San Francisco is one step closer to welcoming Sanctum Baths, a proposed gay bathhouse that would be the city’s first in more than 40 years. The Planning Commission has approved the project, clearing a key hurdle for local businessman Kevin Born as he works towards a hoped-for opening next autumn. The decision also marks another milestone in a long-running effort to bring these venues back.
A unanimous vote gives Sanctum Baths a boost
The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve plans for Sanctum Baths, a proposed venue in a two-storey building near Market Street. It’s a significant step for a project that has faced a planning snag over its street-facing windows and entrance. (Bay Area Reporter; SFist)
The plans call for replacing the large front windows and moving the entrance to the rear. City rules generally require shopfront windows to remain clear and unobstructed, but zoning administrator Corey Teague said he would grant a variance from that requirement. (Bay Area Reporter)
Commission president Amy Campbell backed the location, saying she knows it well from cycling past. Born, who runs Ashbury General Contracting & Engineering, welcomed the vote and hopes to open the bathhouse next autumn. (Bay Area Reporter)
Why a new bathhouse matters to San Francisco
San Francisco’s gay bathhouses closed in the 1980s amid the HIV/AIDS crisis, leaving the city without this kind of venue for decades. The proposed return is about more than a new business: it reflects a gradual shift in how local rules treat private adult venues. (San Francisco AIDS Foundation; The Bathhouse Battle of 1984)
That shift has come through several policy changes. San Francisco updated its health code in 2021, followed by zoning changes in 2022 that allowed bathhouses in designated gay neighbourhoods. (San Francisco AIDS Foundation; San Francisco Board of Supervisors)
In 2024, the city changed police code provisions to permit private rooms with locked doors and removed a requirement for venues to keep a register of patrons. Those measures helped clear legal obstacles, though the current planning approval was still needed for Sanctum Baths’ specific building plans. (San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Bay Area Reporter)
From The Maze to Sanctum Baths
The project was initially expected to use the name The Maze, or Maze S.F. Born later settled on Sanctum Baths after consulting a marketing adviser. It’s a quieter, more polished name for a place whose arrival has been anything but straightforward. (Queerty; Bay Area Reporter)
The proposed site is in the South of Market area, close to Market Street. Its location has drawn support from planning officials, while the building’s design changes required a separate exception to the usual rules for transparent shopfronts. (SFist; Bay Area Reporter)
What happens before the doors open?
The commission’s vote clears an important planning hurdle, but it doesn’t mean the venue is open yet. Born’s stated goal is to welcome visitors next autumn, and the project will need to move through the remaining steps before that can happen. (Bay Area Reporter; SFist)
For anyone following the story, the practical takeaway is simple: this is progress, not a confirmed opening date. The approval also sits within a broader legal framework shaped by the city’s health, zoning and police code changes. (Bay Area Reporter; San Francisco Board of Supervisors)
A long-awaited change, with more steps ahead
The vote has been welcomed by people who feel San Francisco has been missing a familiar part of gay community life. Supporters have pointed to the contrast between the city’s reputation and its long absence of bathhouses. (Queerty; San Francisco AIDS Foundation)
If Sanctum Baths opens as planned, it will mark a notable change for the city’s LGBTQ+ nightlife and social spaces. For now, the unanimous vote is a promising milestone, rather than the finish line. (Bay Area Reporter; SFist)
It’s a long-awaited step, but the opening date is still ahead.
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