Bathhouses Will they reopen or become a thing of the past? (thoughts?) (about this topic))

[Oralguya1]

I live in Denver, CO, USA, and in my area, I believe all of the bathhouses have not survived the COIVD-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, we had two exclusively gay bathhouses in the metro area (I think they were the only ones in the whole state). Denver Swim club and Midtowne Spa.

I heard the Midtowne Spa had reopened, but then I heard they have closed down again (why I don't know). Their website is up and running and states that proof of vaccination is required, so I know it's not just leftover from prepandemic. The phone still has there recording but every option you press just disconnects the phone call. So, I think what I heard may be true. Denver Swim Club also appears to be shut down.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knows of any gay bathhouses that are reopened and what is different now. Also, what is great about them, if anything. 🙂

[ErosWired]

The Works Indianapolis is reopened under new management. Mostly the same except no longer open 24/7 - only open 24 hours on Fridays snd Saturdays now I believe.

[NWUSHorny]

So far only one of our 2 bathhouses here in Portland has reopened, but has not resumed 24/7 hours. The other was in the process of moving when the pandemic struck, and is still in the process of building out the new facility. On the upside, there is a lot more sex going on in the Portland bathhouse than there was before the pandemic, although by Denver standards is dead slow.

@Oralguya1I haven't had a chance to go since the pandemic, but Buddies in Colorado Springs has reopened. It used to be a good place to get laid, pre pandemic. It is sad to hear that the Denver Swim Club and Midtown's have both closed. The DSC was the 1st bathhouse I ever went to, and still my favorite (I was the meat in a fuck sandwich within 15 minutes of my arrival that 1st time). When I lived in Denver they had 3 bathhouses, plus Buddies in Colorado Springs opened a year or 2 after I moved there. Even without bathhouses you should be able to find sex in Denver, the park scene, tea rooms, adult bookstores and gay bars in Denver all had a very active hookup scene compared to most of the country, prior to the pandemic. Check squirt.org, they have lots of cruising listings in the Denver area with lots of comments being added. I'm currently looking to relocate, and the only requirement for my job is that I'm near a major airport, one of my personal requirements is the easy availability of casual sex which puts the Front Range high on my list despite the high cost of living.

Edited May 21, 2022 by NWUSHorny

[Oralguya1]

6 minutes ago, NWUSHorny said:

So far only one of our 2 bathhouses here in Portland has reopened, but has not resumed 24/7 hours. The other was in the process of moving when the pandemic struck, and is still in the process of building out the new facility. On the upside, there is a lot more sex going on in the Portland bathhouse than there was before the pandemic, although by Denver standards is dead slow.

@Oralguya1I haven't had a chance to go since the pandemic, but Buddies in Colorado Springs has reopened. It used to be a good place to get laid. It is sad to hear that the Denver Swim Club and Midtown's have both closed. The DSC was the 1st bathhouse I ever went to, and still my favorite (I was the meat in a fuck sandwich within 15 minutes of my arrival that 1st time). When I lived in Denver they had 3 bathhouses, plus Buddies in Colorado Springs opened a year or 2 after I moved there. Even without bathhouses you should be able to find sex in Denver, the park scene, tea rooms, adult bookstores and gay bars in Denver all had a very active hookup scene compared to most of the country, prior to the pandemic. I'm currently looking to relocate, and the only requirement for my job is that I'm near a major airport, one of my personal requirements is the easy availability of casual sex which puts the Front Range high on my list despite the high cost of living.

I don't know when you moved to Denver, but I know in the 90's there were 3 in Denver, Denver Swim Club (formerly Empire Spa, my first membership), Midtowne Spa (formerly Zuni) and Triple C (Community Country Club). Never made it to the Zuni. The first bathhouse I was ever in (mid 80's) was the Ballpark down around Ellsworth or Bayaud and Broadway. That place was fun and had great reputation for wild goings on! 🙂 Too bad it closed for good shortly after. 

Wow, talking about this has sending me down memory lane! Lol

[NWUSHorny]

I moved there in '99. It was the Denver Swim Club, Midtowne and the Triple C. Good thing I tried the DSC and Midtown'e before I went to the Triple C, that place scared the hell out of me, I was there less than an hour before I left and went to Midtowne. I never went back. I don't remember when Buddies opened, I went to the grand opening and kept a membership at DSC, Midtowne and Buddies until I moved in '07. I was in my 30s when I lived there, but still looked like a Twink. Needless to say I had a lot of sex and a great time, and still do on visits. I also really miss hooking up in the parks and tea rooms in the Denver area. Guys cruise in Portland, but rarely actually hookup and fuck, if I happened to be working in downtown Denver I could trade blow jobs on my lunch every day, in Portland you are lucky if you can once a week. Moving here was quite a shock to my sex life, if I didn't have a job that was 75% travel, I would have cracked up long ago.

Sounds like I would have liked the Ballpark too.

If you were at the Denver bathhouses 20 years ago, chances are good that we have hooked up.

Edited May 21, 2022 by NWUSHorny

[Oralguya1]

12 minutes ago, NWUSHorny said:

I moved there in '99. It was the Denver Swim Club, Midtown'e and the Triple C. Good thing I tried the DSC and Midtown'e before I went to the Triple C, that place scared the hell out of me, I was there less than an hour before I left and went to Midtowne. I never went back. I don't remember when Buddies opened, I went to the grad opening and kept a membership at DSC, Midtowne and Buddies until I moved in '07. I was in my 30s when I lived there, but still looked like a Twink. Needless to say I had a lot of sex and a great time, and still do on visits. I also really miss hooking up in the parks and tea rooms in the Denver area. Guys cruise in Portland, but rarely actually hookup and fuck, if I happened to be working in downtown Denver I could trade blow jobs on my lunch every day, in Portland you are lucky if you can once a week. Moving here was quite a shock to m sex life, if I didn't have a job that was 75% travel, I would have cracked up long ago.

Do you think part of the problem is the pandemic? Or was it this way before the pandemic hit?

 

[hntnhole]

I'm not aware of anything around Ft.L. closing their doors, but then I don't hit the tubs much.  However:  reading the above post/replies, I notice - maybe because of my own political views - that they seem to be in "red" states.  If there's anything to that, I would imagine that DeathSantis here in FL will be closing down everything he can if he does make a run for the Presidency.  The bars/fuckjoints here are nothing if not cash-cows, and no politician can resist cranking his neck the other way when there's dough being doled out. If stripping women of their intensely personal bodily rights is ok, he'll have a field day going after us.  

Register and VOTE !!!    (Florida primaries are August 23rd - just sayin ...)

[NWUSHorny]

6 minutes ago, Oralguya1 said:

Do you think part of the problem is the pandemic? Or was it this way before the pandemic hit?

 

As far as actually hooking up and having sex Portland was much worse before the pandemic than it is now.  Attendance at the bathhouse is still lower than it was before the pandemic, so I'm not sure what will happen when Hawks finally reopens, they may not both survive. On the other hand on the nights they do get a big crowd at Steam, the bath that has reopened, the activity level reverts to the prepandemic, let's hang out naked but not touch each other, norm.

[NWUSHorny]

18 minutes ago, hntnhole said:

I'm not aware of anything around Ft.L. closing their doors, but then I don't hit the tubs much.  However:  reading the above post/replies, I notice - maybe because of my own political views - that they seem to be in "red" states.  If there's anything to that, I would imagine that DeathSantis here in FL will be closing down everything he can if he does make a run for the Presidency.  The bars/fuckjoints here are nothing if not cash-cows, and no politician can resist cranking his neck the other way when there's dough being doled out. If stripping women of their intensely personal bodily rights is ok, he'll have a field day going after us.  

Register and VOTE !!!    (Florida primaries are August 23rd - just sayin ...)

From the sex standpoint, I don't think you want Florida to go the way of bright blue Oregon and Washington. 

Colorado is blue now, but it was bright red 20 years ago when I was living out my sexual fantasies there.

Illinois is solid blue now, but was purple 30 years ago when I was living there. I wasn't going to the baths yet, but sex was easy to find.

I've also lived in Dallas, in bright red Texas in the late 90's, not as good for gay sex as Illinois or Colorado, but not bad either.

Based on my travels which is a little different because I am "fresh meat", I don't think the political climate of an area has that great of correlation to the availability of casual sex. If anything, it may be slightly easier to find in red areas.

[120DaysofSodom]

Bathhouses have been reopened forever. Theyve always kind of lacked in the States though. Nothing at all like the bathhouses in Europe, especially those in Germany like Lab.oratory.

[hntnhole]

2 hours ago, NWUSHorny said:

From the sex standpoint, I don't think you want Florida to go the way of bright blue Oregon and Washington.

Well, the reputation precedes both of us put together in FL.  Key West, for instance, has been "live&let-live" for many decades.  Hit the beaches on a nice day, and there are scantily-clad women (many far too old for bikini's) everywhere.  So I doubt it would ever come close to the NW.  

Illinois has been solidly blue for over 60 years now (the Government, I mean), when Hizzoner first got elected in Chicago.  True, there are definitely "red" counties, to the west and south of Chicago, but the State Government (i.e. the place where policy is formed) has been solidly blue for a long time.  Leave the city though, and there are plenty of red counties. Actually, the second-largest (at the time, population-wise) was Winnebago County, about 100 miles W of Chicago, and I grew up there.  Some one actually opened an adult bookstore w/gloryholes on 7th St, a block from the church we virtually lived in.  What happened?  The church bought the entire block of 7th St where the abs was, tore the entire block down, just to get rid of the Satanic Influence.  That's pretty damn red.  Of note, the asst. pastor of a different Lutheran church was often on his knees at those gloryholes ... 

I think you might be right, in that sexual needs top political sway every time.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if there were plenty of gay sex going on downstate.  

[Guest]

NYC has only one bathhouse now-the Eastside Club, The Westside Club closed during the pandemic and never reopened. The Eastside club had an older more quite crowd and not very diverse. Now that it's the only game in town, it's filled with a younger mixed crowd. Although some hot daddies can be still be found there, it has changed. 

[ejaculaTe]

6 hours ago, hntnhole said:

Actually, the second-largest (at the time, population-wise) was Winnebago County, about 100 miles W of Chicago, and I grew up there.  Some one actually opened an adult bookstore w/gloryholes on 7th St, a block from the church we virtually lived in.  What happened?  The church bought the entire block of 7th St where the abs was, tore the entire block down, just to get rid of the Satanic Influence.

Eeeeeks...!!! I offer additional proof of the proposition that it's a small world: I grew up in Rockford, and in my college years, the bar that was catercorner from that ABS was my hangout. (I never went into that ABS; I wasn't much into ABS at that time. I can't remember the name of the bar, but I can picture the owner as sure as if he was standing in front of me.)

[Guest]

Cleveland used to have 2 baths - Flex and Club Cleveland. Club Cleveland closed years ago, not pandemic related.  If I remember correctly, about the time that the internet and chat rooms started making it easier to hook up. 

I know for me personally, having a place that  is maintained, clean, and guys feel safe, is a draw.  A few years back, Flex moved to a huge building. I really don't know how they've stayed open but I'm glad that they have. The cost of keeping the place up including cleaning,  constant maintenance (pools, hot tubs, steam rooms are very high maintenance)  and staffing had to be outrageous. But they seem to be back strong, under new management, and they are making improvements.  The new crew and manager are more polite then ever, and very responsive personally and on social media. I think that is probably the main reason they seem to be busier than in years.

[germancumbear]

Maybe they will reinvent themselves as something more modern but as long as gays still want to meet others to fuck which should always be the case there's a future for those places