Continental Baths

Continental Baths was a bathhouse for gay men in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. The space included a large pool, a disco with dance floor, and hundreds of lockers and private rooms that offered guests privacy.

The bathhouse opened in 1968, three years after the Stonewall protests, offering visitors a gathering place at a time when public spaces for gay men were rare. It closed in 1976 after repeated inspections by city authorities and social pressure.

The name refers to the sprawling basement space beneath the Ansonia Hotel, where pool, dance floor, and changing areas spread across several levels. On weekends, visitors from all over the city gathered to hear live music and leave everyday life behind.

The building at Broadway and West 73rd Street still stands today, though the basement spaces now serve different purposes. A plaque at the hotel entrance reminds visitors of the history of the building and its former guests.

On Saturdays, singers and musicians performed in bathrobes or towels while guests watched in the same casual attire. This mix of stage show and bathhouse routine brought the venue national recognition.