From ancient times to today, they’ve almost always been about more than hot water and steam.
Bathhouses didn’t begin as places for queer people — or anyone — to have sex. They also didn’t spring into existence, fully formed from Bette Midler’s mind, in the 1970s. They have a long and interesting history.
A bathhouse is a shared space built around communal bathing — often including saunas, steam rooms, gym equipment, and social areas — and its purpose has changed dramatically throughout history and across cultures.
The baths began as places for cleanliness, community, and ritual. Over thousands of years, they evolved into something similar — and yet, even more complex. The modern gay bathhouse sits at the intersection of history, culture, sexuality, and survival.
Understanding that history can help us figure out not just what a bathhouse is but also why they matter.
Ancient Bathhouses: Water, Ritual, and Society
Egypt and Early Civilizations
In ancient Egypt (long before Cleopatra — even before the pyramids), bathing was about cleanliness and ritual purity. The priestly and noble classes would use oils, perfumes, and water in basins to clean themselves.
We even read in Exodus (the second book of the Hebrew Bible) that Pharaoh’s daughter had come to the river to bathe when she discovered the baby Moses floating along in a basket. (You can check out that part of the Moses story here.)
Even though ancient Egypt didn’t develop bathhouses the way that later cultures did, they helped establish a cultural foundation:
Cleanliness was tied to spirituality, health, and social order.
Greece and Social Bathing Culture
The ancient Greeks gave Western civilization the idea of bathing as a shared social activity.
Bathing spaces were often associated with gymnasiums, where men exercised, relaxed, and socialized together. (See, gym bros? Your forebears were important in bathhouse history!) These environments helped normalize Greek attitudes around:
- Nudity
- Physical admiration
- Close male bonding
Ancient Greek bathhouses weren’t designed exclusively for sex, but the culture was comfortable with the male body in the nude. They definitely laid the groundwork for the modern expressions of same-sex desire and sexual activity in communal spaces.
Rome and the Golden Age of the Bathhouse
Ancient Rome learned (and blatantly directly imported or stole) a lot from ancient Greece — including the bathhouse. But the Roman Empire turned social bathing into an art form and bathhouses into temples (literally and figuratively).
If you’ve ever been to the ruins of an ancient Roman bathhouse, you know that they were:
- Architecturally stunning, rivaling palaces and temples
- Open to almost all classes of Roman society
- Central to everyday life in the Empire
The typical Roman bath included:
- Frigidarium (cold room)
- Tepidarium (warm room)
- Caldarium (hot bath and steam)
But the Romans weren’t going to the baths just for cleanliness and hygiene. They became social hubs where:
- Business and political deals were made
- Friendships formed
- Bodies were seen and appreciated
Same-sex activity wasn’t the defining feature — but it wasn’t unheard of either. The Roman baths created a space where proximity, nudity, and social interaction blurred boundaries. (Sound familiar? Gay bathhouses definitely owe a lot to the Romans!)
The East: Bathing as Ritual and Renewal
Japan and Communal Bathing
In Japan, bathhouses evolved into sento (public baths) and onsen (hot springs).
These spaces emphasized
- Relaxation
- Ritual cleansing
- Community
Nudity was normalized, but it remained non-sexual. Even today, Japanese bath culture is about restoration, not cruising — a contrast to Western developments.
Korea and the Jimjilbang Tradition
Korean jimjilbangs are large, modern bath complexes combining:
- Baths
- Saunas
- Relaxation spaces
Like Japan, the emphasis is on wellness and community, not sex. As in many such communal environments featuring nudity, subcultures emerged beneath the surface.
The Medieval Times: Decline and Disappearance
After the fall of Rome, public bathing declined in Europe. (Honestly, so did private bathing, but that’s a subject for a different day.)
Why?
- Roman infrastructure literally collapsed
- Christianity took on a very negative approach to the human body — especially in the nude
- Bathhouses became associated with disease and prostitution
By the Middle Ages, bathhouses had largely disappeared in Western Europe — and those that remained took on very bad reputations that pushed them to the margins of society.
Modern Rebirth: Urbanization and Privacy
Bathhouses re-emerged in the 19th and 20th Centuries, especially in large cities like:
- New York City
- London
- Paris
Since most homes didn’t have private bathrooms, the bathhouse served a practical purpose: Hygiene and cleanliness.
As these cities grew into modern metropolises, anonymous social spaces took on a life of their own — and the baths took on new roles.
The Gay Bathhouse Emerges (Mid-20th Century)
By the mid-1900s, especially in North American cities, bathhouses became semi-private spaces where men could meet other men safely for sexual activity.
This was critical during these times when:
- Homosexuality was criminalized
- Police raids were common
- Social exposure could ruin lives
Bathhouses offered:
- Anonymity
- Privacy
- A growing sense of community
In all honesty, the baths weren’t just sexual spaces — they were refuges.
The 1970s: The Golden Era
After the marches and riots of the 1950s and 1960s (and particularly after the Stonewall Riots), gay culture became more visible — and bathhouses flourished. Even some rather small towns had a bathhouse.
In cities like San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, and Toronto:
- Bathhouses were large, busy, and socially vibrant
- They functioned like community centers — as well as sexual spaces
- For many men, they were a first experience of open, queer life
The baths were also often entertainment spaces — especially on busy nights. Many people might not remember, but Bette Midler often performed at the Continental Baths in New York City during her early career. Her pianist was another young artist: Barry Manilow.
But that “Golden Era” only lasted about a decade.
The AIDS Crisis: Closure and Controversy
Auntie knows too well, first- and second-hand, that the emergence of HIV/AIDS changed everything in queer culture — and especially the baths.
Bathhouses became the center of intense debate:
- Was anonymous sex at the baths contributing to transmission of the virus?
- Or could they become places where education and safer sex practices could be shared?
Many cities — large and small — shut them down. San Francisco still has laws against bathhouses.
This period marked:
- Loss
- Fear
- Political conflict within the queer community
But it also led to the development of:
- Safer sex education
- Community-led health responses
The 21st Century (and Beyond)
Today’s bathhouses vary widely by location, but many:
- Emphasize cleanliness and safety
- Provide condoms and lube
- Enforce behavioral etiquette and rules
- Balance sexual freedom with responsibility
They exist alongside:
- Apps like Grindr, Scruff, Squirt, and Sniffies
- Changing attitudes toward sex and privacy
They don’t just exist. They persist. And thrive.
Yes, Bathhouses Still Matter
Bathhouses continue to exist because they offer what the apps can’t:
- Embodied experience
- Immediate human connection
- Spaces where one can explore other identities and roles
Yes, for many of us, they’re all about the sexual activity.
For others of us, they are:
- A rite of passage
- A place of exploration
- A connection to queer history and culture
And Auntie goes because it’s thrilling and fun!
Bathhouses didn’t appear out of nowhere — and they’re not going anywhere, either.
And they’ve always been about more than water and steam.