In the heart of Capitol Hill, a nondescript gray building houses one of Seattle's most vibrant sexual spaces. Steamworks, one of the city's two Gay bathhouses, maintains a relatively discreet profile, with its industrial vibe and sparse, ambiguous signage. Yet it is one of the most frequented sexually oriented businesses in the Pacific Northwest.

Steamworks is more than just a venue for both Cis and Trans Gay male sex — it's a sanctuary of self-expression and liberation. Faced with evolving societal attitudes and changing norms, it and similar businesses remain crucial to Queer communities, carrying a legacy that resonates far beyond their walls.

A sexual safe haven

In a cultural climate increasingly bent toward prudishness, Queer sexual spaces such as Steamworks serve an important function. According to General Manager Chris Peterson, these businesses represent one of the last frontiers in the fight for liberation, providing a safe haven for often-stigmatized sexual expressions.

"I think sexual spaces are still important today, given the continued reluctance of straight people to be confronted with Gay sex," Peterson wrote to the SGN in an email. "Yes, large majorities of people in the US and other democratic societies support LGBTQ rights for the most part, but are they comfortable watching two men having anal sex?"

The stigma placed on Gay sex has always proved a barrier to broader acceptance and rights. For those who may bristle at the suggestion that Queer rights depend at least in part on acceptance of Gay sex, it is helpful to remember the rhetoric that centered around Gay sex acts. In 1997, bioethicist Leon Kass argued in "The Wisdom of Repugnance" in The New Republic that the reaction of disgust, as experienced by many heterosexual people when confronted with Gay sex, is evidence of a deep-seated, inherited moral wisdom that can be relied on to determine right and wrong.

The "ick factor," as the phenomenon became popularly known, was reflected in public statements by anti-Queer figures such as the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, former Sen. Rick Santorum, and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, among others.

"It's important that we have these spaces to pursue our sexual orientations free of judgment," says Peterson. "No matter how progressive your Aunt Edna is, I doubt she wants to watch fisting porn."

Promoting sexual health and well-being

As a sexually oriented business catering to Gay men, Steamworks has served a unique mission in efforts to prevent and treat HIV and STIs. Bathhouses have long been important sites of information and resources, including the distribution of condoms, free testing, and public health messaging.

As Peterson explained, "Our clientele come from all walks of life... Some have limited access to healthcare. Some are closeted and maybe reluctant to discuss these matters with their doctors. Having access to anonymous HIV/STI testing at the baths can be a literal lifesaver for these people."

To this end, Steamworks maintains a close affiliation with public health departments in providing accurate, consistent messaging around PrEP, Doxy PEP, mpox vaccinations, and emerging health concerns. Reflecting on the outbreak of mpox in 2022, Peterson added, "We worked hard to educate our members about it and direct them to where they could get vaccinated."

Bathhouses' role in sexual health is a direct outgrowth of the institution's history during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Cities with large Gay populations such as San Francisco and New York, where the impact of the virus was most visible, took severe, often draconian measures against such establishments. Some, even those as Queer-oriented as San Francisco, still do not have bathhouses to this day.

Challenges and the path forward

Bathhouses are no relic. They remain important to Queer communities now, though they face a separate set of challenges than in their heyday, before AIDS. As vibrant as they are, those such as Steamworks face a number of difficulties as the city — and the nation — changes around them.

One of the biggest challenges is gentrification, said Peterson. Capitol Hill has been a center of development and its attendant growing pains for quite some time. "With the cost of real estate rising, especially in urban areas, a lot of these businesses just can't keep up if they rent or are easily tempted to cash out if they own," he said.

Another challenge is the dominance of hookup apps on the Gay social scene. "We still serve a purpose," Peterson added. "Inviting a stranger into your home or going to a stranger's home can not only be risky but can easily get awkward. That risk is diminished when meeting someone in a space like ours. If you meet someone here and it does turn awkward, it's much easier to politely ask him to leave your room at Steamworks than to ask him to leave your home."

Additionally, Peterson cited the perennial frustration many users have with these apps, spending hours on fruitless conversations and indecisive chat partners. "A bathhouse is full of people with intent," he explained. "Many people browse hookup apps with no strong intention of hooking up anytime soon (or ever), so that can lead to a lot of wasted time for those looking for an immediate sexual encounter."

Amid societal shifts, technological advances, and economic pressures, Steamworks continues to serve as a vital space in Seattle's Queer landscape by bridging gaps between health, sexual expression, and social pressures.

Your Aunt Edna may not want to see it, but without free sexual expression and the safe haven offered by such businesses, anti-Queer stigma would be even harder to fight and Queer life would struggle even harder for liberation.