Continental

In pre-Stonewall New York, homosexual activity was illegal. Bars and bathhouses exploited their gay clientele. Enter Steve Ostrow, an opera singer forced to abandon his career due to federal fraud allegations. Ever the entrepreneur and a gay man himself, Steve opens the Continental Bathhouse, a revolutionary combination of sexual playground, dignified service, dancing, and entertainment. Even an on-site medical clinic! From 1968 to 1974, the Continental was not just an erotic paradise during the Sexual Revolution. Did we mention the Entertainment? Out of the baths emerged some of the world's most beloved artists. Bette Midler, Labelle, Barry Manilow, Sarah Vaughn—all appeared at the Continental Baths. At its height, the heterosexual elite in formal dress sat next to gay men in towels to watch performances at now legendary “Black Towel” events. All is gleefully revealed by Steve Ostrow and his former staff at the CONTINENTAL. Names are named and mud is flung in this blunt, humorous, and affectionate tribute to a place that existed briefly but left its mark forever. —C.R.