Voyeurism Men go to the baths because of a need to connect with another person. (Read Making The Connection) However, some men go for an entirely different reason. They go because they want to be a voyeur. Where else can you see naked bodies walking around 24-7 in the winter? Seeing all that eye candy…
Judging A Book By Its Cover
Judging A Book By Its Cover Just recently, I was waiting for public transit. Then I saw this guy. He was six feet tall, with sandy brown hair, a narrow nose, clean-shaven and clean-cut. He wore pressed jeans, a gray pullover, Dock Martins, and a varsity-type jacket. My guess is he was thirty. He had…
Christmas @ The Baths
Christmas @ The Baths One of the unique aspects of a bathhouse is the hours. You can go at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The baths are even open during the holidays. As a veteran of the tubs, I have gone on Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, Easter Sunday, and Xmas Day.…
The HIV Experience
The HIV Experience After over twenty years at the baths, I’ve educated myself on the boundaries of safe sex and sexually transmitted infections, in particular, HIV and AIDS. I have two close friends who live with the virus. Both have been living with this disease for over a decade. I am aware that this is…
The Price of Admission
The Price of Admission So let me ask you a question. What can $25.00 buy you right now? The novel for the next book club? Some groceries? Your weekly packs of cigarettes? For me, $25.00 is the price to rent a room for eight hours at the baths. Regarding the baths, I have lost all…
Rice Queens
Rice Queens A while back, I found the baths deserted. The only customers were me, a young, tall white guy, and this other white guy I’d seen on and off at the tubs. The latter man seemed mentally disabled. He had clumps of hair on his head, thick wire-frame glasses, and a body like a…
Gay Porn
Gay Porn The one thing constant in most bathhouses across North America (other than all the available sex) is that each establishment has a room designated for viewing gay porn during the lull moments at the bath. The typical porn room features a TV with couches or chairs for men to sit on. As I…