San Francisco Lifts Ban on Bathhouses

[Alias]

Thought you guys might be interested in this news San Francisco lifts ban on bathhouses

I realize that the ban was kind of half hearted in recent years but this to me is a sign of a huge shift in the way sexual public health policy has changed since HIV became treatable.

Also, I can’t wait to see some entrepreneur try to take advantage of this and create something unique for a new bathhouse. Although these days the costs are probably prohibitive 

[concerned1]

I read about the SF bathhouse closures in the book And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts. The bathhouses (we call them "gay saunas" in the UK) were pretty much blamed for the fast spread of the early HIV epidemic.

I don't think it was fair to point the finger at bathhouses and blame them as being the main culprit for the rapid spread of the virus among gay men..... they were only one part of a wider problem within the gay community at the time that helped facilitate the spread.

Glad to hear the SF baths are reopening after so long (I believe there's been no bathhouses or sex clubs whatsoever in SF since they were closed in the 1980s in response to the AIDS crisis?)

Edited January 28, 2021 by concerned1

[Alias]

SF did allow sex clubs that had to follow strict rules re: condom usage. I never visited them though; I know that the ban was probably not sensible since a quick trip to Berkeley would give you access to a bathhouse that didn’t have those restrictions. 
 

I do think that SF would be a great place to build a new giant bathhouse if any developers are interested 

[BlackDude]

Their were no official bath houses in SF, but plenty of places that serve the same purpose. The places in SF never really enforced the condom rule anyway.

[DarkroomTaker]

Is this happening duting Covid pandemic? 

[drscorpio]

5 hours ago, DarkroomTaker said:

Is this happening duting Covid pandemic? 

All of the AIDS Epidemic Era rules that prevented them from existing have been repealed. For now, Covid restrictions will keep any from opening, but I expect they will as soon as the pandemic cools down. 

[cockyjock25]

Just picturing some guy who survived the plague and has inherited the deed to a long closed bathhouse beginning to prep a classic gay orgy space and cleaning out a couple decade of cobwebs. 
a long vacant basement beneath a bunch of upscale coffee shops that paid the taxes to keep the bathhouse ownership going. 
might be a story there. 

[verslut]

Some of those bay area tech bros really do fuck. I'd like to visit a bathhouse there when one opens.

[concerned1]

There was a gay bathhouse in SF that briefly operated in the late 1970s under the name "Fairoaks Hotel". It opened in 1977 and closed in 1979. 

At some point during 1978, a gay photographer went inside and took some photos. Some of his photos can be viewed in the link below:

[think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/06/28/photos-bathhouse-history-lesson

For anyone interested in gay bathhouses and/or gay history, it will be a very interesting to look at these pictures. 

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page in this link  ([think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/06/28/photos-bathhouse-history-lesson?pg=4#article-content),   there is a photo of a guy who it is said sometimes worked on the Fairoaks reception desk and as the bathhouse's DJ. He is referred to as "the Brazilian". Man he is soooooooo gorgeous 😈 I'd love to know his name. 

 

Edited January 30, 2021 by concerned1

[concerned1]

[think before following links] [think before following links] http://www.fairoaks-project.com/

More photos from Faroaks can be found here.

Edited January 30, 2021 by concerned1

[Alias]

3 hours ago, concerned1 said:

There was a gay bathhouse in SF that briefly operated in the late 1970s under the name "Fairoaks Hotel". It opened in 1977 and closed in 1979. 

At some point during 1978, a gay photographer went inside and took some photos. Some of his photos can be viewed in the link below:

[think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/06/28/photos-bathhouse-history-lesson

For anyone interested in gay bathhouses and/or gay history, it will be a very interesting to look at these pictures. 

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page in this link  ([think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/photography/2014/06/28/photos-bathhouse-history-lesson?pg=4#article-content),   there is a photo of a guy who it is said sometimes worked on the Fairoaks reception desk and as the bathhouse's DJ. He is referred to as "the Brazilian". Man he is soooooooo gorgeous 😈 I'd love to know his name. 

 

That's awesome. Bathhouse culture then has always seemed so different, more communal and less wham bam. I don't yearn for that era for obvious reasons but it would be great if that returned. Some of the regular parties I was going to before covid had that same kind of camaraderie those pictures and some of the stories I've read captured. With try ads maybe that can come back.

[Truversebb]

On 1/29/2021 at 12:47 AM, drscorpio said:

All of the AIDS Epidemic Era rules that prevented them from existing have been repealed. For now, Covid restrictions will keep any from opening, but I expect they will as soon as the pandemic cools down. 

It’s probably a good time to start making the plans for one now. Rental prices are down presently so one could get a good price on a location and get a venue ready to go for when the restrictions are lifted. 

[theplayerking]

Are bathhouses economically viable with Grindr, et al? We have two crappy ones in New York and I haven’t been in at least a decade. 

[Alias]

On 2/1/2021 at 1:10 PM, theplayerking said:

Are bathhouses economically viable with Grindr, et al? We have two crappy ones in New York and I haven’t been in at least a decade. 

That’s a good question. But they must be; plenty of high rent markets are able to sustain at least one bathhouse. I know that some are having difficulties though, same with the bars.

[UseMePlease]

There were cumunion in SF last year. I was there in january or feburary. It seems impossible to argue that the mere notion of wearing a condom was enforced at all.

What I wonder is why I never found a piss event, or just an event allowing someone to be a urinal. I was not expecting it to cause a problem in cumunion... 😞