An Examination of Lesbian/Queer Bathhouse Culture and the Social Organization of (Im)Personal Sex

Abstract

Physical features of space shape the sex and sexual interaction that occurs within bathhouses. Although there is scholarly interest in and documentation of male public sexual cultures, lesbian/queer public sexualities have been sorely neglected. In examining two Canadian lesbian/queer bathhouses— Pussy Palace in Toronto and SheDogs in Halifax—this article fills some of this gap. Utilizing ethnographic methods (in-depth interviews and participant observation), this article accomplishes two objectives: first, it describes the bathhouse setting and how modifications of space affect lesbian/queer sexualities; second, it compares these findings to what has been documented in the way of the gay male bath scene.