7. The Ansonia had the World’s Largest Indoor Pool, and together with the Turkish bath later became a scandalous nightclub
The craziest years for The Ansonia pool really came later in the 1960s when Starr decided to rent out the pool and Turkish baths to an opera singer who sought to build a gay bathhouse reminiscent of the “glory of ancient Rome.” As described by Gaines, “the Continental Baths…was more Disneyland than hard-core sex palace (except for the orgy room, that is). It had palm fronds, flattering lighting, a waterfall that emptied into the pool, a discothèque, and, in one cubicle, drug dealers. A candy machine dispensed K-Y jelly, and a warning system of colored lights tipped off patrons when the vice squad dropped in.” Its cabaret was perhaps the most famous, with Bette Midler and Barry Manilow accompanying her only in a towel, and other emerging stars booked there.
In the late ’70s, the facilities became Plato’s Retreat, a swinger’s club with a 50-seat Jacuzzi, mattresses in the orgy room and a membership fee at the door of $30 per couple, which included open bar and buffet.
