title: Gay and bisexual men's experiences of bathhouse culture and sex: 'looking for love in all the wrong places'.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe gay and bisexual men's experiences of bathhouses and their perceptions of HIV risk associated with sex in this context. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of gay and bisexual men-14 HIV-positive and 9 HIV-negative-who reported ever frequenting a bathhouse. The sample was selected from the Polaris HIV Seroconversion Study, a longitudinal open cohort study of documented recent seroconverters and HIV-negative controls in Ontario, Canada. Interview transcripts were analysed using a narrative approach. Four major themes were identified concerning views of gay bathhouse culture and environments; moral conceptions of self and others at a bathhouse; identity management at a bathhouse; and psychosocial functions of gay bathhouses. HIV transmission is a salient component of bathhouse culture; therefore, bathhouses are critical environments for the promotion of safer sex activities among gay and bisexual men.
authors.forename: Dennis J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Haubrich
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Liviana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calzavara
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Medved