In some countries, bathhouses are 'membership only' (for legal reasons) though membership is generally open to any adult who seeks it, usually after paying a small fee. Most have a steam room (or wet sauna), dry sauna, showers, lockers, and small private rooms. Some, such as Hawks PDX, offer so-called 'bisexual' nights, where anyone is welcome regardless of gender.īathhouses 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. īathhouses offering similar services for women are rare, but some men's bathhouses occasionally have a ' lesbian' or 'women only' night. In general, a gay bath is used for having sexual activity rather than only bathing.
In gay slang, a bathhouse may be called just 'the baths', 'the sauna', or 'the tubs'. A gay bathhouse, also known as a gay sauna or a gay steambath (uncommonly known as a gay spa), is a commercial space for gay, bisexual, and other men to have sex with men.
