Gay bathhouses in los angeles california
Hollywood Spa opened in 1974 and, before the advent of HIV and AIDS, was a major destination for gay men who had few other places to see one another. It had 100 confidential rooms, a DJ, a steam room and jacuzzi, an “adult video” lounge, a gym and a cafe. The spa boasted on its website that it hosted over 100,000 visitors a year.
"At the upscale Hollywood Spa on Ivar Avenue, towel-wrapped patrons can watch each other over while working out on gym equipment or sipping freshly squeezed orange juice from the cafe. Vintage Hollywood posters cover the walls, strobe lights flicker, and DJs spin the latest club music." (L.A. Times, 27 Oct, 1997)
The spa was ordered to close in 1988, as part of an enforcement of stringent regulations restricting sexual action at gay bathhouses. “I don’t arrange to close,” said Scott D.R. Goulet, owner of Hollywood Spa, 1650 Ivar Ave. “We adjudicated this issue two years ago. We won it then. The county was wrong,” he said. Co-owner and spa manager John Ferry told the LA Times: “We’re going to fight this thing. As far as we’re concerned, we’re the fine guys. We evaluate the Hollywood Spa to be an important ass
Barfly West '73: B. P.; Bob Damron '82: (P) (Referral necessary) (YC) (Some W, SM) *; Bob Damron '84: (P) (YC-only) *
"Became the most legendary of Los Angeles' bathhouses. Though located on an inconspicuous street corner, on the inside of the 8709 there was an elaborate maze, much black paint, and rooms large and small. According to legend, closeted actors entered through a secret door that led to an unlit, anonymous orgy room. The 8709 also attracted an endless stream of blonde surfer types who migrated, erotically charged, from the disco down the street. One customer of the 8709 reminisces about being 'fortunate enough to proceed there,' and recalls how he was always amazed by the beautiful men.' Another remembers 'walking through the large orgy room that was packed so firm with bodies you couldn't move.' Because the ground floor backed onto a deli, 8709 customers could order food through a small window, precluding any demand to leave." (Gay L.A.)
Extremely discriminatory, many stories of rejection due to age and weight.
Sheldon Andelson, millionaire attorney and businessman, owned the 8709. It was a financially lucrative busine
Los Angeles Gay Saunas
The Los Angeles Athletic Club
This atmospheric hotel, situated inside the city's oldest private club near Downtown LA's male lover scene, whispers tales of film stars from Hollywood's golden years. Club rooms and a distinguished block characterise this institution that is over a century old.It's the facilities of the members-only athletic club that shine (entry is complimentary for hotel guests). Take the plunge into a heated lap pool, while indoor courts await for racquetball, squash and more. At group fitness classes such as yoga, kickboxing, pilates, and Zumba, you'll be working up a sweat with an enviably fit crowd.Windows with roman shades keep out the dazzling LA sunlight if you want to sleep in. Wi-Fi is free, but otherwise, rooms are purposely low tech.With walnut wood panelling and checkerboard tiled floors, Legendary Players restaurant is uncover for breakfast daily and lunch daily except Sunday. An American-style breakfast buffet, with hot and cool dishes like hash browns, scrambled eggs and fruit, is complimentary for hotel guests.
GAY L.A.: The Last Los Angeles Bathhouse
Before the AIDS epidemic, bathhouses acted as a community center. But with way more sex.
“To the left of me,” wrote David Colker for the Los Angeles Times in a 1994 article, “four men were having sex. Only two of them were actually looking at each other.”
So begins most bathhouse stories of the time. At the Compound, one of the Valley’s oldest establishments, porn would screen on the walls while patrons got it on in public (or private) rooms below. But not for long. Even in 1994, the homosexual bathhouse’s days were numbered.
“A decade ago,” Colker writes, “Los Angeles boasted slick, high-tech bathhouses known throughout the lgbtq+ world. But as the specter of AIDS darkened the mid-1980s, the baths came under energy as places where unsafe, multi-partner sex spread the disease.”
The Compound wasn’t the only spa coming under attack. It seemed that the more sexually start the bathhouse was, the more it would be targeted by law enforcement and political officials.
“The Corral Club…” according to the L.A. Times “had a community ‘orgy room’ with a petite stage where dwell sex shows took place, and several private rooms containing chains with wris