Sanctum Baths to Open in SoMa by Fall 2027
San Francisco planners recommended approval of a planned gay bathhouse at 40 12th Street, with a final Planning Commission hearing set for Thursday.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in LGBTQ+
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The San Francisco Planning Department has recommended approval of Sanctum Baths, a gay bathhouse planned for 40 12th Street in SoMa. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold its final approval hearing on Thursday.
Why it matters
Sanctum Baths would be the first new gay bathhouse in SoMa since the AIDS crisis, following decades of restrictions on bathhouses in the city. Its approval would mark a further step in the return of adult sex venues allowed under 2022 zoning rules.
The building is a two-story structure just off Market Street that is being converted from a space previously used by owner Kevin Born's general contracting business. The owner has not yet retained an architectural firm, leaving design plans unresolved.
The players
Kevin Born
Born is the owner of the planned bathhouse and a co-owner of The Midway nightclub in Dogpatch.
San Francisco Planning Department
The department recommended approval of the bathhouse project ahead of the final Planning Commission hearing.
San Francisco Planning Commission
The commission is scheduled to hold the final approval hearing on the bathhouse project on Thursday.
Dianne Feinstein
Feinstein was mayor of San Francisco when the 1984 ordinance restricting bathhouses was passed.
The details
The owner, Kevin Born, is a co-owner of The Midway nightclub in Dogpatch and had initially considered the name Maze SF before settling on Sanctum Baths. The bathhouse is planned to be upscale and unapologetically queer.
Timeline
1984: An ordinance under Mayor Dianne Feinstein outlawed bathhouses with private rooms that had closed doors.
2022: New zoning rules allowed adult sex venues again, and Eros relocated to the former Bulldog Baths in the Tenderloin.
Thursday: The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold its final approval hearing.
Late fall 2027: The owner targets opening Sanctum Baths.
Culture Shift
The approval process for Sanctum Baths follows the 1984 ordinance under Mayor Dianne Feinstein that outlawed bathhouses with private rooms and closed doors. The project marks a departure from that restriction after the 2022 zoning rules reopened adult sex venues in San Francisco.
If approved, Sanctum Baths would offer San Francisco residents and visitors a new upscale gay bathhouse in SoMa. The planned timeline targets an opening by late fall 2027, pending the Planning Commission decision and required permits.
The takeaway
The approval of Sanctum Baths would signal how San Francisco's post-2022 zoning changes are reshaping adult venues. Residents tracking the project can follow the Planning Commission's Thursday hearing for the final decision.
What happens next
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold its final approval hearing on Thursday, after which the owner expects permits within six to seven months.
Further reading
For more on the history of queer spaces, explore LGBTQ+ coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports.
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