bathhouse
gb/bˈæθhˌaʊs/ us/bˈæθhˌaʊs/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
public place for bathing
A public place where people wash and bathe.
Usage pattern:
go to the bathhouse; a bathhouse in/at [place]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse bathhouse (a public facility) with bathroom (a room in a home/building).
Synonyms
public baths (More common plural term for a bathing facility open to the public.)
|
baths (Short form used on signs and in names (e.g., 'City Baths').)
|
spa (Often implies relaxation treatments; not always primarily for washing.)
Antonyms
private bathroom (A personal bathing room, not a public facility.)
Collocations
public bathhouse
|a bathhouse by the beach
|a bathhouse at the hot springs
|use the bathhouse
|visit the bathhouse
|bathhouse facilities
|bathhouse showers
|bathhouse lockers
|a bathhouse fee
|clean bathhouse
Themes
daily_life
|travel
|health
|wellness
Examples
- We stopped at the bathhouse to shower and change after the swim.
- The park’s bathhouse has lockers, hot water, and a small sauna.
- In summer, the bathhouse opens early for people heading to the beach.
Learner examples
- I took a shower at the bathhouse.
- The bathhouse is next to the pool.
Noun
C1
entity
2
bathhouse used as sex venue
A place (often for gay men) where people may meet for sex.
Usage pattern:
go to a bathhouse; meet [someone] at a bathhouse
Common mistake:
In some contexts (especially in North American English), bathhouse can strongly imply this meaning; consider the social context.
Synonyms
gay sauna (Common term in some regions; emphasizes sauna facilities.)
|
sex club (Broader category; not necessarily connected to bathing/saunas.)
Antonyms
family spa (A wellness facility intended for general/family use, not for sexual encounters.)
Collocations
gay bathhouse
|downtown bathhouse
|bathhouse patrons
|bathhouse regulars
|bathhouse owner
|bathhouse membership
|bathhouse closure
|bathhouse rules
|bathhouse raid
|meet at a bathhouse
Themes
relationships
|city_life
|lgbtq
Examples
- The article traced the history of bathhouses in gay urban life.
- He said he met friends at the bathhouse during his first year in the city.
- The city introduced stricter health rules for bathhouses after complaints.
Learner examples
- In this story, “bathhouse” means a place to meet partners.
Noun
B2
entity
3
traditional communal bathing house
A traditional public building for washing in a community.
Usage pattern:
a traditional bathhouse; an old/ancient bathhouse
Common mistake:
Do not assume every bathhouse is modern; in travel writing it can refer to older cultural traditions.
Synonyms
hammam (Specific term for a Turkish/Arabic-style bathhouse.)
|
bath (Can refer to a historic public-bathing complex (e.g., 'Roman baths').)
Antonyms
private bath (Not communal or culturally public.)
Collocations
traditional bathhouse
|ancient bathhouse
|historic bathhouse
|a bathhouse district
|restore a bathhouse
|bathhouse ritual
|bathhouse architecture
|communal bathhouse
|a Turkish-style bathhouse
|visit a bathhouse
Themes
travel
|culture
|history
|wellness
Examples
- We toured an old bathhouse that had been restored as a museum.
- In the old city, the bathhouse was still used for weekly communal washing.
- The guide explained the different rooms in the traditional bathhouse.
Learner examples
- We visited a traditional bathhouse on our trip.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bathhouse
IPA
GB/bˈæθhˌaʊs/
US/bˈæθhˌaʊs/
Syllables & stress
bath - house (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (bath)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: bathhouse
- Plural: bathhouses
Word family
Expressions
bathhouse culture
1/bˈæθhˌaʊs kˈʌlt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
social world around bathhouses
The habits and social life connected to bathhouses.
Examples
- The book explores bathhouse culture in the city during the 1970s.
- Public health campaigns changed bathhouse culture over time.
- He said he never felt part of bathhouse culture.
bathhouse etiquette
1/bˈæθhˌaʊs ˈɛtəkət/
fixed phrase
customary rules of behavior
The polite rules to follow in a bathhouse.
Examples
- Before going, she read about bathhouse etiquette and what to bring.
- The staff explained local bathhouse etiquette to first-time visitors.
- Good bathhouse etiquette includes cleaning up after yourself.
bathhouse raid
1/bˈæθhˌaʊs ɹˈeɪd/
fixed phrase
police raid on a bathhouse
A police action against a bathhouse.
Examples
- The documentary covered the bathhouse raids and the protests that followed.
- After the bathhouse raid, several community groups demanded legal reforms.
- He was arrested during a bathhouse raid in the 1980s.
bathhouse scene
1/bˈæθhˌaʊs sˈin/
fixed phrase
network of bathhouses and patrons
The people and places connected to bathhouses.
Examples
- He wrote an essay about the bathhouse scene in his hometown.
- By the 1990s, the bathhouse scene had changed a lot.
- She interviewed people who had been part of the bathhouse scene.