Gay bathhouse

Gay bathhouses, also known as (gay) saunas or steam baths (and sometimes called, in gay slang in some regions, "the baths" or "the tubs"), are places where men can go to have sex with other men (note that not all men who visit gay bathhouses consider themselves gay). Bathhouses for women are much more rare, though some men's bathhouses will occasionally have "lesbian" or "women-only" nights.

Related Topics:
Gay slang - Have sex with other men

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Bathhouses vary considerably in size and amenities — from small establishments with ten or twenty rooms and a handful of lockers to multi-storey saunas with a variety of room styles or sizes and several steam baths, jacuzzi tubs and sometimes even swimming pools — but nearly all have at least one steam room (or wet sauna), as well as lockers and small private rooms. Unlike at brothels, customers pay only for the use of the facilities; sexual activity, if it occurs, is not provided as a service by staff of the establishment, but is between customers, and no money is exchanged. In fact, nearly all gay bathhouses prohibit or discourage prostitution and ban known prostitutes.

Related Topics:
Sauna - Jacuzzi - Swimming pool - Steam room - Brothel - Prostitution

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Bathhouses are frequently run twenty-four hours. There is typically a single customer entrance and exit; the customer can either rent a room — typically consisting of a locker and a single bed (though doubles are sometimes available) — or a locker, for a fixed period, typically from one to twelve hours. After paying, the customer is buzzed through the main door. This system allows establishments to screen potential trouble-makers; many bathhouses refuse entry to those who are visibly intoxicated, or to known prostitutes. In some areas, particularly where homosexuality is illegal, considered immoral, or viewed with hostility, this is a necessary safety precaution. For similar reasons, some bathhouses require the presentation of identification, though the majority do not.

Related Topics:
Intoxicated - Homosexuality

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Some bathhouses require customers to purchase yearly memberships and many offer special entry rates to members or to students or other groups. In some countries, bathhouses restrict entrance to men of certain age ranges (apart from the general requirement of being an adult) or physical types, and even perceived nationality or race, although in other places this would be considered illegal discrimination. Some bathhouses hold occasional "leather", "underwear" or other theme nights.

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