Bathhouse (Gay)

See also: Bath House (Russian)

Bathhouse (Gay). An establishment, also known as a gay sauna or a gay steambath, available for men who have sex with men. In many bathhouses the customer has a choice between renting a room or a locker, often for fixed periods of up to 12 hours.

Due to gay social/dating apps, the culture and tradition of gay bathhouses is dying out.

Bathhouses vary considerably in size and amenities—from small establishments with 10 or 20 rooms and a handful of lockers to multi-story saunas with a variety of room styles or sizes and several steam baths, hot tubs, and sometimes swimming pools. Most have a steam room (or wet sauna), dry sauna, showers, lockers, and small private rooms.

Bathhouses have been very popular in the Americas, Europe, and East and Southeast Asia with less presence in Africa. In many countries, bathhouses are “membership only” (for legal reasons); though membership is generally open to any adult who seeks it, usually after paying a small fee. Unlike brothels, customers pay only for the use of the facilities.

Sexual activity, if it occurs, is not provided by staff of the establishment, but is between customers with no money exchanged. Many gay bathhouses, for legal reasons, explicitly prohibit and/or discourage prostitution and ban known prostitutes.

Gay saunas have become important safe locations for men to meet and explore their sexuality, according to the LGBTQ+ community. These establishments first appeared in large European cities in the early 20th century, providing undercover and remote settings for same-sex interactions at a time when homosexuality was strongly stigmatized and illegal.

A tradition of public baths dates back to the 6th century BCE, and there are many ancient records of homosexual activity in Ancient Greece. In the West, gay men have been using bathhouses for sex since at least the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when homosexual acts were illegal in most Western countries and men who were caught engaging in homosexual acts were often arrested and publicly humiliated.

Men began frequenting cruising areas such as bathhouses, public parks, alleys, train and bus stations, adult theaters, public lavatories (cottages or tearooms), and gym changing rooms where they could meet other men for sex. Some bathhouse owners tried to prevent sex among patrons while others, mindful of profits or prepared to risk prosecution, overlooked discreet homosexual activity.