San Francisco approves plans for new gay bathhouse: ‘Long overdue’
San Francisco bathhouses were shut down in the 1980s amid HIV/AIDS. (Getty Images)
San Francisco’s Planning Commission has voted 7-0 to approve plans for Sanctum Baths, putting the city on track for its first new gay bathhouse in more than four decades.
The project is being led by local businessman Kevin Born, the chief executive of Ashbury General Contracting & Engineering, who has sought permits to convert the company’s former headquarters into the venue. The proposals were given unanimous approval on 5 November.
Sanctum Baths is planned for a two-storey building at 40 12th Street, near Market Street and Van Ness Avenue.
A major sticking point has been the building’s street frontage. Planning rules require commercial premises to keep street-facing windows transparent and unobstructed, while Born has pushed for more privacy for customers. Zoning administrator Corey Teague said he would grant a variance exempting the project from the clear-window requirement.
Planning Commission president Amy Campbell backed the location, saying: “I can’t think of a better and more appropriate location. I know this location very well, as I ride by it every day on my bike.”
Born had originally intended to call the bathhouse The Maze, or Maze S.F., before settling on Sanctum Baths after consulting a marketing specialist. “At the end of day, I liked it,” he said.
What will Sanctum Baths look like?
The plans that have been signed off keep the entrance at the front of the building, and include obscured yet translucent glazing designed to safeguard customers’ privacy.
Born previously removed the building’s street-facing windows without the necessary permission, prompting a planning enforcement issue that was resolved after the windows were reinstated.
Born must now appoint an architect to oversee design and construction work. He has estimated the project could cost around $5 million, and he is targeting a late 2027 opening, depending on remaining architectural work, construction and permitting.
Why San Francisco’s new gay bathhouse is significant
Gay bathhouses have long been social and sexual spaces for men who have sex with men, often intertwined with urban queer nightlife. In the US, bathhouses became flashpoints during the HIV/AIDS crisis, with closures and restrictions varying by city. In San Francisco, bathhouses were shut down in the 1980s amid HIV/AIDS, and later rules made their return difficult.
City regulations have shifted in recent years. Health codes were changed in 2021, zoning codes were updated in 2022, and a further change in 2024 allowed locked private rooms and ended the requirement for venues to keep a register of patrons.
The vote also drew online reaction. One commenter on Reddit called the decision “Long overdue”. Elsewhere in the US, Minneapolis City Council voted to repeal a 38-year-long ban on adult bathhouses, after Minneapolis repealed a historic AIDS-era ban on adult bathhouses.
