The Russian & Turkish Baths, located at 268 East 10th Street in Manhattan's East Village, have been a staple of New York City's wellness scene since 1892.
It can't quite rival it's bigger European rivals but it's worth visiting - especially later on a weekend - if you're looking for some action. This is a common puzzle many gay travellers find themselves trying to solve when they visit NYC. In this city, the gay sauna culture diverges significantly from what one might find in European capitals like Barcelona, Rome, or Milan.
Why, you might ask?
The name may sound familiar but it's not the same venue as the historic gay bathhouse Bette Midler performed in back in the 1970s. This historic bathhouse offers a variety of traditional services, including multiple saunas, steam rooms, and an ice-cold plunge pool.
Sunday's between 9am - 2pm are men only, as are Thursdays between 12pm-5pm.
During the 1970s, New York had several gay saunas and bathhouses that were explicitly part of the LGBTQ+ scene, with some using similar "Russian & Turkish Baths" branding.
This is a members club, so expect to pay a bit more if you don't have a membership.
East Side Club is the last fully fledged gay bathhouse in New York City. The landscape of gay saunas in New York City has been shaped by its history, particularly during the devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, leading to the closure of many establishments.
These venues, particularly those in the pre-AIDS crisis era, were known for being social and sexual meeting spots for gay men.