Letters to the Editor	Letters Archive

Free personal ads?

I notice in the MaleBox personals that you accept ads from men outside the United States free of charge. Does that also apply in reverse? Can American men post a free on-line ad to be seen only overseas?

blackgerman75@yahoo.com

The MaleBox personals in the print version of The Guide appear only in print, not on-line. We run Malebox ads from people outside of the US and Canada for free (on a space-available basis) because of the currency costs and hassles of accepting small amounts of money. So, no, you can't, as someone in the US, place a free ad in the magazine, even if it's targeted internationally; we'll be pleased, though, to take your ever-so-easily negotiated dollars-- US or Canadian-- and run your ad.

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But, all on-line personal ads at www.guidemag.com are free, no matter where you are from, no matter where the ad is to be listed.

New baths?

I have enjoyed picking up your magazine in my travels to clubs which distribute them. Keep up the good work! A question that I and a few friends of mine have been pondering, Have any new bathhouses been opened in the last 5-10 years? It seems nothing new has opened in the way of new club locations at all. is the magazine staff aware of any?

George T.
databurst@aol.com

A number of new bathhouses have opened in the past 10 years. After the AIDS epidemic hit, there was indeed a winnowing out of the bathhouse scene. But the many bathhouses that survived adapted to the new realities, and many continue to thrive.

Detroit's Body Zone opened about four years ago, and Steamworks in Chicago is a fairly new addition to that city. There's a newish Club Baths in Columbus, and Vancouver's F212 has two new locations, one at suburban New Westminster, and at their second Davie Street location, a "steamy play zone" called M2M Playspace opened this year.

In Portland, Oregon, Steam Portland, opened just over a year ago, joining Club Portland to give the Rose City two bathhouses. In Columbus the old Club location was renovated and re-opened recently by Flex after the Club built a brand new (with new owner) location across town­it's really a net gain of two as there was no bathhouse at all for a couple of years. Steamworks also took over and made-over Level 2, now called SW Level 2 in Toronto. In Cleveland both Club Cleveland and Flex will be new facilities: The Club has a brand new building in the lot next to the old location, and Flex is in the process of renovating a new location a couple of miles from their old W. 9th building that's scheduled to open later this year.

Most big American cities have one or two bathhouses (alas, not Boston-- a barebones bathhouse both opened and was shut down within the last 10 years). And in some cities-- Montreal and Barcelona come to mind-- bathhouse culture thrives, with numerous establishments of different ages.

Wants Back Issue Info

How is it possible to get articles about certain cities that you most recently have run in your magazine? Could I get them on-line or would I have to order back issues? Specifically Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam and Zurich.

Ken
sacrili@aol.com

Browse www.guidemag.com, and you can get free access to all our recent travel articles on the cities you list (except Barcelona and Madrid, which we haven't covered recently).

Run for the Roses... in May

Www.guidemag.com is enjoyable and informative. However, being a former Louisville native, I must correct the writer who incorrectly states the Kentucky Derby is in June. The Kentucky Derby is always, and I mean always, run the first Saturday in May. And is the best weekend of the year to be in Louisville, followed closely by the St. James Art Festival held later in the fall.

Doug
miaapfa@aol.com
Boca Raton, Florida