Gay bath houses in san francisco
Castro Baths
San Francisco and the broader Bay Area have one of the highest concentrations of LGBTQIA+ folks in the world. We contain explicit legislation creating a favorable business environment (Supervisor Mandelman, bless 🙏). If there was ever a time to revive our city’s once burgeoning bathhouse culture–it’s now.
Castro Baths is hustling to open our doors in time for Pride and you’re invited!
Our Vision
Last summer, we visited bathhouses around the world: Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Istanbul, Recent York, Los Angeles, London, and more. (If Lorraine at the IRS is reading this - this was an absolutelynecessary business expense!)
Repeatedly, we were asked: “I’m going to San Francisco next month - which bathhouses should I visit?” Sheepishly, a tad embarrassed - we explained that there isn’t really a gay bathhouse scene in San Francisco. “Your optimal bet is probably in Berkeley.”
While there are a handful of local traditional bathhouses we frequent (shoutout to the newest addition: Alchemy Springs) - gay bathhouse culture in San Francisco never recovered after the AIDS cr
San Francisco supervisors wish to expedite gay bathhouse revival
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES: A rainbow flag raises above Castro, the gay and lesbian neighborhood in San Francisco (Photo credit should read HECTOR MATA/AFP via Getty Images)
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SAN FRANCISCO - Gay bathhouses in San Francisco could see a revival under new legislation spearheaded by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.
Mandelman, whose district includes the Castro neighborhood, is looking to repeal a section of the police code that puts the burden on the police department for permitting new gay bathhouses.
The ordinance would also repeal outdated and unnecessary regulations that require the bathhouses to maintain a daily register of patrons and "confusing language regarding the permissibility of locked rooms," according to the supervisor's statement.
Mandelman introduced the legislation targeting SFPD's Article 26 on Tuesday. It's because of this article, he says, that SFPD has been unable to issue permits to potential bathhouse operators who h
In San Francisco, there are places where you can proceed for a steam, a sauna, and a cold plunge. And then there are places you can go to have steamy sex with strangers.
But surprisingly, there’s not a place to carry out both — successfully, legally.
San Francisco was once famous for gay bathhouses appreciate Ritch Street Health Club, the Barracks, and Bulldog Baths. These operated in a legal gray area, with authorities generally turning a blind eye but periodically conducting raids for “lewd conduct.” In the s, fears over the role the venues played in the spread of HIV/AIDS led to a court order that made it nearly unachievable for the businesses to survive.
None include operated within municipality limits since , even as an uber-kinky festival with its own waterworks takes place annually on Folsom Street.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who represents the Castro, has been on a multi-year crusade to get bathhouses steaming again. It’s been a history lesson on how outdated mores include wormed their way into a complex bureaucracy.
Mandelman introduced legislation
Why San Francisco Needs a Gay Bathhouse
Bathhouses, a staple in gay communities worldwide, have been glaringly absent from San Francisco since
I made a fresh friend recently. He just moved here from New York. Having tried to visit the Eagle but finding it closed, he texted me one evening. “Does SF finalize down at verb, 11pm? I’m used to NYC where we don’t even start going out until then.”
Oh honey. “We’re not verb you East Coasters lol. Though I wish we were sometimes. The dearth of late-nite options here is staggering.”
“Wtf? This is a city, isn’t it?”
I’m tired of confronting the fact that, for being a high-profile gay destination, San Francisco is surprisingly prudish.
It’s understandable that my partner was let down by SF’s inherent sleepiness. If only there were a twenty-four-hour destination for him and other gay men to meet and verb friends. A bathhouse, also known as a sauna, traditionally steps in for our kind at this point. At one time, San Franciso hosted over sixty gay bathhouses. But now the city is bath-less, and has been since , so my buddy walked home and p