Some are doing aggressive online advertising and community outreach. Others tout their upscale amenities like plush towels and marble baths. A bathhouse in Ohio has even added hotel rooms and a nightclub. Gone are the days when bathhouses drew crowds just by offering a discreet place for gays to meet, share saunas and, often, have sex.
Filmmaker Andrew Ahn says he totally understands why so many movies are made about straight white people. His life would have been a lot easier if he had taken that route. Ahn is the director of Spa Night , a new movie about a Korean American fresh out of high school who begins to experiment with his sexuality at a Korean spa in Los Angeles. And while he managed to produce a surprisingly intimate look at diversity within the Korean community, Ahn's experience making the film shows the sheer difficulty of bringing new stories to the screen. Ahn is hoping his film follows the footsteps of past winners in the category like Fruitvale Station , Beasts of the Southern Wild and Precious.
As the number of bathhouses declines, some are adding new amenities and advertising online to keep their doors open. Gay bathhouses that once remained in the shadows to stay in business are now seeking attention to keep their doors open. Some are doing aggressive online advertising and community outreach. Others tout upscale amenities like plush towels and marble baths. A bathhouse in Ohio has even added hotel rooms and a nightclub.
If it's true that a spa a day keeps the stress away, then Los Angeles is surely the place to be. Whether it's getting a massage, a wax, a peel, a wrap, a cut, a tuck, a clip, a scrub, a stone or anything else uniquely indulgent, L. Here are eight of the city's best spa experiences.