Los Angeles Gay Bath House History, Part 2

Nobody can say that Los Angeles trails behind when it comes to interesting gay history.  In fact, the bathhouse history of L.A. is among the most interesting in the USA. This is because Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures and interests, which creates a zesty mix of gay men who contribute to the overall sexual temperature of the city.  "On any given day in L.A.," said one Angelino, "you can go somewhere for sex.  If you don't have money for the baths, you can visit the adult book stores or blow your wad in a porn theater."  Those words were never more true for the City of Angeles.  In fact, during the 1970s there were approximately 20 gay bathhouses in the greater Los Angeles area, and today approximately half are still in operation 24 hours per day!

Just a few miles east of Hollywood lies a bohemian neighborhood called Silverlake.  Well-known for its coffee houses, antique shops and avant guard poet hangouts, it's also the home of many famous gay venues...and a few infamous places, as well.  Just south of  Sunset Boulevard is the leathery Gauntlet II bar, and in the same vicinity lies the cruisy (and well stocked!) Circus of Books store.  It's across the street from an erstwhile gay nightspot called The Detour, which is sorely missed,  by the way!  Just slightly to the west of this spot is the building which once housed the Silver Saddle Spa.  And if you travel a little bit west of there you will come upon the holy spot where famed Hollywood director D. W. Griffith filmed the spectacular Babylonian scene from his 1916 film Intolerance. Today the spot is the famous Vista Theater. Just blocks away from that spot as you cruise down Hyperion Avenue, you will pass the corner where a former sex club called the Queen of Hearts and (in another incarnation) the Exxile operated many moons ago.  Now this spot is closed, as well as the highly popular Basic Plumbing gay sex club that was located in a nondescript building just a few hundred feet from there.  Basic Plumbing was open during the 1990s, and attracted a huge following.  In fact, on Saturday nights after the clubs closed there was literally "an ocean of men" in there, as one patron remembered.  The music, an eclectic mix of everything from blues to experimental to brassy jazz and R&B, was played at Basic Plumbing, creating an atmosphere that made the sex even more incredible! 

Just north of the erstwhile Basic Plumbing Club is the building that once housed the Hyperion Health Works Baths, a co-ed bathhouse during the 1970s.  Patrons recall wanton women occupying rooms there in order to be "had" by the occasional bisexual man who wondered in.  Often daring bi & heterosexual couples went there, but it was always a mix of gay and bisexuality that made this place an interesting treat for L.A. during the 1970s.

Some of the more discriminating and "body-type conscious" baths in Los Angeles during the 1970s included the Club Baths (now called Flex), the Hollywood Spa, and the legendary 8709 Club.  These places, some more than others, openly discriminated against those who were "too old, chubby or a minority," as one Angelino recalled.  At places like the 8709 Club, some patrons vividly recalled being denied admission if they did not meet the strict requirements.  Mel, a gay Los Angeles resident of many years, had this to say about these particular bathhouse standards, "I tried on two or three occasions to get into the 8709 Club. No dice...even when when I went with a friend who was passed through with no problem! I was told that I needed three picture IDs.  I was in my late 30s then, not overweight, and looked pretty damned good.  Why was I denied when others were admitted? I was not a West Hollywood twinkie...and not a buffed body builder.  But I got my revenge.  I now run my own gay sex club...so I am never turned away!"

The Hollywood Spa is located in the Heart of Hollywood just feet away from Bela Lagosi's star on the Walk of Fame and not very far from where I LOVE LUCY star William Frawley (Fred Mertz) fell dead of a heart attack one afternoon in 1966 after seeing a movie.  In grand Hollywood style, the walls of the Hollywood Spa are covered with movie posters as well as some headshots and other movie memorabilia. Although this particular decor might not be considered sexually stimulating, the place definitely gets busy with some of the hottest men in Los Angeles who not only go to hear the DJ spin 365 days a year, but for the hot action that seems to happen there every day, especially on the weekends. The spa is situated on three floors, and the most striking feature of this bathhouse might be it's dramatic staircase leading from the first floor to the second. It's been rumored that some older queens have been known to descend that staircase in a dramatic Norma Desmond style, but it might be just a rumor since the Hollywood Spa is mostly frequented by younger men, muscle studs, and the occasional hot Latino, black man, or curious Asian.  Older men, chubby guys and some minorities have been known to visit, but it's mostly known as a place for "fit men," as one Angelino stated. Although not much has been said about the Hollywood Spa's entrance policy during the 1970s, they currently allow all types of men into their establishment.     The Hollywood Spa has a popular cafe on the first floor. Decades ago bathhouse owners understood that they could make more money by selling food and drinks, so it was not long before venues throughout the USA opened cafes in their baths.  Many men who frequented the tubs during the 1970s often recall their favorite bathhouse cafes with as much affection as their favorite glory hole or orgy room, never failing to mention that they resorted to the cafes after a particularly hot encounter...or to wallow away their sorrows after a long string of rejections while cruising the halls.  In addition to opening cafes, ambitions owners advertised regular bar-b-cues and "Free! Hot Dogs & Beer" for their patrons on Sundays, like this 1978 advertisement for Manhattan's Broadway Baths points out.    One particular Hollywood Spa habitu� recalls an incident in which he had an encounter with an Australian television stud turned movie star at the Hollywood Spa.  Although this story cannot be corroborated, it is not unbelievable that a celebrity would be seen at a gay bathhouse, especially during the 1970s.  Rock Hudson and Nureyev were said to have regularly visited the Everard Baths in New York City, and famed gay author Truman Capote was said to have regularly visited a gay bathhouse in New York City on 58th Street.

The Legendary 8709 Club

LEFT: The site which housed the 8709 Bathhouse during the late 1970s and the mid 1980s RIGHT: Scan of an original 8709 Bathhouse membership card

Probably the most legendary gay bathhouse that ever existed in the USA is the erstwhile 8709 Club which was located on the northwest corner of 3rd Street and George Burns, conveniently situated in the Cedars Sinai Medical Center complex (where the "stars go to die," as one Angelino quipped).  Whether or not movie stars roamed the halls is questionable, but what is true is that some of the hottest men in Los Angeles and abroad made this place their favorite spot, whether they were locals or visitors on the prowl.  The 8709 Bathhouse was owned by a gay businessman named Sheldon ("Shelly" to his friends) Andelson, who owned many of the apartment buildings in West Hollywood in addition to being a founder of the Gay and Lesbian Community Service Center and starting the first gay bank in the country, "The Bank of Los Angeles. "  Sheldon died on December 29th, 1987, of AIDS, but the legend of his bathhouse lives on in the hearts of gay men who were fortunate enough to visit this place unscathed by the virus that caused it's demise in the mid 1980s.  Sheldon was said to have closed the bathhouse over the growing concern about the AIDS crisis and, being an active member of the Democratic party, he was surrounded by concerned opinions that suggested closure.

The 8709 was so popular that it never advertised.  On any given day the place was busy with fit, toned men who took sex seriously.  Located next door to the BodyCenter Gym, the 8709 Baths attracted a following of muscle studs who often completed their workout with an appearance at the baths.  These men would endure long lines (sometimes an hour long) that stretched around the building and up the staircase to enter "Oz," as one former 8709 patron described it.

RIGHT: The staircase to The 8709 Club: long lines were the norm, even on weeknights.

The feature that made the 8709 the hottest sex club around was its door policy--the doorman determined if you were "hot" enough to get in.  "It was not unusual to be asked to lift your shirt," recalled a regular bathhouse patron named Josh, "and if you didn't have a sixpack (or close to it) you'd be told that all the lockers were full and asked to come back next time." Josh went on to recall how the management of the 8709 worked on "keeping the crowd under 30 years of age, and they would have nights where all the lockers and rooms actually WERE filled, which was in excess of over 400 guys."  

MEMORIES OF THE 8709 CLUB:

"The management of the 8709 Club made it very clear that overweight men were not welcome, and some of the clerks sarcastically told overweight men to go to the Melrose Baths, this place supposedly catered to heavy men. My weight goes up and down, and when I was heavy I was denied admission.  When I was thin I was admitted!  Macs and a few other places in town also practiced this admittance policy."  (Jack, Los Angeles)

"8709 was incredible, with all kinds of stuff going on.  There was one circular room with two levels of benches going all the way around at a regular height.  If you wanted to suck somebody while he stood you could sit there.  If you wanted to sit and get sucked you sat on a higher row, so a guy could kneel on the bottom bench and suck you while you sat.  Lots of incredibly fun hot guys there, lots of attitude, too.  But you could always find a fun time." (Manny, West Hollywood)

"I was 19 the first time I went to the 8709 and was blown away by the entire experience.  My boyfriend and I were visiting Los Angeles from Phoenix.  It was a Saturday night around 11 pm, and we had to wait in line for over an hour just to get into the place.  It was a huge place with the most beautiful men I have ever seen in one place.  There were many fantasy rooms, a mirror maze, sling room, glory holes, etc...but the one feature I really remember was the rimming booths.  There was a hallway with doors that you could open and inside was a toilet seat.  If you were to look inside the toilet seat, you would see the face of some hunky guy looking up at you.  You see, there was another hallway behind these booths were you could lay down under the toilet seat and wait for a hot ass to sit down.  You could eat ass for days!  The drug of choice back then was MDA.  It makes X look like asprin.  We were all higher than God...fucking and sucking for days.  Needless to say, we went back every chance we could."  (Jamey, Arizona)

"8709 was so popular that they did not advertise!  If you didn't know about it, you were just out of luck.  8709 was extremely hot and easily the busiest bathhouse in L.A. history.  It was so chemical-friendly that we used to refer to it as 'The Pharmacy.'  Although those were hot times, it is easy to forget some of the blatant discrimination that was practiced at many baths in those days.  The racial discrimination was incredibly open, but there was also 'body-type' discrimination.  In fact, I was in line one night and there was a younger fellow (younger than I was) in line in front of me.  The cashier asked him to pull up his sweater.  Apparently, there was too much flesh there because he was told to come back after he lost weight.  It must have been humiliating for him.  (DLW, Los Angeles)

"8709 was OZ, and they were picky about who they let in.  Basically, you just had to be manly to studly.  I was fortunate enough to go, and was always amazed by the beautiful men.  They'd go to the Body Center to work out, enter the baths afterwards, and they could literally stay the entire weekend because of the deli.  You could order food at any time, and it was quite delicious."  (Eddie, Los Feliz)

"I went to the 8709 when I was just coming out.  I was more of a looky-loo back then, getting into watching other guys show me what it was about.  I remember a plain door with the address 8709...no clue as to the crowded activities going on inside.  You walked into a large locker room that looked like a college locker room...and many of the guys there looked like they just came from UCLA.  I remember 2 large floors filled with rooms and a balcony you could look down from.  The music was always great.  The movie room was large, and contained numerous bunk beds so you could fuck while you watched or just jack off waiting for someone to join you.  I remember a crowd of people around a bed watching a guy get fistfucked...The walls were black, and various doors off the black hallway led to different cool stuff.  One door opened on a rim seat in a tiny black room.  There was also a small shower room with bidet facilities for personal hygiene...There was also an orgy room where there were always about ten people piled on top of each other in the bed, everyone interlocked in sex, sucking, fucking, rimming, groping...you name it."  (Ezra, San Pedro)

"Having lived in Los Angeles during the 70s and 80s I remember the 8709 all too well.  There was nothing like going around midnight on a Saturday night and walking through the large orgy room that was packed so tight with bodies that you wouldn't move.  In the maze (where it didn't matter if you could find your way or not) it was body packed against body.  A person could get 'stuck," so to speak, and not be able to move for quite a long period of time." (Jay, West Hollywood)

"Due to the location, there were always some Cedars-Sinai hospital workers there to get it on, doctors, technicians, male nurses, etc, late shift workers stopping by after their shift.  The steam room was quite nice as I remember.  Black tile and dim lighting.  A lot of sucking and slurping going on.  The shower had some very large murals of big-dicked men on the wall.  In one public room (maybe part of the maze, I don't remember) there were pedestals about three feet high that had a lit Plexiglas surface.  I remember about 10 guys standing around it jerking off.  One hairy chested, well built stud was the first to shoot his load on the flat surface, and soon everyone followed, leaving a thick puddle of man-juice on the pedestal like it was a display of art."  (Martin L, Los Angeles)