'Bathhouses were like dirty bookstores and parks: a venue to meet people,' said Sykes, who still owns the smaller North Hollywood Spa. Sykes said fewer customers and rising rent put an end to four decades in business. Hollywood Spa - one of the largest bathhouses in Los Angeles, a city regarded as the country's bathhouse capital - closed in April. In the last decade, bathhouses, including ones in San Diego, Syracuse, Seattle and San Antonio, have shut down and the total nationwide is less than 70. In the heyday of bathhouses in the late 1970s, there were nearly 200 gay bathhouses in cities across the U.S., but by 1990, the total had dropped to approximately 90, according to Damron, the publisher of an annual gay travel guide. It's taken away the need to sneak into back-alley places,' said Dennis Holding, 75, who owns a Miami-based bathhouse. 'The acceptance of gays has changed the whole world.
Gone are the days when bathhouses drew crowds just by offering a discreet place for gays to meet, share saunas and, often, have sex. A bathhouse in Ohio has even added hotel rooms and a nightclub. Others tout their upscale amenities like plush towels and marble baths. Some are doing aggressive online advertising and community outreach. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gay bathhouses that once remained in the shadows to stay in business are now seeking attention to keep their doors open.
