Crunch Fitness West Hollywood, technically located in the city of Los Angeles, has permanently closed its men’s steam room due to ongoing complaints of inappropriate sexual conduct.
via: Queerty
Crunch Fitness has shut down its men’s steam room at the West Hollywood location for good after years of complaints about, erm, lewd conduct.
According to WeHo Times, a sign was posted on Monday (February 17) stating that the steam room “is permanently closed,” and directing members to “speak to the Front Desk if you have any questions.”
That said, gym bros who frequented the WeHo location (and anyone who’s spent time on Gay Twitter X™ in the past year) could have seen this coming.
This franchise location has always had a bit of a reputation for whatever reason.
Back in January, they made headlines after “temporarily” closing down the steam room “due to inappropriate conduct by members.”
Upon its reopening on February 3, a sign was posted warning gym goers that, “Inappropriate behavior will result in your membership being terminated. 100%. End of story. Full stop.”
Less than two weeks later, it seems that ominous warning wasn’t enough to stop dudes from making their own steam.
Neither the location nor Crunch Fitness’ corporate office have made an official statement.
However, Sean Renzetti, a manager at the WeHo location, touched on the closure in a social media comment.
“Being the manager at Crunch, yes, if you are participating in sexual activity in our public space, which is illegal (I am gay, so let’s not make it OK because it’s a ‘gay thing’), I will terminate your membership immediately,” he wrote, per the WeHo Times.
Of course, the whole debacle started back in January 2022 when the location first posted a flyer asking patrons to “have sex *literally* anywhere else.” LOL.
So, what does this mean for WeHo Crunch Fitness’ future?
Well, a lot of gays are pissed about the closure.
Apparently, some men plan to leave unless they’re offered a discount on their monthly memberships, which presumably accounted for the steam room’s operation costs.
And while we can’t endorse the reported lewd activity, we can sympathize with their pain.
According to a 2024 study from Journal of Psychiatric Research, “frequent sauna bathing” can have significant “mental health” benefits on men in particular.
What are Crunch WeHo members supposed to do now? Actually work out?
Ew.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a horror movie, particularly Brazilian gay filmmaker João Dall’Stella’s 2021 short, Steam.
The 15-minute film was both “a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community” and “a combination of personal experiences,” with a gasp-worthy twist.
“A gay couple goes to a bathhouse for a cheat night, unaware that a killer lurks behind the steam,” its synopsis reads. “In this tale of sex and death, will they survive this adventure?”
Hmm… well on the bright side, at least Crunch Fitness members have one less thing to worry about there.
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