KLYT Baths — Palace Turkish Baths, Los Angeles (1906 – 2018)
One of Los Angeles’s oldest and most storied bathhouses, KLYT Baths traces its roots back to the Palace Turkish Baths, which first opened at 132 E. 4th Street in 1906 — long before Hollywood’s rise and the L.A. queer scene as we know it today. Originally a traditional Turkish bath and massage house, the venue gradually became a secret meeting place for gay men in a time when few spaces existed for queer connection and community.
In 1984, the bathhouse was reborn as KLYT Baths, a beloved downtown institution known for its welcoming atmosphere and vibrant Latino LGBTQ+ clientele. For more than three decades it offered an oasis of heat, steam, and camaraderie — a place to relax, connect, and be unapologetically yourself in the shadows of Skid Row’s gritty urban landscape.
After 112 years of history and 34 years as KLYT, the doors closed in 2018, marking the end of an era for one of L.A.’s most enduring queer spaces.
