The Vesuvio Steam Bath at 563 Brant was the site of a fire April 27.
It seems like the place has been around forever. Doing some research it looks like it was the site of a shooting in 1969 and an armed robbery in 1980, but not much else is out there about. Charges of keeping a bawdy house were filed against the owners of the Etna Steam Baths at 563 Brant in 1964. So the place has been around nearly half a century.
Anyone know anything else about it?
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Funny people still talk about the Vesuvio. I used to go to school in Windsor in the 80s. The Big "V" (a la The Big "V" Drug Stores in that same area in the 80s) was my frequent hang out place. Almost every Friday/ Saturday night I used to go there to look for action. Every Friday night their old TV sets would play "Freaky Friday" cheap horror movies broaodcast from Detroit. Old daddy types (50-60 year old) would sit around the fold-up table in the lobby playing cards at late hours. Customers were mainly local mature types. No preppy youngster would go there. They would go to the modern baths in Detroit. But the Big "V" was the place where I started my gay life. Not a lot of action there in those days but they had guys visiting there from Detroit. I remember having some amazing encounters there. In the early 80s it used to be quite busy in the weekends. After the AIDS scare in the mid 80s, many people stopped going there. The place is a dump in most people's standards, but it's also a fascinating place for those who like to explore the seedy side of things. They only had dry saunas that gave out that old run down smell of old steam plumbing. Carpets were old and worn, beds were squeaky, mattresses were hard. Lights weren't dimmable. In other words, the place has no modern comfort. But it has tons of old fashion charm. Makes you feel like you're back in the 60s when you walk in. Not a great place to look for sex, but it's valuable for it's historic value. I think it's still open. I've heard a few times that they tried to sell their business but because there is a big oil tank buried under the ground make the place very expensive to redevelop. That's why it has remained a bath house all these years.
Yeah..I recall the Big V back in the late 70's....A real hot spot for the Detroit crowd. Detroit was rather straight laced..so Canada became the liberal place to go. I recall watching the Detroit fireworks on the 4th of July from the Big V's rooftop...Wow what a sight. Plus the sexual action was fairly rampant and the rooms would rent for 16.00 US> funds for the night. Oh, those were the days...how I remember the sex in the dry sauna.
is this place still open?
When i look out-Side i can see this place wanted to figure out what it was
I haven't heard anything, so I'm sure it's still closed. Too bad. It was kind of dumpy, but in a nice way, which gave it tons of character - always easy going, cruisy and friendly. It was by far my favorite sex club, and I wish it would re-open, just as it was.
I was told this is an old trolls place, when the guys went in they were given a condom and allowed in to either a steam bath or to the rooms. The rooms were bare with a hole in the door for the men to display their trophys to the trollers walking by for them to choose.
Drove by this week and it looks like it's being renovated -- new windows and a paintjob. Does anyone know if it's being re-opened as Vesuvios Bath House?
Some local history research I did on the place.
https://activehistory.ca/2021/03/29902/