Bathhouse Blog

August 16, 2011

Penn Jillette, magician, atheist, libertarian and writer has written a new book entitled God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales.

In one interesting section of the book, Jillette writes about his own visit to a gay bathhouse in San Francisco. This was during the height of the AIDS crisis in the early 1980s.

He writes that he went to the baths, to show a co-worker how open-minded he is. I have not read the book. But Linda Holmes from NPR has. In her blog review she writes:

His story about visiting a San Francisco bathhouse, for instance, takes forever and is played mostly for the opportunity for a straight guy to talk about gay sex a lot, and when the punch line arrives, it’s really not as satisfying as it should be.

To read more of Linda Holmes review go to Penn Jillette’s ‘God, No!’: An Atheist Libertarian On Tricks, Bacon, And The TSA.

August 23, 2010

The famous (or infamous depending on how you view it) Tenderloin bathhouse is opening its doors once again. After twenty years of collecting dust, it will be turned into a doggy day care center!

During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, many cities cracked down on such establishments. And the Tenderloin was no exception.

Photo courtesy of Metrostudy

In honor of the buildings incredibly rich history, the new business will be called Bulldog Baths. If those walls could talk.

To read more click the article below that appeared in San Francisco Examiner (There's life in the old dog ) written by John Upton

July 10, 2010

Every bathhouse tries to get an edge on the competition. Whatever they can do to stand out from the rest, they give it their very best shot. Steamworks needs no introduction, as they are synonymous with gay men as one of the most well-known chain of Bathhouse in North America. Curtis Jensen (left) is the Director of Marketing for Steamworks. He takes TONS of Bathhouse pictures to promote Steamworks everywhere. He has graciously uploaded his pictures on his own Flickr account for all to see. So if you are looking for some of the best Bathhouse Pictures, click to Curtis’s Picture Page. You won’t be disappointed!

May 20, 2010

The Fairoaks Project is a bold and unapologetic celebration of gay male sexual culture featuring Polaroids taken at The Fairoaks Hotel in San Francisco by Frank Melleno in the spring and summer of 1978.

In celebration of Gay Pride Month, drkrm/gallery proudly presents an extraordinary, never-before-seen glimpse into pre-AIDS gay sexual culture. The Fairoaks Project is an exhibit of Polaroid photographs taken by Frank Melleno during the spring and summer of 1978 at The Fairoaks Hotel, a San Francisco bathhouse.

Situated in a refurbished Victorian building near a black ghetto, The Fairoaks was known for its laid-back and racially integrated ambiance. Bold and unapologetic, Melleno’s images capture an aspect of gay life rarely seen in snapshot photography: sexually candid encounters that are playful, spontaneous and often affectionate. The dark storm of drug abuse and pandemic disease that would soon overtake the community is not visible in these celebratory pictures.

The exhibit runs from June 12th – 27th, 2010. If you can’t make it, A limited-edition book of photographs from the exhibit, with an introduction by Mark Thompson, is available for purchase through the drkrm/gallery website.

The Fairoaks Project is now on Facebook. Check it out here.