Martin Rothman, owner of Sauna 63, is making a few changes.
On Sunday to Thursday nights, between 8pm and 6am, the room becomes known as Co-Ed It’s marketed as a space that any couple — gay, straight or lesbian — can operate as a spot to hook up if they have no place else to go. As skillfully, the space advertises bookings for private parties.
“We carry out not discriminate any sexual choice,” the website advertises. “Heterosexual, homosexual and pansexual are all welcome. Sometimes you might get the odd trans member, you never know what you might get.”
The website also proclaims the sauna operates on a “respect” policy.
“Please be polite when declining! Some guests may be there with their companion and are only using the private rooms.”
Get free Xtra newsletters
Xtra is existence blocked on Facebook and Instagram for Canadians as part of Meta’s response to Bill C Remain connected, and tell a friend.
Subscribe Now
When confronted with the perception that it is no longer a gay space, Rothman expresses some frustration with the community.
“It’s gay during the day here, it’s queer here Friday and Saturday, and it
Text
Lewis Street Sauna, named for much longer as Steamworks for Men, was a men's bathhouse owned by Wayne Cave and Ed St Jean, who also owned CP and Legend. The location was utopian for those who were at either of the bars, but wanted to walk over to the bathhouse if they didn't pick up. It was only two blocks from CP and a scant more from Icon.
The space was never established to be particularly scrub or glamorous, but though people complained, that didn't stop some of them from going there. The main level had a shower room, sauna, whirlpool, lockers and a rare rooms which later were turned into a TV lounge to relax in. The next level up was primarily filled with private rooms, and the upper level had a theatre area and glory holes.
Cave passed away but St Jean kept up the business for many years before retiring and selling. The fresh owners were spending wealth to try to renovate the facilities, but the building owner decided to tear down the building and kicked the bathhouse out. At the publication of the VLP, only the shell of the building remains but if those walls could talk
If you know more details about this place, please email info@to share dates, truths, images or more.
Medi
Text
In , the owners of the Edge nightclub decided to open a bathhouse called the Edge Sauna, in the same building as the bar. There were already two bathhouses for men in Ottawa, but neither were considered very attractive or tidy.
The Edge Sauna tried to offer something alternative, a chic new place that people would touch more comfortable going to. Figuring the crowd from the Edge would be interested in going to the sauna after a night of dancing, the space never really attracted much of a crowd.
Although the red and black décor was up-to-date and clean, with beat amenities, the space was small with only around 20 rooms and a small room of lockers. Perhaps the location was also a factor. Aside from the bar, there was nothing really nearby the bathhouse at the time, so the crowd that went to CP just settled for Steamworks that was only two blocks away.
At any rate, the bathhouse suffered, and it briefly went co-ed in before closing completely.
If you know more details about this place, please email info@to share dates, facts, images or more.
Media
Images
Map
Get Directions
Metadata
Cite this Page
&#;Edge Sauna,&#; The Village Legacy Proposal | Le Projet de
The Freddie Guide to: Bathhouses
What is a bathhouse?
Bathhouses – also known as baths, saunas, or gay saunas – are spaces where queer men* meet to socialise, relax and include sex. They are legal, licensed sex venues, as opposed to regular saunas or steam rooms where people cruise.
The number of gay bathhouses in North America peaked in the s. Most of them closed in the s, as local governments made public health rules to curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These rules were often rooted in homophobia.
Today, there are still bathhouses in most major cities across the world. You can find them through Google or on cruising sites like Squirt and Sniffies.
* Historically, bathhouses only admitted cisgender men. They are generally becoming more inclusive. Many have more relaxed door policies or consecrated times and events that are safer spaces for trans and non-binary people. If this applies to you, it’s best to check online or dial ahead before visiting a venue for the first time.
When you arrive
When you arrive at a bathhouse, you’ll get to a front desk with an attendant. This is where you’ll pay for your entry along with any extras like private rooms (if the venue has them
