Going to the Baths, Part 1 - Some History

We have a two parter today on going to the baths, and part one goes into some history.

It was the Turks who carried the Roman bath concept into modern times,

so I'm starting with this undated photo that I like.

 

France

This is a treatment room at Evian-les-Bains, France, early 20th Century.

 

Everard

Irish immigrant and brewer James Everard established the Everard Baths on New York's west side in 1888.  It was palacial by the standards of the time, and by 1910 it was a known gay cruising site.  It was ever referred to as "Everhard."  Sadly, a tragic 1977 fire killed nine men, and even though the owners rebuilt and reopened, Everard's closed for good at the height of the AIDS crisis.

Below, a photo from the New York Herald in 1905.

 

Berlin, Early 20th C.

This is the Admiralspalast in Berlin, early 20th Century.

It looks more like a gentleman's club than a bath

house, but the towels are the giveaway.

 

Savoy 1951

This was taken at the Savoy Baths in London in 1951.

The place started attracting gays in the 1930s,

but it was still a mixed crowd much of the time.

 

Going to the Baths, Part 2 - The 1970s

The second half of our bath house special features photos thought to be from 

the 1970s,the heyday of the phenomenon before AIDS came crashing in.

We start with what looks like a screen grab from a VHS movie.

 

Atlanta 1976

My source says this was the Club Baths Atlanta in 1976

What's with all the gear hanging on the wall?

It looks like a tack room for leather toys.

 

1979

Rod S. of Chicago sent me this photo of an unknown

bath house shower from 1979.

 

On the sly

I get the feeling this one was taken on the sly.

 

1976

This was supposedly made at the Club Baths chain 

flagship franchise in New York City in 1976.

 

Tubs

Some referred to the gay baths as "the tubs."  Actual bathtubs were not 

all that common, but I managed to find one in the picture avove.

I'm not sure if this was the cleaner or some eager bottom.

 

French Spa

The thermal baths at Aix-les-Bains, France was the site for this 1913 photograph.

Must have been nice to get doubleteamed for a massage.

 

Paris

There's a Turkish influence in the decor of this 1900 Paris bath house.

 

Bath House Day Triple Feature, Part 1 - Turkish Hammam

Today I'm posting a triple feature on bath houses.  The Romans are said to have invented the 

concept of public bathing facilities, but there is some archaeological evidence they might have 

been around even longer than that.  In part one, we look at the Turkish hammam, a type of facility 

that closely approximates the Roman.  These photos came to me undated, but some 

of the details make me think they are several decades old.  

As for sexual activity in hammams, the official line is that it is not allowed, but according to a 2019 travel blogger,  "I received assurances from my hotel concierge, the taxi driver, and the guy at the front desk that this place was absolutely not a gay bath house.  After twenty minutes, the groans emanating from the dark corners convinced me that their definition of gay differed from mine.  I can only imagine what the hammams advertised as gay might be like."

 

That look

I've stared at this for half an hour, and I still can't figure out the look on this guy's face.

Of course, first I had to stop and look at those lovely rumps.

 

Shower

I think this guy is switching on an ancient looking shower in the hammam.

 

Lighting

I really like the lighting in this one, plus the way the odd guy is reading a newspaper.

 

Hmmmm . . .

If I didn't know better, I'd think there was more going on here than a soap suds massage.

 

Bath House Day, Part 2 - Gay Baths

Part two of out triple feature goes gay.  From the earliest days of public baths, men have 

engaged in sexual activity with each other on site.  One example would be the Everard Baths 

of New York City, which was notorious for such as early as the late 19th Century.  By the 1960s, 

bath houses operated by and for gays sprang up in nearly every large American city.  

Not long after, bath house porn began to appear.

 

VHS

In the late 1970s when VHS and Beta video recording became available, lots of small time operators got into the porn film business.  This is an early example in black and white of a bath  house video,

and this screen grab is about as good quality wise as the original