Melrose Baths — Los Angeles, CA (1947–2017) Opened just after World War II, Melrose Baths became one of Los Angeles’s most storied gay bathhouses — part health club, part social hub, part secret world behind an unmarked door on Melrose Avenue. With its tiled steam rooms, locker benches, and knowing glances, it offered both refuge and release in an era when queer life was lived in code. Over the decades, Melrose grew into a beloved gathering place for generations of gay men and curious souls seeking connection.
