Is There an Entrepreneurial Case for a Minneapolis Bathhouse?
By Adam Platt
October 17, 2026
Earlier this year, the Minneapolis City Council removed a ban on bathhouses, originally enacted in the AIDS era as a public health measure. This decision came after an activist-driven effort to rectify what was perceived as a historical injustice.
For the purposes of this article, the "bathhouses" in question were not the trendy, branded spas popular across the nation and in the local area. Instead, these were simple facilities where men gathered for various reasons, including sex, workouts, and showers.
The city's 1988 ban was a response to the perception of semi-public sex as a transmission vector for HIV. Minneapolis City Council vice-president Brian Coyle, an openly gay individual who later passed away from AIDS, was a prominent advocate for the ban.
Fast forward to today, as AIDS is better understood and treatable, and men have numerous apps at their disposal for casual encounters. So, what's the business case for reviving bathhouses in Minneapolis?
There seems to be one, surprisingly. Bathhouses persist, on a limited scale, in cities like Chicago, Portland, Oregon, Indianapolis, and Vancouver, Canada, where they are regulated and licensed. San Francisco also rescinded its ban a half-decade ago and established a new regulatory framework that could serve as a model for the Twin Cities.
We spoke to a local entrepreneur (who requested anonymity) who is analyzing the numbers. "The revenue model is challenging," they admitted, "but I think there’s a case to be made."
Dylan Boyer, director of development for the AIDS outreach nonprofit The Aliveness Project, has been a vocal advocate for bathhouses. He believes a licensed and regulated space could promote safe sex, health testing, and social interaction for marginalized communities. "They are places to build community," Boyer told us. According to Boyer, 300 new AIDS cases were diagnosed in Minnesota last year, primarily among the demographic a bathhouse would cater to.
Boyer envisions city or grant funding to support public health initiatives within such a space but acknowledges the need for a sustainable business model.
The local entrepreneur is contemplating a more appealing concept than the seedy 315 Baths in the Warehouse District, which closed in 2017. They aim to create a modern, welcoming facility that goes beyond a simple place for sexual encounters.