The Minneapolis City Council will consider legalizing and regulating venues where consenting adults engage in sexual activity, such as adult bathhouses.
The city has banned such establishments for nearly 40 years. In 1988, Minneapolis passed an ordinance to ban bathhouses. At that time, three bathhouses operated in the city: Hennepin Baths, Locker Room Baths (which was known as the 315 Health Club at the time of closure), and Big Daddy’s Bath House. All closed prior to the ban.
The council has referred a package of four proposed ordinances to staff for review. These would create a licensing framework, update zoning regulations, revise health standards, and add exceptions to existing indecency laws. The proposed changes come as the city council also considers an ordinance that would decriminalize drug paraphernalia.
Historically, adult bathhouses were part of Minneapolis’s nightlife before the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The last bathhouse to operate legally in Minneapolis closed in 1988. Council member Jason Chavez stated that LGBTQIA+ gathering spaces, including bathhouses, have long been targeted by criminalization and policing, and communities have paid a devastating price for this.
Several cities in Minnesota, including Duluth and St. Paul, allow adult bathhouses to operate with varying levels of oversight. One ordinance would add a new chapter to city code specifically for adult sex venues, establishing licensing and business regulations.
An advocate noted that the city does not typically revisit outdated codes with the question, “is this still what we need?” They argued such regulations are no longer necessary if they do not align with current public health conditions. Historians say while places like New York and San Francisco are considered LGBTQ+ capitals of the nation, adult bathhouses were a significant part of the Twin Cities’ nightlife until a 1979 police raid. Prior to that, these venues went largely unmonitored by law enforcement.
Minneapolis stands out among major U.S. cities for not having adult bathhouses. Other cities across the nation, including Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio; Berkeley, California; Dallas, Texas, and Duluth, Minnesota, all operate at least one. The council is expected to forward a series of directives to city staff on Thursday that would decriminalize and legalize adult bathhouses and sex venues, along with zoning and health ordinances. A final vote is scheduled for June following a public hearing.
