Opened in 1979 at 6 St. Marks Place, the St. Marks Baths became one of New York City’s most famous gay bathhouses — a labyrinth of tiled corridors, saunas, and strobe-lit rooms that defined downtown queer nightlife at the height of sexual liberation.
It was more than a place for pleasure — it was a space of freedom and community, where gay men gathered openly and unapologetically in an era when visibility still carried risk. Artists, activists, and everyday New Yorkers all passed through its doors, shaping a scene that was both erotic and revolutionary.
The Baths closed in 1985 under public health orders during the AIDS crisis, marking the end of an era and the loss of a sanctuary that had given countless men a sense of belonging.
