Ohio: Bathhouse Spurs HIV Concerns

Cleveland city leaders hope for an economic revival in the blighted East Side area where Flex, a gay bathhouse, is opening next month. But Cleveland Health Department (CHD) officials are concerned the 50,000-square-foot site may hamper the city's fight against STDs, particularly syphilis and HIV.

"I think it's going to be a big mess in the not-too-distant future," said William Tiedemann, CHD's AIDS director.

New HIV diagnoses reached an 11-year high last year in Cleveland. Two-thirds of state HIV/AIDS cases are men, and most of these infections are believed to be transmitted homosexually.

Public health officials and AIDS advocates say they are not opposed to bathhouses, which can be good venues for promoting HIV prevention. But only in recent months did they learn about the size and scope of the club, and they are hoping to include HIV prevention in the site's mission. Health officials want condoms provided throughout Flex, and city officials want the facility to routinely offer HIV testing and have on every shift an employee who can counsel clients about HIV prevention. They also want to see Flex's policy for evicting members caught using drugs or soliciting sex.

When Flex opens, there will be five bathhouses in Ohio, including the 14,000-square-foot venue Club Cleveland, two in Columbus and a fifth in Toledo.

Officials say Charles Fleck, Flex's owner, has promised to sign an agreement addressing the HIV/STD concerns before the venue opens. Tiedemann said Club Cleveland is being asked to sign the same agreement, which the city's Law Department is reviewing.

Club Cleveland has always provided patrons HIV screening and free condoms, said owner Ray Wolf. "The only place you can reach out is at a bathhouse," he said.

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