Talk:Gay bathhouse
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[edit] Replacement of San Francisco Bath Houses with Sex Clubs
When the Baths were closed in SF, sex clubs began to fill the empty niche. It would be nice to have a summary about the Gay Sex Clubs but limiting it to only those clubs that are replacements/alternatives for the gay baths.
There are many sex clubs for various groups: Swingers, S & M and others. They do not seem to share any history with the gay bathhouses and have a great variety of clientèle of many genders and orientations. I don't think those clubs belong on the Gay Bathhouse page.
In SF we do have some specific clubs that are serving a stand-in for the gay bathhouses. We could talk a little about the special restrictions - no doors, no private rooms, well lit, staff is expected to monitor activity (ignored in some, vigorously pursued in others)... Some have lockers and towels and the crowd generally walks around wearing towels. Some have a mix of patrons in street clothes, fetish wear, nude, towel only,... Most have a couple of showers but not a real "shower room", as the shower area and bathroom both have to play by the "no doors" rule. I've seen a couple of small saunas, but they also has to have a large window to eliminate private space. I haven't seen any of the other "bath house" amenities - whirlpools, swimming pools,...
Some cater to the Levi/Leather crowd with everything painted black. Chain link or bars to separate some play areas, elevated areas accessed by ladders also fenced in with chain link.
There are clubs with pretty decor. Pastel painted walls, comfortable furniture in the lounge area. In the large, well lit play room, there are beds, bunk beds and platforms of various sizes. Some with semi privacy because of light colored curtains hung around the area, even though other patrons can look behind the curtains or even enter the area.
There are a couple more that I haven't visited, one large and very well established and the other fairly new. A couple that have since closed, and the Powerhouse which is a different animal completely.
The Powerhouse is largely a gay establishment and was exclusively male for a while, with the occasional special night. They did introduce a general rule that women and transsexuals could use the first two floors but the top floor was limited to males only. I have only been there a couple of times. Once was a private party and the other was before the rule change, so I don't know if there is regular transsexual or female patronage. It is one of those interesting clubs with fantasy rooms (no doors). It is a huge building with three above ground floors and a basement level. I believe they do change the rooms from time to time. I've seen the following areas:
- a military field barracks in a camouflage tent with army cots and draped all over with camouflage netting.
- a dentist/doctor's office
- an apartment or public laundry room (maybe their real laundry room but open for fantasy playing)
- a campground - a huge floor space was set up with rows of tents and plants. It was kind of an interesting way of providing some privacy without violating the law. The tents had some mesh panels so complete privacy was not possible.
- a room I can only describe as an African royal bed chamber. It had a large central bed elevated on a platform and lots of drapery. Decorations on the walls that would fit in a royal bed chamber in Africa. Zebra skins. I can't remember what else. It could probably be seen by someone else as a different room entirely - maybe in a 15th Century castle or something else.
- an area that was like a dark alley in the basement. One wall was lined with dark cubby holes, only large enough for standing. Someone could reach out to invite someone to join them, or they could be ducked into if you had someone you wanted to have some private time with. They were pitch black inside and you could not see if anyone was in them. I haven't been in that area of the club in several years so they may be gone. It seemed like they would violate some of the rules.
- there was a locker room set up.
- there is a very large Disco, with a stage, large dance floor, disco music and mirror ball. It is frequently flooded with fog which then slowly dissipates. The fog is thick enough, that if you can stand breathing it, you can find some temporary privacy.
- was there a jail at one point? or am I thinking of another club?
What do you think? I don't think this really belongs on a general Sex Club page as they are not an outgrowth of those clubs but a stripped down replacement for the gay bath houses.
There are gay sex clubs like this in other cities also. Some people prefer the open atmosphere and are not interested in the bath house amenities.
If the group thinks this is appropriate for the Gay bathhouse article, they can feel free to incorporate anything I've written here. SFHndymn (talk) 09:01, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
- The gay bathhouse article is generic and on the long side for a wp entry. Perhaps this is information for a new or more specific existing page covering the topic of "the cultural move to sex clubs" (not this is not strictly true elsewhere, in London the sex club scene was massive in the late 1990s and after an unpopular police clamp down they have been more hands-off seeing a resurgence of gay saunas and a slower growth in bar backrooms and sex/fetish clubs) or geographically specific "development of gay sex clubs in SF/USA"?—Ashleyvh (talk) 07:14, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
