Had you experienced bath houses all over the world?

In Europe Madrid Paris and Barcelona had the horniest guys. Sucking and fucking almost everywhere

Love them all. They all have a great visit be particular to themselves.

The best one in Europe in my opinion is the Babylon in Cologne.

The Pink Beach in Lausanne, Switzerland is really nice too.

The bathhouses in Japan are co-ed.

I’ve been to 50 countries and I’ve never been to a bathhouse. I’ve actually lived in 3 other countries, but I thought I’d be pathetic reducing the experience to sex tourism (so I focused on seeing the sights instead).

you're a monster

Wow, some of those links show gorgeous spaces!

I’ve only been to baths in the US and the best I’ve been to has been Steamworks in Chicago, mainly because it’s so big, clean and full of beautiful, welcoming mid-Westerners.

It doesn’t compare to those gorgeous European baths.

Is bath culture dying around the world like it seems to be in the US?

I’m stunned that baths are even legal. They should be of course but governments get so antsy about legalized sex

[quote] I’ve only been to baths in the US and the best I’ve been to has been Steamworks in Chicago

Steamworks has the best gym with the best equipment. I know many straight guys who have a gym membership there. It’s just like a normal gym membership.

R10 What a bunch of horseshit. There’s a huge gym right next-door. No straight guys go to a gym at a bathhouse at unequivocally not true

“I go to Steamworks for the gym!” = “I read Playboy for the articles!” 🤡

Much of the Steamworks gym equipment is old and rusty. NO ONE goes for the gym

I haven’t been to Steamworks in a decade. It was hoping when I went.

Is it still a thing? Still nicely kept?

[Quote] I’m stunned that baths are even legal. They should be of course but governments get so antsy about legalized sex

They are tolerated because it keeps gays out of the streets

I miss bathhouses so much

Are they only does the 60 and older crowd all over the world?

Since Florida is completely open, have the bathhouses been open there too?

You need to be on PrEP to safely read through this thread. Disgusting!

R19 I put condoms on thumbs to contribute! LOL

I went to a bathouse in NOLA with a friend and I actually did go to workout, my friend did not😁

At the sauna at R2, I was there once when the steam room was so packed that if someone opened the door, a few guys would lose their balance and fall out the door like a closet of pingpong balls. I’m really not exaggerating. Absolutely packed with hotness.

Lots of people go to workout. It’s a pretty decent gym with good weight racks, cardio equipment, and group classes. The trainers and instructors are top notch.

R22, was that like 30 years ago?

Hotness and bathhouses haven’t gone together since then

Buenos Aires has some nice ones. They're set up with bars and lounges and it's all young guys.

The bathhouses in NYC are the pits. They physical locations are gross as are the patrons.

I’d be amazed if they survive Covid because they are in prime real estate and we’re dying off as businesses already

Phoenix has a nice one in terms of facilities and beautiful outdoor pool. But no one was there and Phoenix doesn’t really have many hot guys.

I’m pleasantly surprised by the tiny but nice bathhouse in Troy, NY, next to Albany. It has a nice assortment of men— from college age to older.

The guys around there have the hugest cocks

R24 Yes, you're right. It's only old people that go to the sauna in Cologne.

R22 Was it on Christopher Street Day? Things get a little packed then.

[quote] The bathhouses in Japan are co-ed.

Are you referring to Japanese sento and onsen? They're not for sex. I've been to many sento and the facilities are segregated by gender, and I've never seen a scintilla of sexual behavior (sadly).

If you're indicating that there are co-ed bathhouses where people go for sex, I'd love to hear more.

Babylon Bangkok

Been to about 6 or 7 in the US. Nyc,ATlanta, San Jose, dallas, Houston, a few other cities. In Europe I have been to ones in London, Paris and Berlin.

Main difference I have found is that Euro bath house patrons are much hotter and more comfortable. An obvious statement but there is just not that Puritanical disgust around sex. It is liberating.

R32 I have happy memories of the Key West in Paris.

I prefer older and established baths and steam rooms starting with some tradition of steam or sauna with some history. Meaning I like bath houses that are bath houses and not multi-media entertainment-based water worlds of fun. No neon is a big plus. I don't go for sex but sometimes things happen.

SO my favorites have been:

Galatasaray Hamam in the Beyoğlu neighborhood in Istanbul. But only semi-private rooms. If you are looking for deeper personal sessions there's Firuzaga Mahallesi in the same area, which is a little more "open-minded" and has private rooms. But be aware that a lot of what looks like spontaneous activity is from men who expect to be paid.

Favorite in the US? Easy. Lake Steam Room in west Denver on Colfax. Russian-Jewish-lite. Private rooms. A great mix of older Jewish men, professional goyim and working-class guys. Easy, open, and even the straight men will acknowledge a looker.

R24 yes they have. Before covid I was in Paris and went to Sun City near Dépot and Pompidou Center. It is rather big place, it was afternoon and packed. I thought only fat older guys would be there, but to my surprise there were lots of really hot sporty guys with six pack and bubble butts. Great surprise! Action took mainly place in steam baths. I felt a bit outsider because of my French but of course international gay language is easy to follow.

R34 I've been to the Galatasaray Hamam.

It's really nice.

The KAISERBRÜNDL in Vienna is lovely and historical too.

R37, that Viennese place is like the fucking Disneyland of bathhouses! I loved the artwork in the lounge. I will have to go there someday.

Love the hypocritical frumpy queens clutching their pearls crying SHAME as they devour every word like R19

The biggest cocks I found were at the bathhouse in Madrid. OMG! The Spanish men are huge.

The best in the US is Steamworks in Chicago, with Houston a close second. Houston is full of very well-hung men due to the international nature of the city. The facilities are better in Chicago, but the men are hotter and have bigger cocks in Houston.

Thermos in Amersterdam(now closed) was the biggest disappointment. Boring and the men weren't that hot. I thought it would be the ultimate bathhouse and it wasn't at all.

The wildest sex went on in the Paris baths. Those Parisian guys are wild.

Actual bathhouses I have been to, in order of enjoyment: Steamworks in Chicago, Gym Louvre in Paris, Club Fort Lauderdale, Club Dallas, Club Indianapolis, and some sad little place down in Miami the name of which I don't remember.

Spas/gyms that might as well be bathhouses -- still operating: Century Spa in Koreatown Los Angeles is the only one that comes to mind. There is always a sexy vibe among the patrons at this place. I have only been there during the day, they say the action picks up at night.

Spas/gyms that were almost as good as bathhouses, but have changed:

Super hot memories of all three of the Lake Shore Shore Sports and Fitness Clubs in Chicago ... all three were really walking distance from each other in downtown, and the best one was on Wabash north of the river. You could go in there at almost anytime and there would be groups of men jacking off together in the steam room. Lots of cruising and playing at the one on Stetson as well, and plenty of hot guys to flirt with before finding some privacy in one of the showers. My understanding is that these places have closed, or are under new management.

Sports Connection in West Hollywood. Wow, what a scene that place was in the 1990s -- so many hot men together in the steam, sauna, and whirlpool. Will never forget being in the steam room there and making out and stroking cocks with a hot guy named Tim. There were probably ten men in the steam room at one time, and you were expected to either watch or put on a show. The action didn't stop when a new guy entered. Since closed or rebranded.

Premiere 57 in New York City. Another Korean spa, this one was good but didn't last long. Had fun in the steamroom, sauna, and spa pools. Lots of interruptions from staff, and they reconfigured it so it's not as cruise friendly as it used to be.

Peabody Athletic Club in Orlando Florida. This was a small but fully equipped hotel gym that also had full amenities -- steam, sauna, and whirlpool. Most people were not aware of it but it always had a mix of men -- a steady stream of travelers passing through and a small group of locals who used it as a gym. Staff was fully aware of the action. I think one of the hotel executives liked to use the steam room after his workout, so he made sure things stayed as they were and he liked having new playmates. You could find action there one-on-one or in groups. This one closed around 2005.

No, I'm merely average looking and I'm not a fan of crowds anyway.

I remember going to a bathhouse in Zurich and being shocked at how upscale and clean it was. You could eat off the floors. Not that I did.

[quote] I haven’t been to Steamworks in a decade. It was hoping when I went.

Wishing and hoping?

[quote Lake Steam Room in west Denver on Colfax. Russian-Jewish-lite. Private rooms. A great mix of older Jewish men, professional goyim and working-class guys. Easy, open, and even the straight men will acknowledge a looker.

But was there any ACTION?

OMG, that Turkish sauna site has a pic that John Travolta was there!

Has any of you's went to the west side club in nyc lately? Last time I went a couple a years ago, it was mostly old trolls just walking around and lusting after the few hot young dudes who was there. I'm 28, so kinda and young and gots a nice body, so older outta shape dudes are just not my thing.

R41 Premiere 57 in New York City was ruined when the Frau brunch brigade started bringing their hubbies there in droves.

R43 Did you go to Al Peters Sundeck in Bern, whilst you was in Zurich?

I used to go loads a few years ago when I lived in Fribourg. I met a beautiful Swiss boy there and we went back to his place. He lived in like a duplex apartment, we climbed a ladder to get to his bed and he had beautiful fairy lights above it. I fucked him all night long.

In the morning we climbed down the ladder, and he made me breakfast. We were just sat about chatting, and I asked what he did. Well he threw back some curtains from underneath the raised beds area to reveal a sewing machine and racks of dresses. He was a drag queen! I forget what his stage name was, something like Miss Helvetica or something. But I still remember some 30 years later.

The sauna is stunning and has a beautiful sun deck.

There was a nice sauna in Frankfurt, Germany called the Concord Sauna. It used to have lots of US Military personnel go, because they were based at Darmstadt.

I had a great session with a Captain in the USAF. I helped him get his big old American car started after we fucked. If you're reading this Captain Trey. Thanks for the memories.

In the US I've been to baths in San Franciso, San Jose, San Diego (there used to be four!), Honolulu, and Manhattan. In Europe I've visited baths in Copenhagen, Palma de Mallorca, Stuttgart, Berlin, Bielefeld, Munich, and several in London. As with most things, the best one is the one you are in at the moment. Best sex overall was probably in Mallorca -guys from all over Europe, and vacation and looking for fun.

On the whole, the European baths are cleaner and better maintained. Nearly all of them have bars, (legit) massage services, and other amenities that make it more than just a place to fuck and leave. In London, several of them offered onsite STI/HIV testing and counseling. Different clubs attract a different clientele -and at different times/days. Ones in the heart of a city's business district tend to get more middle-aged men after work. Late-nights usually get the young crowd. Whatever the clientele, and whatever you look like, you're gonna find a way to enjoy yourself if you want to.

Fuck the pearl-clutching fraus who trash the baths every chance they get. I've been visiting them for over thirty years and never gotten an STI of any kind. Ain't no such thing as "nacreous layers of permacum" -whatever that's supposed to be.

R46 most guys are there for Daddy types or older discreet guys, not narcissists in their twenties who think they are desirable to all

The West Side Club was sliding badly about 5 years ago, which is the last time I went. Before, they only rented out rooms to those with full memberships. Now they were renting to everyone, which means they weren’t getting enough clients.

The attendants were still nasty, for no reason.

I wonder if it’s been able to hang on considering everyone have moved to apps. Maybe the closing of the personals section of Craigslist helped to bring in married guys.

R51, I like daddy types but the daddies are now granddaddies

Budapest supposedly has a lot of bathhouses, but I only went to one, I think Gellert. It was completely coed (despite the guidebooks saying it had segregated sections) and basically locals and tourists of all ages jus enjoying themselves—I didn't pick up a single sexual vibe at all. Any reports on the others?

Granddaddies need love too! And we are usually much better at it. Experience tells...

Sorry -I left Budapest off my list. Some hot guys there, but no action at all. Everyone just stared intently at each other.

Aren’t the Turkish bathhouses only really for baths and massages?

Rejection in 43 languages.

It’s not quite what you all are talking about, but when I lived in Germany I regularly visited a Roman bath in Baden-Baden. It was all nude, makes on one side and females on the other. But in the center it was co-ed, and there was a large pool and warm bath.

It wasn’t sexual at all...also, the average age of the men there was about 45.

Older4Me has a much better vibe and to-the-point sex than most porn

I do hope that they survive the pandemic. I'm not sure that they will. Wearing a facemask and socially distancing isn't really conducive to the whole sauna experience.

Anyway, here's one of my local saunas in Birmingham, UK. It's very nice.

I went to a bathhouse in France and was trying to hook up with a hunk when some old man tried to strike up a combo. And when I say old he was like 80, maybe. I was being kind and all them he began to get VERY aggressive. I don't know maybe he never met a brown skin anglophone Caribbean guy with bleached hair before, maybe he got a glimpse at my 10 incher, I dunno, but he all of a sudden cut the idle Coco and tried grabbing me and shit. I had to get up and leave and go to another floor, and didn't you know it, great grandpa kept following me. Needless to say I lost sight of the guy I wanted to hook up with and had to hide-out in one of the cabins for about 10 minutes when the coast was clear.

I kept thinking maybe he was rich or something, and had I played my cards right, I could've been a kept boy in a French chateau on the countryside, sipping champagne. Oh well c'est la vie du sauna!

Fun fact: the Vatican owns the building housing the largest bathhouse in Rome.

[quote]Budapest supposedly has a lot of bathhouses, but I only went to one, I think Gellert.

Gellert is more like a spa and thermal bath (and hotel)

I loved the layout of the Hollywood Spa on Vine. It made me wonder about the lesser known actors and celebrities who probably slipped in there in the 70s and 80s

[quote]Fun fact: the Vatican owns the building housing the largest bathhouse in Rome.

Appropriate, since the entire country of Vatican City is one big bathhouse.

[quote]I loved the layout of the Hollywood Spa on Vine.

The Hollywood Spa was on Ivar, not Vine.

R41, that was probably Club Body Center in Miami. I used to go there decades ago, and it was good. The Club in Ft. Lauderdale was always better and then got even better when they moved. I remember when I first heard about it, before the internet, I ended up at another place called Clubhouse II or something like that... and I was young... One of the old trolls told me that I must have made a mistake and I was probably supposed to be at the Club on Broward Blvd!

The ones in NY were disgusting in the 1980's - I cannot believe that they are even still around. Absolutely awful!

The bathhouse in Cleveland converted from the old bus terminal is the nicest one I've been to in the US. I have fond memories of The Hollywood Spa, Animals, The Liberty Baths and other west coast institutions which have long since closed. Internationally, Kaiserbrundl in Vienna is fun because it feels very belle epoque. I went to a gorgeous one in Paris, the Continental Opera baths many long years ago. I don't think it's still there. The ones in Spain are all great. In Budapest, the Gellert, Rudas and Szechenyi are not for cruising, but actually taking the waters in the old fashioned way. Magnum Sauna was a traditional gay bathhouse and full of action.

The City Sauna Club in Bergamo, Italy is nice. It's in like an apartment complex. There were some hot Italian guys that went.

I visit bathhouses and steamrooms, but only because I love cleanliness

Steamworks in Berkeley is miles better than the one in Chicago.

Ah sometimes meet gentleman callers at the baths

That's whayyy we call you Miss Tammy Tubbs, Linds!

Bath houses are not my favorites, but dark rooms and sex bars/clubs... Yes.

R75 You should try Lab.oratory in Berlin then!

R62 those old guys could be serious cockblockers. I remember one guy getting physically aggressive when turned down. I finally reported him and he got banned for a few months. It sucks you have to almost be mean but it gives you a taste of the BS women put up with from creeps in everyday society.

Bring back the bathhouse. The Internet ruined everything, but now it's time for the bathhouse to return. Grindr sucks. I want to see a real person and be in a gay environment--not on my phone.

R78 Me too!

I'm kind of surprised they're still around considering their history.

I’ve always wanted to try the Steamworks bathhouse in Berkeley, but whenever I go to the SF area, I stay and hand out with a friends, so have never had the time to steal away.

Grindr is most convenient so I doubt, in the long run, bathhouses have much of a chance of surviving.

For the most part, younger gays don’t include bathhouses as part of their gay culture.

What was the one in San Diego called that had the full swimming pool in back? It was amazing.

R82 Can I disagree with you to some extent?

Yes, the gay sauna, as a destination gay establishment, tends to attract 40+ crowd, but...and it's a big but, certainly in London, at places like Chariots in Vauxhall, the sauna is a place that younger guys went post clubbing. They tended to roll up there at 2-3am with their GHB and grab a cabin and socialise with other club kids.

Sadly it's been the casualty of the Coronavirus.

Sadly, clubbing isn’t a thing young gays tend to do much of anymore, in the US anyway

^ You must have missed all that footage of young guys clubbing during Covid

Sure there are Circuit parties but I rarely see clubbing as an every weekend event any more

There used to be four gay bathhouses in San Diego (only one of the following remains open and operating): 1.) Vulcan, located Downtown/Little Italy (my personal favorite, sadly closed Wed Apr 17, 2013); 2.) Dave's Club, located in Ocean Beach (may have been the oldest gay sauna and was the first to close); 3.) Gay Bathhouse in North Park (I don't remember the name of it; closed a few years ago); 4.) Club San Diego, located in Hillcrest, which is the only one still open, although the club recently announced after re-opening last month that it would be operating 24/5, Wed-Sun instead of 24/7.

I hope Club San Diego remains open. I much prefer being physically in a gay space and not online such as Grindr, which I find to be a waste of time. I am fully vaccinated. Looking forward to when everyone is.

Four?? Does San Diego have that many gays??

R89. Yes, San Diego has a lot of gays. It's the seventh largest city in the country. We used to have dozens and dozens of gay bars, but sadly many of those are closed like every other city across the country. Several gay bars still exist, but very few compared to what we used to have. I don't go to bars any longer; and now with the pandemic, I don't even know how many will reopen.

Come to San Diego's Gay Pride Parade in July (although I don't know what's happening this year). Our annual pride parade rivals some of the largest parades in the country including Los Angeles and San Francisco. San Diego's pride celebration lasts all weekend, Fri-Sun. It's massive. San Diego's pride weekend is held in July because California has so many pride parades so they have to be spaced out (end of) May (Long Beach) through November (Palm Springs). They can't all be held in June. With San Diego's the only California pride in July, it becomes a destination for many throughout the state and surrounding states.

One of these days perhaps when all the existing gay bathhouses have closed and people are sick of Grindr, some enterprising young gay will come up with the "new idea" of opening a gay location where they can hang out with other gays, walk around in towels, have sex, rent small rooms and take a shower, sauna and steam. For an added attraction, they'll include a little food court like the European saunas have, and the "new" American bathhouse will be reborn. At least I hope so.

R90, I always thought San Diego was rather conservative

Kaiserbründl VIENNA

R91 Once "feelies" arrive there will no longer be any actual sex.

The more conservative the community, R92, the more people need to get out there and get their freak on.

R92. R94. San Diego hasn't been all that conservative in years. Yes, there are conservative areas, but there are plenty of liberal and Democratic areas in San Diego County as well. San Diego has undergone a dramatic transformation since the days when it was a Navy town. It's much much now with a huge, thriving arts community, high tech, biotech and medical community and large young and gay population. San Diego now has an openly gay mayor.

Phoenix Sauna in Dusseldorf was alright.

I've experienced ones in London, Berlin, Prague and Vancouver. I'd say Berlin was the best (Der Boiler) just for the quality of the facilities/space. It also had a very relaxed and friendly vibe and I was more comfortable walking around naked than some other places. I think it was also the cleanest.

In terms of the men - would say that London had the best, then Prague. The main difference between European and North American ones that I noticed is the European ones tend to have a flat entry fee, whereas NA ones you seem to have to pay for a room upfront. With the European ones you get a locker to yourself but then the rooms are free for all, so if you find someone you want to hook up with you just pick whatever room you like.

R77 - it is rare but you do sometimes get very pushy guys and you have to be extremely firm with them. I have had someone who hit on me repeatedly and after turning them down politely a couple of times, would reach out to touch my chest when I walked past and I had to tell him if he touched me again I'd knock him the fuck out.

If someone is really bothering you, you can report to the front desk too.

One other difference between Euro and NA places that a couple of people have mentioned is it seems the Euro ones are much more likely to have a bar area/lounge space which makes them more of a social hub than just a pump and go type of place.

I don't think I've ever been to a European sauna that doesn't have a bar area, even if it's only cans of lemonade and a seating area. Even then, there are usually a few guys sat together chatting.

European saunas tend to be social, meeting places for friends and fuckbuddies too.

A few of the baths in the US also used to have café or bars in them. The Ritch Street Baths in San Francisco had a health food café area where you could get smoothies and such. The Flex bathhouse in Phoenix used to have a bar inside. This was like 40 years ago. To my knowledge, the Flex still exists. Ritch Street closed when the AIDS epidemic hit San Francisco.

The European model is more if a social scene. Here in the USA they have more of a sex-centric role.

I’ve met so many fascinating men at European baths, I traveled through Europe staying in these, now friends, homes and villas as a guest. I’m still in contact with these guys decades later.

That's nice R102

WHET that guy who had a bathhouse blog? He used to post here from time to time.

I don't know R104

Did he visit a lot?

I think it was this guy. He's written a bunch of books, too.

I went to Australia a decade ago and went to a bathhouse in Sydney. I met a great guy who has risen in the political world. I still keep In touch with him.

[Quote] WHET that guy who had a bathhouse blog? He used to post here from time to time.

From the guy who has the bathhouse blog

R107 Julia Gillard?

If I had John Travolta money I'd be going to Turkish baths too

I don't have the self-esteem to walk around nearly naked in a building full of strangers.

R111, no one cares. That’s the fun part!

R112 is so right!

These are people you will never see again, so why get hooked up on what they might think?

You're gorgeous R111.

R111, trust me, they aren’t all adonises. There are all types at bathhouses. Certainly the adonises get lots of attention, but who cares—there’s a lid for every pot

R99 yeah I’ve had to do that and had to teach a few guys how to do it. Some guys have nothing to lose so they prey on your manners or just tolerating it. I also told off this one old dude who would stand in the middle of a small steam room in bikini briefs and do 80s aerobics to get the fuck out because it was annoying af. He told me he could do it if he wanted and I told him I could wait for him outside as well and he left.

I'd care R112 that's the problem.

I didn't rate the Kaiserbruendl on the couple of occasions I visited it during the mid-noughties. The pictures made it look fanstastic. In reality, it was a bit of a let down. The inside is cavernous, or rather a bit of a maze. It was cold and gloomy. The shower/pool area was desperately in need of renovation and pretty dingy. There was also a lot of trudging around and looking but not much in the way of interaction. It wasn't as busy as you might have thought, which never helps in a larger venue.

That's Austrians for you.

Souless nation. No wonder the Von Trappes wanted to get out.

R24 how would you know unless you go there regularly?

R119, I've gone enough

R111 don't overthink it. You don't have to have an amazing body - in fact the majority of men there do not (but then nor are they all the crusty, disease-riddled trolls the pearl clutching anti-bathhouse brigade would have you believe) they are just average guys. I have seen literally all types of men there from the unbelievably hot and muscular to the the old fat guys and all the shades in between. It is actually a great equaliser when all everyone is dressed in, is a towel.

Plus the lighting is usually kind.

I haven't been in a couple of years but Hong Kong and Singapore both have some nice gay saunas. Doesn't matter if you're not into Asians as the clientele is quite mixed. Plenty of expat banker / investment types from the UK and US. Attitudes towards gays in both places tend to shift every few years so it is best to get a feel for the current climate beforehand.

R111, I was seated by the window at the restaurant across the street from Steamworks Chicago one evening. For a couple of hours I watched the guys heading inside and they were all very average looking guys. I remember thinking few of them "pinged" as they came down the street and headed inside. The majority were 20's to 40's with some older as well. The full range of body types but mostly just "average". This was a Friday evening around 8pm.

R120 you giving up on your slutty desperation sums up all bath house experiences for everyone all over the world?

[quote] I was seated by the window at the restaurant across the street from Steamworks Chicago one evening. For a couple of hours I watched the guys heading inside and they were all very average looking guys. I remember thinking few of them "pinged" as they came down the street and headed inside. The majority were 20's to 40's with some older as well. The full range of body types but mostly just "average". This was a Friday evening around 8pm.

Everyone "pings" there because it's in the middle of the big gay area. As for "average," is that the very definition of the term? Most of the people ANYWHERE would be "average."

[quote] you giving up on your slutty desperation sums up all bath house experiences for everyone all over the world?

The fact that young gay men don't include bathhouses as part of their gay social world sums it up much better

It's not just my self-esteem issues R121, there are also a lot of hidden camera bathhouse/sex club videos on the tube sites.

R125 and we are all the more grateful

r126, you seem like a mental case. Please do not go to a bathhouse.

Nope, no young gay men to be found at a bath house anywhere R125

And you sound like a bag of shit R128 so spare humanity the smell and don't leave your home.

I used to go to a sauna most Saturday nights many years ago, when I was in my 20s. There were a few regulars and we all used to chat and it was more like a party atmosphere.

Well we developed our own system for when someone hot came into the sauna. If Person A, spotted some hot talent, Person B, he'd pass a message on to say that he was in pursuit. Then the rest of us would leave person B alone, until Person A had successfully scored, or a subsequent message came back that Person B wasn't interested. Then, one of the other guys might have gone off in pursuit.

This system had the advantage that Person B wasn't being pursued by 5 or 6 guys at once. If it was their first visit to the sauna, it could be quite intimidating for them, whereas our system ensured that they wouldn't be overwhelmed. It had a high strike rate for us. I managed 6 guys one night!

If none of us got lucky, then we'd meet up in the playroom at 2am and play together there. It worked really well.

R41 here. I thought of one more gym that was "almost a bathhouse."

David Barton Gym on 23rd Street in New York City in the early to mid-2010s. One of my favorite places to work out when I was traveling through NYC. I remember there being two banks of showers that faced each other, so if you felt like showing off your muscles (or your hard-on), you could find an audience and someone who might join you in putting on a shower show. At the end of the showers, there was a big steam room as well as a dry sauna. The sauna was co-ed. So no action going in in there.

The steam room was men only and there were many hot scenes in there. I remember about ten fit guys all enjoying each others company with plenty of sucking, kissing, and stroking. I liked to watch and join in a little, but I have a fond memory of meeting a cute Latin guy and letting him suck my cock while others around us put on a hot show.

I think this place closed and then reopened later as a Crunch. I visited it one more time to see if it was still as good. They had completely closed the steam room and sauna. As I was changing in the men's locker room, I struck up a conversation with tall muscular guy and just asked him how long he had worked out at this Crunch. He said he had lived in the neighborhood for a while and had starting working out at this location when it was a David Barton Gym. I said, "It's really different now." "Yeah, it's not like it was." He nodded his head and smiled at me as we exchanged a knowing glance.

It seems that decades ago, bathhouses were a fun social places for gays to meet, chat, have sex, drink, etc.

More recently, they seem just for sex and not a place for community socialization. When I’ve gone, no one actual speaks to one another.

[quote]Buenos Aires has some nice ones. They're set up with bars and lounges and it's all young guys.

Club Casa Rosada has a balcony.

I'm a voyeur and usually get off watching the action, but the last time I went to Midtowne in LA in the early 2000s, a guy visiting from Colombia licked my feet and asshole for an hour

I've only ever been to the baths in Europe. I loved Thermos in Amsterdam, both the day and night saunas, but they're sadly gone. Not a fan of the newer Sauna NZ. I had good times at the Dragon Sauna in Hamburg but I've heard it's fallen into disrepair. A few years ago I went to a truly dingy one in St Petersburg with another American who was working on a cruise ship. Boiler in Berlin was ok but I found the atmosphere unwelcoming. It's unfortunate that younger gays aren't interested, in some ways a sauna can be much more efficient than scrolling through apps and worrying about hosting. It's such a fun Sunday afternoon activity that can just be purely social or include sex.

I never went to the Kaiserbründl but remember reading about the American who disappeared after last being seen running naked out of the sauna. His mother went to Vienna to put pressure on the police but they never solved the case.

R136 I forgot about him. I remember reading about that case.

I liked the day and night sauna in Amsterdam too. I can remember a long staircase going down to the cubicles.

Bring back the bathhouse. Such a great escape from the world.

That nice one in Bangkok but it was mainly sticky rice

What did you find unwelcoming about Boiler, R136? I thought it was probably the best one I've been to. Maybe it was just the time you went, they can be very hit and miss in general.

I'm surprised there's one in St Petersburg knowing how homophobic Russia has become

I'm now over the hill, but in the course of life I've been to baths in San Diego, LA, Seattle, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Honolulu, New Orleans, Chicago, D.C. and San Francisco. In Canada, Montreal. In Europe, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Frankfurt, Berlin, and Bologna. In Asia, Bangkok. European saunas were usually much more sophisticated and clean. I never bothered looking at the ones in New York because of their horrible reputatlon (at the time there was only the East Side Club, West Side Club and some in Harlem. ) Boston never had a good one, there was a Club Boston but it was shut down early in the AIDS onset, then later a safer-sex alternative that lasted about 20 minutes. I don't go to them anymore because it would no longer be an adventure, it would be a humiliation at my age.

My favorites were in Thailand and Germany, followed by Montreal (this was back in the 80s, so I'm not sure about the ones there now.) There are many more elsewhere in the world. I wish they would have some only for older guys (over 50 or so.) just to have a place to hang out and gasp, maybe have someone to chat with. The American baths scene was so sex-centered, it left out the crucial social aspect you get from places elsewhere.

I hear Toronto has a ton of them. Anyone here been to them? What are they like?

Canadians are easy

Do they have lesbians only nights in some saunas ?

And are trannies allowed inside ?

I've seen trannies in Chariots, Vauxhall.

R5 = provincial Christian fundie who’s never left the trailer park.

Or a woman.

The Greenhouse in Birmingham, England used to have a free buffet every Saturday evening.

That used to attract the chubby chasers.

Love meeting with such a variety of men in one place. The bathhouse experience is sadly going away from gay life.

Getting fucked by 10 different men over a few hours will be a thing of the past.

^ Dawson, is that you?

R150 Sex clubs will still be going as running costs are much lower for a couple of cages and a sling, compared to running a sauna and whirlpool.

Do younger gays even go to orgies?

R153 who cares about younger gays do

R154, because the future of the bathhouse depends on them

R155 you know younger gays aren't younger gays forever, right?

R153 Yes they do.

But as R156 so eloquently puts it, we're not young forever.

There's a youtube video posted this past year where people tell secrets anonymously off camera filmed in Balboa Park in San Diego.

One woman in her twenties said that when she turned eighteen, she went to New York by herself and had sex with multiple older married men at a sex club.

And how did that make her feel?