While bathhouses or gay saunas will generally include a whole range of different spaces and facilities – all giving you great options for hooking up with guys and getting your rocks off – we tend to judge the quality of a bathhouse on the core essentials. We’re talking about the steam room and the dry sauna.

Sex-on-premises venues can be fairly basic, but if you’re going to advertise yourself as a bathhouse, then you’re creating an expectation that there’s going to be a decent steam room and dry sauna where we can kick back, have a chat, or just get down to business with whoever is up for some action.

But where are the best bathhouses in the US that are going to deliver the steam and dry sauna experience that you’re looking for? We’ve done the research. If you’re planning some travel expeditions, we’ve got the destinations you should probably consider adding to your itinerary.

Why Find a Gay Bathhouse with Saunas and Steam Rooms?

Steam rooms and dry saunas are the ultimate homosocial spaces – they’ve been a staple of male-on-male connections since the Ancient Greeks and beyond. Communal bathing is a pretty primal thing – if you look at our evolution, we’re pretty much wired to enjoy getting naked with other men and letting it all hang out.

There’s also nothing new about gay saunas – sex-positive spaces designated for guys who want to get off with other guys. It was probably in the 1920s and 1930s that the first gay bathhouses – as we know them today – opened their doors and found an eager clientele.

Beyond the sexual opportunities that bathhouses and saunas offer, there are also health benefits. We all need to find ways to relax and relieve the stress of our day-to-day lives. There’s also a long-held belief that saunas and steam rooms can help to detoxify the body and improve cardiovascular and respiratory health. There’s a lot of upside to getting naked and sweating it all out in a bathhouse.

What Are the Best Bathhouses Near Me in the US with Saunas?

This is not an exhaustive list, and our tireless research continues, but here are some of our favourite bathhouse options across the country.

The Diplomat Club, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Diplomat Club regularly features in the list of best bathhouses in the US. In terms of facilities, not only does it have a dry sauna but it’s also got a very popular hot tub, which is the perfect way to make new friends.

Club Dallas in Dallas, Texas

Club Dallas is a fully equipped bathhouse – it’s got all the facilities, including a weight room and an outdoor pool. We love the steam room and the sauna at Club Dallas, but the whirlpool really gets our attention. This is how we like to get wet.

Steamworks, Chicago, Illinois

Steamworks is a large facility with a hot tub, steam room, private play areas, and a gym. The crowd is mostly white and younger, with lots of hot and beefy guys.

This spot is open 24/7 with a special on lockers from 6 am – 1 pm Mon-Fri for $12 for four hours. Weekends are busy, especially Saturday nights. Sunday during the day is the Bear Party. The quick Trix 4-hour weekday locker special has increased from $10 to $12.

Lots of action in the hallways, and a cruisy atmosphere. Nudity is common and sex is allowed everywhere except in the 1st floor common areas. Be respectful of others.

Club Orlando, Orlando, Florida

Club Orlando is a gym and social club – with a fully equipped weight room – but it’s also got a great steam room and dry sauna worth spending some time in.

Club Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Public sex is allowed on the sun deck/wet deck. There are indoor showers, wet & dry saunas, and a public video room. Nudity is allowed anywhere and towels are optional. Free WiFi and parking are available.

This location is more vanilla in terms of gay fetishes compared to others, but still caters to all shapes and sizes.

This location is open 24/7 with varying daily pricing and discounts on lockers or rooms. It is busiest after 10pm most days, with different sex parties on several Saturdays a month. Friday and Saturday nights can be extremely busy. The video room, saunas, and glory hole maze are popular cruising areas. There are private showers available for watersports. Leaving your door open is seen as an invitation.

Written by Gareth Johnson