Bathhouse "NO Barebacking Signs" - Do you pay them any mind?

[psylenc1]

was at a bath house sunday morning, and they were playing bareback porn...no one tried to fuck me with a condom, went home a happy pup

[vrsbbltn]

I have been to 6 bathhouses in 4 cities, and have never read such signs, I guess they do so to avoid being fined, sued, etc., in compliance with some laws, same as the no more than 1 person per room or no drugs allowed policies. I'd feel very pissed off in a place with such signs and employees constantly checking if you are complying. Also, I feel that even though there's lots of barebacking at bathhouse, a lot of guys there do fuck with condoms, so id you add to that fact a lot of such signs, I guess they do encourage some guys, and there would be even less bb going on, so I'd just skip such places.

[pigskintop]

I fully agree

Baths are a great breeding ground.

  IAPozvers said:

There's a warning from the US Surgeon General on every pack of cigarettes that smoking is hazardous to ones health, but people still smoke. The signs are usually there for CYA purposes.

[Bttm2go]

I have always ignored those signs. I have never had staff ask me to use a rubber.

[NiceHard1]

Usually they are up per agreements with HIV prevention organizations.

As most have closed rooms, you are on yr own to follow or not follow the signs, or use or not use th free condoms that they provide.

Bathhouses where sex goes n behind closed doors have no authority to monitor or control what goes on behind the closed doors.

What happens in the open is another story. In some cities, they can not allow sex in the open t all, while in others, they may allow it, but then are obligated to enforce their safe sex policies. I have seen some clubs like Eros in SF walk through to police the sex, though many guys still bareback anyway.

The choice is certainly yours. I don't think the signs are going to stop anyone, though it's important for guys to think through their decisions and be prepared for the outcome

[einathens]

last time i was at eros, i was barebacking a guy with a man in a staff t shirt watching and rubbing his crotch. another guy came up and shot his load down my throat and the staff guy didn't say a word, just smiled and walked away.

[Guest Matias47]

Hell at Flex in Los Angeles the even play this HIV/Aids educational video by the locker area that consists of a homely woman in a lab coat telling you to cover up and talking about transmission, symptoms etc. Below the monitor is a "the county makes us do this" sign. I assume the other clubs are supposed to have them as well -- though Slammer doesn't. Haven't noticed it has an effect.

[chamaerops]

Public signs "No BB sex" have two different kind of results.

1: Practically keep solicitors away

2: Subliminally say to us "don't do what is prohibited, and because we all love contravening, do it here"

[NiceHard1]

  Matias47 said:

Hell at Flex in Los Angeles the even play this HIV/Aids educational video by the locker area that consists of a homely woman in a lab coat telling you to cover up and talking about transmission, symptoms etc. Below the monitor is a "the county makes us do this" sign. I assume the other clubs are supposed to have them as well -- though Slammer doesn't. Haven't noticed it has an effect.

Yea..I had a big problem with that video. I stopped and watched it one day in disbelief. An extremely ineffective way to prevent HIV. I talked with the owner about it, and learned that this was an option for them to play the video in place of offering more testing services, which further disappointed me. They would be providing a much better service to members by helping to make testing services more available than playing an ineffective video.

I understand that the testing location was a bit clumsy there...but I would really like to encourage them, and other clubs to offer more testing - not only for HIV, but other STDs too.

[Guest Matias47]

  NiceHard1 said:

Yea..I had a big problem with that video. I stopped and watched it one day in disbelief. An extremely ineffective way to prevent HIV. I talked with the owner about it, and learned that this was an option for them to play the video in place of offering more testing services, which further disappointed me. They would be providing a much better service to members by helping to make testing services more available than playing an ineffective video.

I understand that the testing location was a bit clumsy there...but I would really like to encourage them, and other clubs to offer more testing - not only for HIV, but other STDs too.

That's interesting, thanks.

I never had a problem with the testing or the counseling the went on, there. So, what -- the owner didn't like giving up the tv lounge for a few hours a week? That is kinda lame.

[Hotload84]

"I understand that the testing location was a bit clumsy there...but I would really like to encourage them, and other clubs to offer more testing - not only for HIV, but other STDs too."

Huh. As far as I can recall, both of the bath houses in Philly have a regular room dedicated to an on-site HIV/STD testing outreach service that is open during prime hours. I seem to recall seeing the same arrangement in at least one of the bath houses in LA, but admittedly I haven't been on the west coast in a couple of years. I don't remember seeing such a set-up at the East Side Club in NYC, nor at any of these bath houses: Club Pittsburgh, Steamworks (Chicago), Club Indianapolis, or Crew Club in Washington.

[HardhatBB]

personally i havnt seen any "NO barebacking" signs in the bathouse,, then again id never pay attention to it either,,

i know they try to pawn off thier rubbers at the front door, but i always just take the lube instead

[BarebackJimmy]

The very first time I went to Midtowne, in Houston, it was to meet some online hotties that told me there would be a Bareback Party there that night. Of course, I saw the No Barebacking signs, and promptly ignored them.

If you want to know how that night turned out, read my story "The Night I Discovered Taking Loads"

And I bet that Saturday night was my last one as a Neg Barebacker :-)

[Yes, I tested Neg a couple of months before that awesome night!]

[Cumjo]

I have yet to see a "No Barebacking" sign. The places I frequent encourage safe, giving out condoms at entry and having free condom bins and lube everywhere.

It's a shame cause one bathhouse that recently closed was practically BB all the time, still had the entry condom but they were trashed in the locker area by everyone. BB porn everywhere and almost all play areas completely open and exposed.

[BREEDmeRAW]

SIGN ??

Who READS the Signs?

Though my Avatar is a sign that reads - POZ CUM PIG

I had that posted at one of the BBRT parties in Palm Springs. Before they adopted the CumUnion Parties in varies cities.

If you were there, I was in room 5 with the sign up. Though that place is small... I think it was 11 rooms available and the owners live on the grounds. Beautiful... with indoor play space, small amt of lockers.. and a Wonderful outdoor play space.

And I had the original POZ CUM sign up at Deet's in Chicago back in 98-99.. somewhere in there. That was a great little place... too bad it's gone. CHICAGO MOB lives on. Chuck claims that he is against Barebacking -- but he doesn't close his LEATHER Bar, the Chicago Eagle or MansCountry next door during IML. He makes so much money off IML.