Very brief reflections prompted by the appearance on Pinterest of a 1970s poster advertising the Ritch St. Health Club in San Francisco, the first gay baths (in the modern sense) in San Francisco. A digital artwork by Sylvan Rogers, based on this poster (but minus the details about hours, charges, facilities, buddy nights, etc.):
The Ritch St. eventually became a Club Baths, and then closed
Modern gay baths are clean and well-appointed, with saunas, steamrooms, gym equipment, social gathering spaces, and often entertainment, as well as lockers, private rooms, public orgy rooms, and sometimes more specialized sexual facilities. In later times they also offered copious supplies of condoms and lube, safe sex counseling, and HIV testing.
I had a long and satisfying history at such baths, in New York City, Washington DC, Brighton (in Sussex), Columbus OH, and East Palo Alto and San Jose CA. There’s a Page on this blog with links to my postings (mostly on AZBlogX and needing transfer to this blog) about my experiences at the gay baths.
The Watergarden bathhouse in San Jose was a special favorite — conveniently located (just west of downtown San Jose), very nicely laid out, well staffed, and with genuine concern for the gay community. But after my disastrous encounter, 20 years ago, with necrotizing fasciitis, which left me both disfigured and disabled, I ceased going to the baths; very soon afterwards I gave up sexual relations of any kind with other people. But I continued to recall the Watergarden with great affection and was saddened indeed to discover, in gathering material for this posting, that it closed during the height of the pandemic, in July 2020, after 43 years in business, and has been been converted to an office development (with multiple buildings and outdoor work areas).
A small number of gay baths of this sort survive; an important fact about them is that they are social spaces — for those who want to meet and talk with other guys — as well as sexual spaces. (And of course they’re social spaces in that behavior in them conforms to the customs of such places.)
May 16, 2024 at 9:40 am |
Rich St. was my place to go in S.F. when I visited in the ’70s. It was much nicer than the L.A. baths like Atwater and 8709 (well not nicer than that latter one on 3rd. St. in WeHo.)
November 3, 2024 at 10:00 pm |
The Watergarden in San Jose was indeed a wonderful club, clean, well appointed and well maintained. It had an inviting outdoor whirlpool spa. It is tragically closed now.