Sauna san francisco gay
Castro Baths
San Francisco and the broader Bay Area have one of the uppermost concentrations of LGBTQIA+ folks in the world. We possess explicit legislation creating a favorable business environment (Supervisor Mandelman, bless 🙏). If there was ever a time to revive our city’s once burgeoning bathhouse culture–it’s now.
Castro Baths is hustling to open our doors in time for Pride 2025 and you’re invited!
Our Vision
Last summer, we visited bathhouses around the world: Tokyo, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Istanbul, New York, Los Angeles, London, and more. (If Lorraine at the IRS is reading this - this was an absolutelynecessary business expense!)
Repeatedly, we were asked: “I’m going to San Francisco next month - which bathhouses should I visit?” Sheepishly, a tad embarrassed - we explained that there isn’t really a homosexual bathhouse scene in San Francisco. “Your best bet is probably in Berkeley.”
While there are a handful of local traditional bathhouses we frequent (shoutout to the newest addition: Alchemy Springs) - gay bathhouse tradition in San Francisco never recovered after the AIDS crisis.
Closing the baths in 1984 was like shutting off the internet today. Our lines of commu In San Francisco, there are places where you can move for a steam, a sauna, and a cold plunge. And then there are places you can go to have steamy sex with strangers.
But surprisingly, there’s not a place to undertake both — adequately, legally.
San Francisco was once famous for gay bathhouses enjoy Ritch Street Health Club, the Barracks, and Bulldog Baths. These operated in a legal gray area, with authorities generally turning a blind eye but periodically conducting raids for “lewd conduct.” In the 1980s, fears over the role the venues played in the spread of HIV/AIDS led to a court order that made it nearly unachievable for the businesses to survive.
None contain operated within town limits since 1987, even as an uber-kinky festival with its own waterworks takes place annually on Folsom Street.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who represents the Castro, has been on a multi-year crusade to get bathhouses steaming again. It’s been a history lesson on how outdated mores hold wormed their way into a complex bureaucracy.
Mandelman introduced legislation Tuesday that would repeal Article 26 of the police code, which outlines standards around san
Why San Francisco Needs a Gay Bathhouse
Bathhouses, a staple in gay communities worldwide, have been glaringly absent from San Francisco since 1984.
I made a fresh friend recently. He just moved here from Brand-new York. Having tried to visit the Eagle but finding it closed, he texted me one evening. “Does SF close down at like, 11pm? I’m used to NYC where we don’t even begin going out until then.”Â
Oh honey. “We’re not fancy you East Coasters lol. Though I wish we were sometimes. The dearth of late-nite options here is staggering.”
“Wtf? This is a city, isn’t it?”
I’m tired of confronting the fact that, for entity a high-profile gay destination, San Francisco is surprisingly prudish.
It’s understandable that my friend was let down by SF’s inherent sleepiness. If only there were a twenty-four-hour destination for him and other lgbtq+ men to meet and make friends. A bathhouse, also known as a sauna, traditionally steps in for our kind at this point. At one time, San Franciso hosted over sixty gay bathhouses. But now the urban area is bath-less, and has been since 1984, so my buddy walked place and put away his leather gear.Â
Navigating SF for the gay transplant is an article for a differ
Softly lit playrooms with video pits, bunk beds, cages, glory holes and a sling. Private sex rooms are illegal in San Francisco, so they make the best of bunks and secluded areas. Professional non-sexual massage ready upon appointment.
open: 12-24, Fri & Sat -3h; prices: US$ 15.- with a 3-month membership or US$ 25.- for a one-time visit / 3-month membership: US$ 10.-; number of lockers: 149/-
- Gay. Exclusively or almost exclusively gay men
- Showers
- Dry sauna
- Steam bath
- Solarium
- Massage on offer
- Darkroom
- Glory holes
- Sling
- Free condoms
- Video shows
Top Saunas
Moustache
Completely rebuilt in summer 11. Offers bio and desiccate sauna, a large steam sauna, foam bath and whirlpool. Massive and comfortable cubicles. Friendly staff... more
Wild Thermas Club
In an old and beautiful two-story house, located in Higienopolis, one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Sao Paulo, Wild Thermas Club is known for its impeccable service... more
1350 Club
Large sauna with outside patio, redwood deck, water fountain & a maze. Rooftop sunbathing & secured parking across the lane. more
Gay Hot Spots
New York
In San Francisco, there are places where you can move for a steam, a sauna, and a cold plunge. And then there are places you can go to have steamy sex with strangers.
But surprisingly, there’s not a place to undertake both — adequately, legally.
San Francisco was once famous for gay bathhouses enjoy Ritch Street Health Club, the Barracks, and Bulldog Baths. These operated in a legal gray area, with authorities generally turning a blind eye but periodically conducting raids for “lewd conduct.” In the 1980s, fears over the role the venues played in the spread of HIV/AIDS led to a court order that made it nearly unachievable for the businesses to survive.
None contain operated within town limits since 1987, even as an uber-kinky festival with its own waterworks takes place annually on Folsom Street.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who represents the Castro, has been on a multi-year crusade to get bathhouses steaming again. It’s been a history lesson on how outdated mores hold wormed their way into a complex bureaucracy.
Mandelman introduced legislation Tuesday that would repeal Article 26 of the police code, which outlines standards around san
Why San Francisco Needs a Gay Bathhouse
Bathhouses, a staple in gay communities worldwide, have been glaringly absent from San Francisco since 1984.
I made a fresh friend recently. He just moved here from Brand-new York. Having tried to visit the Eagle but finding it closed, he texted me one evening. “Does SF close down at like, 11pm? I’m used to NYC where we don’t even begin going out until then.”Â
Oh honey. “We’re not fancy you East Coasters lol. Though I wish we were sometimes. The dearth of late-nite options here is staggering.”
“Wtf? This is a city, isn’t it?”
I’m tired of confronting the fact that, for entity a high-profile gay destination, San Francisco is surprisingly prudish.
It’s understandable that my friend was let down by SF’s inherent sleepiness. If only there were a twenty-four-hour destination for him and other lgbtq+ men to meet and make friends. A bathhouse, also known as a sauna, traditionally steps in for our kind at this point. At one time, San Franciso hosted over sixty gay bathhouses. But now the urban area is bath-less, and has been since 1984, so my buddy walked place and put away his leather gear.Â
Navigating SF for the gay transplant is an article for a differ
Softly lit playrooms with video pits, bunk beds, cages, glory holes and a sling. Private sex rooms are illegal in San Francisco, so they make the best of bunks and secluded areas. Professional non-sexual massage ready upon appointment.
open: 12-24, Fri & Sat -3h; prices: US$ 15.- with a 3-month membership or US$ 25.- for a one-time visit / 3-month membership: US$ 10.-; number of lockers: 149/-
- Gay. Exclusively or almost exclusively gay men
- Showers
- Dry sauna
- Steam bath
- Solarium
- Massage on offer
- Darkroom
- Glory holes
- Sling
- Free condoms
- Video shows
Top Saunas
Moustache
Completely rebuilt in summer 11. Offers bio and desiccate sauna, a large steam sauna, foam bath and whirlpool. Massive and comfortable cubicles. Friendly staff... more
Wild Thermas Club
In an old and beautiful two-story house, located in Higienopolis, one of the most traditional neighborhoods in Sao Paulo, Wild Thermas Club is known for its impeccable service... more
1350 Club
Large sauna with outside patio, redwood deck, water fountain & a maze. Rooftop sunbathing & secured parking across the lane. more