East Side Club — Local services in New York

Extreme reviews usually are less representative of reality. Those complaining of filth, mean workers, overcharging, etc, are misleading.

I was here Saturday night, July 15, 2023, and the cost for a room with a temporary membership was $44. That price is comparable to prices at US bathhouses (Club Fort Lauderdale, Club Dallas, Club Aqua in Miami, Chicago Steamworks, etc). Maybe the suggestion to management would be to update the published costs—which are not on their site. The prices also are for one of the most expensive neighborhoods, and reflect recent inflation.

This it the only men's bathhouse left in NYC, and the owners don’t seem to take advantage of it. Closeted former mayor Koch used the scapegoat of AIDS to shut down most of NYC’s bathhouses in 1985 and drove sex spaces underground. I am grateful East Side Club is an available and supportive space for us.

Workers were informative and friendly, quickly cleaning rooms in between occupants, and staying out of the way of patrons. The announcements about room time expirations were thoughtful and not scolding, and the African brother announcing has a great voice and tempo for them. The bathrooms were clean, albeit a little wet. Showers have hotter water on the lower level, unlike the main floor. All bathrooms are stocked with soap and at least one has a hair dryer to get you really dry. The front desk offers the usual safety deposit lock box for each patron and will ask to lock up your ID card if you have no valuables to store. Rooms are well-maintained and doors mostly closed/opened well. Mats are sufficient, and the white sheets and walls look white. Each room has a light with a dimmer, and enough space to get around. Dance versions of pop and house music provide aural ambiance. The place seemed very clean for such an establishment. It was not the filthy hazard one review lambasted. ESC is leagues ahead of the quaint “rustic” Fair Theater in Queens, and not the shambles of the basement at Rainbow Station in Chelsea, or the Les Atlas Cine X dump in Pigalle in Paris. It was really hot and humid outside, but the environmental control inside was reasonable for a sticky summer. The bottom floor has the most traffic, so stay there.

Patrons were the usual 70% white and 30% men of color demographic to be expected in mainstream erotic spaces. Ages seemed to range from 30s-60s, and most of the men were in reasonable physical shape. It was not bear night or a SAGE party.

A few guys had been out drinking earlier, but were pleasant, and not boisterous. A couple of guys might have been high, but it was not a meth-head smoke fest like Rainbow Station. My nose is very sensitive, and my sobriety has me alert to intoxicated behavior. Most guys wore towels, and some wore jocks or were nude. The usual levels of desire and curiosity ranged, but no one was invasive; suffice it to say the men...

This place was the most expensive let down I’ve ever experienced in my time visiting bath houses around the country (and internationally a bit). I read the reviews and decided to give it a try regardless. This is my heads up to you.

First and foremost this place is pricy. For a locker and new membership it comes to $39, which, considering the rest of the details, is about $30 more than it should be.

There are ZERO, NO, NONE, not a single play space or room. The ‘bath house’ is a couple rectangles of hallways with private rooms and mirrors on the walls. There are a couple benches which is nice, and some darker corners in the hallways.

This wouldn’t be an issue except for the fact that the staff would literally come through and break up any action happening, telling us we’re preventing them from ‘doing their job’. Lol. The crowd was really great and fun but the staff would consistently and quite aggressively stop everyone from playing and tell us to purchase a room. They said there was no sex allowed in the hallways, meanwhile, there are no play spaces and no signs saying otherwise. It was the most condescending and invasive experience I’ve had at a bath house. Why the hell would I be there if that’s not allowed, and why the hell wouldn’t you put up a sign telling us not to play? What’s my money for? If I wanted to walk around in a towel and not do anything, I’ll go to the gym.

I’m really disappointed. Just moved to NYC from a city that had a couple decent bath houses and was excited to try this place but my lord I don’t think I’ll ever be back.

You can get more action at the Eagle and you won’t be...

"As a child of the 80s, I cherished the East Side Club as one of the last vestiges of a time when gay male sexuality felt more open and uninhibited. The staff and owners have admirably navigated challenges like Disney's expansion, the pandemic, and political shifts. However, the current atmosphere has changed. The evolving social landscape of NYC, and perhaps a shift in gay male culture itself, means many patrons seem less inclined towards the spontaneous encounters and social interactions that once defined the space. Instead, there's a tendency towards a more detached, less engaged approach. For a more authentic experience, I recommend visiting on a weekday during lunch hours. You'll likely find a clientele more focused on the core purpose: sex and fun, without the pushiness. The East Side Club holds a special place in my heart, and it's with sadness that I acknowledge it no longer possesses the same vibrancy and sense of community it once did. It was a place where many young gay men in New York experienced their sexual awakening. Where else could you have such anonymous, intense encounters? Perhaps it's simply a matter of aging, but the focus seems to have shifted from genuine connection and shared experience to a more individualistic, technology-driven approach. The energy is different, less about the shared experience of sex and more about personal gratification and a sense of...