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Russian & Turkish Baths


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Never been.

 

Always curious, but I’ve heard it’s a dump.

Ditto. Been there for 125 years and very popular in the neighborhood. Thursday and Saturday mornings are men only.

 

Numerous threads... most recent: https://m4m-forum.org/threads/best-steam-rooms-and-saunas-in-nyc.148356/page-3#post-1774735

 

5 year old article written by trans guy on his experience: https://psmag.com/social-justice/american-man-sunday-morning-bath-house-90305

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I've been numerous times along with hot, sexy friends who go more often. I wouldn't exactly call it a dump, but she's 1970's old and could use a major cash infusion. It's an experience from another time period, and regulars seem to appreciate that worn character. They have a steady group of members that seem to keep the place going, but nobody is making a killing, at least not enough to update the interior. It would cost a fortune.

 

I've been on co-ed days and men-only days. I'm sure cruising goes on there, but I've never seen any sex go on out in the open. I go mainly for massages and steam, but their steam rooms are too hot for me. I can't last more than 3 minutes. I find their cold pool freezing, and that's too extreme for me. The place is rough, and many people seem to like that.

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Yeah, facilities-wise you don’t get much more than you get at a gym steam/sauna (except maybe the temperatures are a little more extreme) but it’s definitely more social. Guys sit and chat outside the saunas.

 

They have attendants coming in and out constantly, though, so it’s hard to hook up but that’s also part of the fun. Thursdays are a little better than Sundays. Sundays it can get way too crowded and hard to find a spot in a sauna, especially next to someone you might be interested in.

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They used to have playful massage guys.

I had a number of massages there, but you have to be careful who you get. One Russian guy walked all over my back and nearly killed me. No one ever touched my erection directly. However, my younger friends who go there did talk about HEs, so I assumed the younger hotties had better luck. But both friends said none of the therapists would get fully naked. So maybe they have a house rule on how far they can go with customers. I haven't been there in awhile, so can't speak to recent.

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There was one who would get fully naked. He’s no longer there. Back in the late aughts, I had 4 different masseurs go the extra mile. The guys now are straight up legit. One guy, David, gives a superb legit massage.

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Do you wear a shirt inside? Or have to be naked?

I think they only allow nudity on gender days, and that may be in restricted areas only, like sauna and steam. I have no memory of men walking naked everywhere, on every floor. I never go naked in public. Even on men's days, lots of towel and swimsuit wearers. I'm not sure why any guy would want to wear a shirt in a wet spa, but in NYC, you find all levels of modesty, and no one seems to care. They provide lockers on the entry floor, which I think is carpeted. Kind of looks and smells like an old high school gym locker room. I think you need to provide your own lock. They may sell locks. I also remember bringing my own towel, but I think they provide towels. They have a phone number.

 

Considering their dual calendar nonsense with the two owners and their one-time visit price increasing, I think you get more value by buying a day pass at a decent health club. There is no real swimming pool or Jacuzzi at the Russian Baths, and the eye candy at a health club in NYC is 10 times what they offer. Plus, a health club's steam and sauna temperature is regulated by the city, and the interior environment tends to be much newer and more sophisticated. I've never known the Russians to be gay friendly, anyway. At least not in any encouraging way.

 

The Russian Baths do offer these weird skin rub services in the dry sauna. The customer is naked when receiving this service, but it's done in front of others and there's nothing sensual about it.

Edited by rogerG
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You have to wear a towel outside the saunas during male-only hours. During coed hours you have to wear their shorts or a swimsuit. Inside the saunas people can be more naked but you also have to be careful about not getting caught with a boner (though it’s more that you can’t get caught touching someone else).

 

The thing about this place compared to health clubs is that it’s like 98% gay during the male-only hours (there’s even some Hasidic Jewish guys that you think are straight at first, but they’re not). You do occasionally see some straight people so people still need to be discreet, but it’s usually pretty obvious who those people are.

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The thing about this place compared to health clubs is that it’s like 98% gay during the male-only hours

I have no idea how realistic that stat is, but it sounds like an exaggeration. No one ever asked me if I was gay, straight, or bi when I paid. I have terrible gaydar, and I would swear 60% of the men on the men-only days I visited were something other than gay, based on wild growing pubic hair. But who can know for sure since most straight guys groom these days?

 

Even if the crowd was 100% gay, it's not like the Russian owners are offering or encouraging gay bathhouse service on men-only days. Sure, they want gay money, but the service and respect ends there.

 

The wet room is well lit, even in the steam and sauna. The steam room is all glass and easily visible from outside. Nowhere to hide or be discreet, and the steam is severely hot. Not sure how anyone can sustain an erection there. The sauna room (also very hot) is square, huge, and brightly lit. On all my visits (30 or so), I've never been in that room with only one man present, and the door to the room is constantly opening and closing. The wet area always seems very busy to me, and I usually go during off hours.

 

If you're a horny gay guy on the prowl for spa sex, I can almost guarantee you'll leave the Russian Baths with blue balls, unless you get lucky and drop $120 in one of the massage rooms. I can't imagine this would be the best choice for a horny gay guy on the prowl, but perhaps I'm wrong and plenty of men are leaving with phone numbers and partners they just met.

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There needs to be an upscale bath house for gay men, that isn’t a dump.

That would require some major investment funds. Most gay guys want cheap sex. The entrance fee to an "upscale bath house for gay men" would need to be extraordinary, and even then it would be a serious challenge to maintain.

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That would require some major investment funds. Most gay guys want cheap sex. The entrance fee to an "upscale bath house for gay men" would need to be extraordinary, and even then it would be a serious challenge to maintain.

Not necessarily.

Charge the same price as one would for a Korean spa. Same amenities, same upkeep.

Also, there are plenty of other bath houses across the globe that are very nice and aren’t expensive (would put US bath houses to shame)

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I have no idea how realistic that stat is, but it sounds like an exaggeration. No one ever asked me if I was gay, straight, or bi when I paid. I have terrible gaydar, and I would swear 60% of the men on the men-only days I visited were something other than gay, based on wild growing pubic hair. But who can know for sure since most straight guys groom these days?

 

What does pubic hair have to do with it? My stats are based more on how many guys whip their dicks out when the time is right, and conversations outside the saunas. Maybe gay was the wrong word, “men who like to play with men”...

 

Other than that I think people’s level of public hair grooming varies a lot. I don’t personally overgroom mine and I don’t like guys to either (hate seeing stubble down there especially). And yeah some straights guys at the gym that work out a lot tend to shave everywhere too. So I wouldn’t judge based on that.

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What does pubic hair have to do with it?

When viewing a naked man for the first time, sometimes that's the only clue you have.

My stats are based more on how many guys whip their dicks out when the time is right, and conversations outside the saunas.

Wow! You must be some social butterfly. You managed to see 98% of visitors either "whip their dicks out" or have them share gay tales with you. Impressive.

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What does pubic hair have to do with it? My stats are based more on how many guys whip their dicks out when the time is right, and conversations outside the saunas. Maybe gay was the wrong word, “men who like to play with men”...

 

Other than that I think people’s level of public hair grooming varies a lot. I don’t personally overgroom mine and I don’t like guys to either (hate seeing stubble down there especially). And yeah some straights guys at the gym that work out a lot tend to shave everywhere too. So I wouldn’t judge based on that.

I agree. When I saw that comment I thought "stereotype much?".

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Really? Stereotyping, sizing up, or testing gaydar? I don't know, how do you define cruising? Give me a break.

I wasn't talking about cruising, go back and actually LOOK at what I bolded in his comment. But just to make sure, here is your stereotypical comment that he and I were referring to...

"I have terrible gaydar, and I would swear 60% of the men on the men-only days I visited were something other than gay, based on wild growing pubic hair."

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Whether pubic hair is shaved or not, if anybody wishes to believe there's more gay action at the Russian Baths on 10th St on male-only days than at any gay bath house in America, a whopping 98% worth, then by all means spend the $48 entrance fee and come back here to tell us how many cocks you sucked.

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Whether pubic hair is shaved or not, if anybody wishes to believe there's more gay action at the Russian Baths on 10th St on male-only days than at any gay bath house in America, a whopping 98% worth, then by all means spend the $48 entrance fee and come back here to tell us how many cocks you sucked.

 

I didn’t mean that there’s that much gay *action*, just gay people (and you can take that to include bi, men who play with men, whatever... during male-only hours there’s only guys to play with). Most of the *people* there are gay during those times, except for the occasional straight tourists who stick out like a sore thumb but seem to have no clue what’s going on (and at that point people usually wait for them to leave before doing anything).

 

And I did mention that there are attendants constantly coming in and out and that it‘s hard to hook up, which it isn’t at all in a gay bathhouse. So my point was more about the vibe compared to a gym with lots of straight people coming in and out. Not everyone is there to hook up anyways. Some are just there to watch or relax around that type of crowd. Maybe some people meet up outside afterwards. I know some of the regulars are also boyfriends that met there.

 

Also from what I read about the two bathhouses in NYC, they’re gross and don’t have facilities for people to shower/keep clean so it’s not really an option here (at least not for me). I’ve been to a Steamworks near SF before and that was amazing, but there’s nothing like that here.

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Most of the *people* there are gay during those times

I would never assume that, and it wasn't my impression during my many visits. There are plenty of men in NYC who enjoy being naked in spa heat, no matter what their sexual preference is. That does not mean that 98% of them are looking to have sex with other men or are there to meet a new boyfriend. I don't recall ever seeing someone who looked like a tourist, but I'm sure they exist. The Russian Baths are a novelty experience.

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