Gay bathhouse

A gay bathhouse, also known as a gay sauna or a gay steambath, is a public bath targeted towards gay and bisexual men. In gay slang, a bathhouse may be called just "the baths", "the sauna", or "the tubs". Historically, they have been used for sexual activity.^[1][2]

Bathhouses offering similar services for women are rare, but some men's bathhouses occasionally have a "lesbian" or "women only" night. Some, such as Hawks PDX, offer so-called "bisexual" nights, where anyone is welcome regardless of gender.

Gay bathhouses differentiate themselves from similar gay sex clubs or gay bar darkrooms by offering communal and/or individual water facilities (and thus, a more sanitary experience).

Bathhouses vary considerably in size and amenities—from small establishments with 10 or 20 rooms and a handful of lockers to multi-story saunas with a variety of room styles or sizes and several steam baths, hot tubs, and sometimes swimming pools and private outdoor facilities. Most have a steam room (or wet sauna), dry sauna, showers, lockers, and small private rooms.

Different cultures emphasize different uses of a gay bathhouse. In Asia, nearly every gay sauna will include a communal karaoke room complete with handheld microphones and large selections of songs for their toweled patrons. In Northern Europe, you'll often find small cafes or even restaurants offering full meals within a gay bathhouse. In North America, many gay bathhouses include a large dedicated gym area with weights and exercise machines.

In many countries, bathhouses are "membership only" (for legal reasons); though membership is generally open to anyone over the age of consent who seeks it, usually after paying a small fee. Unlike brothels, customers at gay bathhouses in the U.S. pay only for the use of the facilities. Sexual activity, if it occurs, is not provided by staff of the establishment, but is between customers with no money exchanged. Many gay bathhouses in the U.S., for legal reasons, explicitly prohibit and/or discourage prostitution and ban known prostitutes.

In other countries (notably Thailand, Switzerland, and Brazil), bathhouses may employ male prostitutes to work directly on site. Their availability may be blatant (patrons choose a numbered male who is viewable behind a partition), or subtle (male prostitutes may wear a towel and mix in as a general patron, but when approached will clarify they are solely "for rent".) These men for hire may have access to private rooms in the establishment that are otherwise off-limits to general guests. Sex fees are typically set by the management, although tipping is encouraged. Private session lengths and costs may be tallied up as "per song" playing overhead on the bathhouse's audio system. Since true male-only brothels are rarely found anywhere in the world, gay bathhouses sometimes also act as this hybrid model. However, unlike an actual brothel, patrons can choose to solely have sex with each other for free (without paying anything in addition to the price at the door).^[3]