated heating systems and swish architecture.
Even in these times, bathhouses were social hubs for gay men, allowing numerous opportunities to discreetly meet up with the like-
The Freddie Guide to: Bathhouses
What is a bathhouse?
Bathhouses – also known as baths, saunas, or gay saunas – are spaces where queer men* meet to socialise, relax and contain 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 s. Most of them closed in the s, 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 like Squirt and Sniffies.
* Historically, bathhouses only admitted cisgender men. They are generally becoming more inclusive. Many have more relaxed door policies or devoted 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 notify ahead before visiting a venue for the first time.
When you arrive
When you arrive at a bathhouse, you’ll get to a front desk with an attendant. This is where you’ll pay for your entry along with any extras like private rooms (if the venue has them
.