San Francisco - Alison Bing [175]
EMBARCADERO YMCA Map
415-957-9622; www.ymcasf.org/embarcadero; 169 Steuart St; day pass $15; 5:30am-9:45pm Mon-Fri, 8am-7:45pm Sat, 9am-5:45pm Sun; & Embarcadero
Downtown professionals flock to this clean, modern YMCA, with complete gym equipment, swimming pool, basketball court and massage services. Each locker room has a steam room. Bring a lock for your locker, or else use the tiny penny lockers by the swimming pool.
KABUKI SPRINGS & SPA
Map
415-922-6000; 1750 Geary Blvd; admission Mon-Fri $22, Sat & Sun $25; 10am-9:45pm, coed Tue, women only Sun, Wed & Fri, men only Mon, Thu & Sat; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
Our favorite urban retreat is a spin on communal Japanese baths. Scrub yourself down with salt in the giant steam room or sauna, then soak in the lovely hot pool before taking a cold plunge. Afterwards, doze off on wooden chaise longues. Quiet is the order of the day: if people get chatty, you need only tap the gong on the water-and-tea table, and all will fall silent. The look is sleek and modern, with wood, tile and low lighting that’s soothing after a stressful day. Men and women alternate days, except on Tuesday, when bathing suits are required. Plan two hours minimum; expect a 30-to-60-minute wait at peak times. Communal baths cost $15 with massages (book ahead of time, and come on the gender-appropriate day).
TRUE MASSAGE & WELLNESS
Map
415-677-9461; www.true-massage.com; 760 Market St; 60/90min massage $90/130; by appointment; & Powell St
When you want a massage, but don’t want the buzz of a spa or salon, book an appointment at this quiet Downtown studio, which offers a full range of styles, from acupressure to reflexology. Look online for special discounts.
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GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS SF
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SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
SHOPPING
DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
BARS & CLUBS
CAFES
THE ARTS
GYMS
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
SLEEPING
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top picks
Sunday afternoon at Eagle Tavern
Café Flore
Hot Boxxx Girls at Aunt Charlie’s
Ladies Night
Sundance Saloon
Baker Bmetric converseach
Parker Guest House
LGBT Pride Parade
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What’s your recommendation? www.lonelyplanet.com/san-francisco
The mothership of gay culture, San Francisco is America’s pinkest city, the easiest place in the US to be gay, where ’mos are accepted as part of mainstream society. (Remember, this is where gay marriage first became legal in the US.) New York Marys may label SF the retirement home of the young – indeed, the sidewalks roll up early – but when it comes to sexual outlaws and underground weirdness, SF kicks New York’s ass.
The intersection of 18th and Castro Sts is the heart of the gay scene, and there are bars a go-go, but most are predictably middlebrow. Dancing queens and slutty boys head South of Market (SoMa), the location of most thump-thump clubs and sex venues. Cruise Castro by day, SoMa by night. On sunny days, Speedo-clad gay boys colonize the grassy hill at 20th and Church Sts, in Mission Dolores Park, overlooking Downtown. Be prepared for pot smoke: SF is stoner central. Weeknights, most guys stay home – those looking for dates jockey their keyboards – and it’s trickier to find the party: check out the boxed text.
So where the sexy ladies at? They’re busy scamming on their exes’ exes at the Lexington Club, screening documentaries at Artists’ Television Access (www.atasite.org) or raising kids in Noe Valley and Bernal Heights. Your best bet is Valencia St – the funkier outer fringe where Castro hits the Mission – the preferred ’hood of bad-ass dykes, alt-chicks and cute femmes.
If you’re giving aggressive gaydar, expect direct come-ons at thrift shops, activist cafes and back patios of neighborhood bars. The boys definitely beat the girls for mass socializing, but expect grrrls galore at Les Ladiez on Thursday nights at the Lookout, power gals at Ladies Night at Orson, and various weekly or monthly