Bath to see at Land’s End

This is Sutro Baths in San Francisco.  Once there was an imposing building with high ceilings, glass facades and several pools, here. It was a public bathhouse that looked out into the Pacific.

The History of Sutro Baths

Sutro Baths is said to have had as many as 7 pools within its walls. All filled with seawater but with varying degrees of temperature. It could accommodate up to 10,000 people and is said to have had equipment that allowed diving and sliding into the water. 

It was a self-made millionaire by the name of Adolf Sutro who gave San Francisco this saltwater bathhouse and swimming facility. It was built in 1894.  According to the National Part Service, Sutro Baths not only allowed people to swim and bathe here but also rented out bathing suits and towels. There were also exhibits from all over that were displayed at the entrance, making it a destination by itself.

Present-Day Sutro Baths

Today Sutro Baths is in ruins. The once majestic bathhouse is said to have later struggled to stay open because of the costs of managing a place of these proportions and such big ambitions. Attempts to put this place to other uses, some demolition and a fire put the baths in its present-day condition. 

Sutro Baths is now a part of the Golden Gate Park and is open to visitors who would like to explore the ruins, walk the trails around the broken-down-building and watch Pacific sunsets.

One Winter evening at the Bath

We were at Sutro Baths on the 1st of January, 2020. It was a cold, grey and extremely windy winter evening. After having a look at the ruins from the overlook (near the Lands End Visitor Center) we were about to take one of the trails that led off the parking lot when our kindergartner insisted we go down the hill. So we braved the winds that were threatening to give us ear pains and made our way down. 

And I’m glad we did that, for we got a better look at what is left of the baths and saw a couple of channels of water that must have served as drains for the pools in the bathhouse. We also walked into what looked like a tunnel on the right side of where the bathhouse used to be. And because we stayed down there for a bit, we even got to see the sun peep out of those thick grey clouds before it set. It was like a quick new year greeting from that bright big star. 😀

On our way back up we took a trail that went towards the cliff house and then we went around the visitor center and back to the parking lot. That was a good thing to have done, too because we got to see Sutro Baths from different angles and I couldn’t help wondering what a wonder it might have been in its heyday.

When you trip to Sutro Baths:

• Make sure you are dressed in layers. It can be cold even on a sunny day.
• On windy days you might want to make sure you carry a beanie or earmuffs; something that protects your ears. The cold air from the ocean can be really hard on your ears — even for those of us who usually underdress for hikes in cold weather.
• Be prepared for the famous Pacific Fog that might decide to move onto land while you are there.
• Try to stay back to witness a Sutro Bath sunset.

This is what the place looked like when it was still standing– SF’s Sutro_Baths

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