Archimedes Banya, San Francisco’s only full-nude Russian bathhouse, recently updated the policy for its monthly ladies-only night to exclude trans women, saying that in order to “shelter religious preferences of women in our community” only “BIOLOGICAL WOMEN” will be allowed.
The language was quickly updated to “sex assigned at birth,” but eagle-eyed Redditors noticed the original wording and shared receipts. “[They] changed the language to obfuscate the transphobia under the guise of religious accommodation,” wrote wordsthatoutliveus, who posted the screenshots to the San Francisco subreddit. Another screenshot posted to Yelp showed the bathhouse also initially changed its men’s night to be for “BIOLOGICAL MEN” only before updating the language.
Responses to the policy change have been mixed.
“I think that cis women having their own day isn’t that bad,” Amanilmeke, a 25-year-old trans woman, told The Standard.
Amanilmeke, who declined to share her full name, said she doesn’t think excluding trans women and nonbinary people one night per month is much of a loss. “No sane person goes to the banya every day of the month.”
Others defended the change as necessary for religious inclusivity. “Religious women — however much I disagree with them — especially Muslims or Orthodox Jews, place importance on sex segregation,” Express-Bag96 wrote on Reddit. “It is vastly different than banning trans women from women’s bathrooms.”
Extension Media8316 applauded the new policy, saying the bathhouse is being “deliberately inclusive of everyone” by creating a space “where a subset of women get to feel psychologically safe.”
But others decried the change. “It’s NOT about one night! It’s a symptom of a deeper problem and it’s gonna become worse if we don’t speak up against it now,” 6Baph6omet6 wrote.
What makes the change in language and policy especially striking is that nude bathhouses in the Bay Area have historically been welcoming to transgender guests. Kabuki Springs & Spa in Japantown states on its website that its goal is inclusivity; on men-only days, “all cisgender and transgender men are welcome,” and the same openness applies to women-only days. The spa provides nonbinary changing facilities on Tuesday co-ed day, when swimsuits are required.
At Pearl Spa, a women-only Korean-style jimjilbang bathhouse in Japantown, trans women have always been welcomed, according to a receptionist who declined to provide a name.
Archimedes Banya defended the change Monday and clarified in a statement that the bathhouse is creating “two distinct women’s nights”: one for all women, “regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender expression,” and a “Cultural & Religious Women’s Night.”
In an email to The Standard, general manager Abhishek Vaidya said the latter came out of a desire to respect the religious and cultural beliefs of women who need “a phallus-free environment.”
“We need to help religious women and tried to navigate an important conversation about inclusivity, safety, and respect,” he wrote. “We recognize that our words did not fully reflect our values, and for that, we are truly sorry.”
The bathhouse’s events page was not updated before publication time with information on the women’s night that is open to trans and nonbinary people. Vaidya did not immediately respond to questions about when the event would be offered.
The banya offers several other regular events, including a clothing-required family day, a breathwork day, and a once-a-month men-only night.
On “Men’s Night,” admission is limited according to “sex assigned at birth,” per the event listing, to “shelter religious preferences of men in our community.” There is no mention of an all-inclusive men’s day on the events calendar or website. Vaidya did not immediately respond to questions about whether the facility will add a men’s night that will include trans men.
“We are committed to ongoing dialogue to ensure that all our guests feel respected and valued,” Vaidya said.