Bathhouse Babylon: A Book That Took on a Life of Its Own

As we near the end of the summer months, I’m not sure whether it’s the heat, the sense of freedom that seems to come with this time of year, or simply the fact that people are on vacation and have a little more time on their hands. Whatever the reason, there has been a rather large and unexpected uptick in sales of my book, Bathhouse Babylon – Full Release.

 

The book actually came out of the Covid-19 lockdown period. I’m the sort of person who likes to keep busy, and during that strange period of being stuck at home, I found myself thinking about my more than decade-long career working in the gay sauna world. People had often told me that I should write a book about my experiences managing those establishments since I had so many unusual stories, so I finally decided to pull out the diaries I had kept during those years and start writing.

 

I wanted to tell the story from the inside.

There have been books written by people who attended gay saunas as patrons, often focusing on their experiences and, understandably, their sexual adventures. There is certainly plenty of sex mentioned in Bathhouse Babylon, but I wanted to explore something much broader: what actually goes on behind the scenes of these businesses and what it takes to operate one.

 

The book begins with my experience as a part-time employee and follows my surprisingly rapid rise into management. From there, it delves into the realities of running a bathhouse: the finances, employees and their often fascinating stories, the expectations of patrons, the involvement of governments and tax authorities, the building of these businesses from scratch, the demands and expectations of owners, the drug and alcohol scene, addictions, and the sometimes complicated relationship these businesses have with the LGBTQ+ communities they serve.

 

I also wanted to put some history around these establishments and explore their broader importance for other generations, including the sociology, culture and communities that developed around them. There is obviously plenty of sex—this is a book about gay saunas, after all—but sex is only one part of a much larger story.

 

Since the book was published, the amount of publicity it has received around the world has been both surprising and genuinely delightful. Over the years, it has led me to connect with writers, journalists and editors who occasionally reach out to discuss a story involving gay saunas or simply ask for a quote or some background on the subject.

 

I left the bathhouse world a long time ago, but the experience taught me a tremendous amount about business, management and, perhaps most importantly, people.

 

Before publishing the book, I did wonder whether being so open about that part of my life might somehow affect my work in luxury real estate and my life here on the Côte d’Azur. As it turned out, quite the opposite happened. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and the book has opened considerably more doors than I ever expected. What I initially worried might create problems has instead created opportunities.

 

There is an old saying that you never really know where a book will go. Once it is published, it takes on a life of its own. I rarely pay attention to the sales anymore until the notifications of late signalled something more was going on, so I’m always amused when I discover that Bathhouse Babylon is still making the rounds years after its publication.

 

Social media has certainly helped. Seeing people discussing the book on platforms such as X, Instagram and Bluesky, and having readers reach out to chat about it, is something I never really anticipated when I was sitting at home during lockdown pulling together stories from old diaries.

 

Who knew?

 

If you’re interested in the book or the ebook, Bathhouse Babylon – Full Release is currently available through Amazon. Apparently, copies have also made their way into a number of libraries across the United States, including in places such as Chicago and New York. And, of course, there is always the possibility of finding a used copy online or tucked away in a bookstore somewhere.

 

It’s a big book, but there’s a lot packed into it—and, I like to think, quite a bit of bang for your buck.