Les Bains Douches (roughly translated as "The Bathhouses" or "The Public Baths") (aka Bains Douches) was a Parisian

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

located at 7 rue du Bourg-l'Abbé in the

3rd arrondissement of Paris The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (, ) is one of the 20 (districts) of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as "" () meaning "the third". Its postal code is 75003. It is governed locally to ...

which was active from 1978 to 2010. Bains Douches was a mecca of decadent excess for Parisian nightclubbers during the 1980s, and a meeting place for creatives and artists from throughout society. The nightclub closed its doors in 2010.

History

The building originally houses the Guerbois

thermal bath A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring (hydrology), spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and Hot spring, ...

s, created in 1885 by François Auguste Guerbois (1824–1891) and his son Albert Guerbois (1857–1926) who also operate the Guerbois café, a popular meeting place for artists and intellectuals at the time. It was immortalized by

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

. The plaque at the entrance of Les Bains Douches indicates: Bains Guerbois, swimming pool, Turkish and Russian baths, sulfurous steam showers. At the end of the 19th century, the place attracted many influential homosexual personalities, including

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

. Jean-Pierre Marois, historic owner of the place, founded the company Les Bains in 2011 as part of the renovation of the new project.

Opening as a club

Maurice Marois bought the place as a cesspool at the end of the 1960s before transferring the lease many years later. The shabby-chic club Bains Douches was established in 1978 by Jacques Renault, an

antique dealer An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

and his partner Fabrice Coat. They transformed the baths into a modular nightclub with a lounge on the first floor.

Philippe Starck Philippe Starck (; born 18 January 1949) is a French industrial architect and designer known for his wide range of designs, including interior design, architecture, household objects, furniture, boats and other vehicles. His most popular pieces ...

, then just starting out, re-decorated the place in white and black tiles. Later, David Rochline retouched the appearance of the entrance. The swimming pool in the basement had a giant

chessboard A chessboard is a game board used to play chess. It consists of 64 squares, 8 rows by 8 columns, on which the chess pieces are placed. It is square in shape and uses two colours of squares, one light and one dark, in a chequered pattern. During p ...

at the bottom of the water, the pieces of which were moved by a

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some Europea ...

. Added to this was a concert hall, discotheque, restaurant and bar. It opened to much fanfare on December 21, 1978 with more than 2,000 people present.

Pierre et Gilles Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

designed the invitation card.

Post-Punk days

Far from the ostentatiousness

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

trend of the moment, Bains Douches became the meeting point for the world of

no wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

cultural intellectuals and artists. Disc jockey/singer Philippe Krootchey hosted a large number of evenings there featuring the music of

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

and

The B-52's The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, k ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

gave its first concert in France at Bains Douches in September 1981. Other hosted live music performances were by the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

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Les Rita Mitsouko Les Rita Mitsouko (, translation: ''The Rita Mitsukos'') were a French pop rock group formed by Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club in Paris in 1980. They went on to become one of the most a ...

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and

Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch (singer), Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freita ...

(among many others).

recorded their '' Les Bains Douches 18 December 1979'' LP there and the CD booklet contains a reprint of the original poster for the show. Also the

No Wave No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and r ...

band

James Chance & the Contortions James Chance and the Contortions (initially known simply as Contortions, a spin-off group is called James White and the Blacks) was a musical group led by saxophonist and vocalist James Chance, formed in 1977. They were a central act of New York ...

recorded their album ''Live Aux Bains Douches'' there in 1980.

Farida Khelfa Farida Khelfa (born 23 May 1960) is a French documentary filmmaker and former model. Early life Khelfa, one of eight children, was born in Lyon to Algerian immigrants. She ran away from her Muslim family at the age of 15, joining her sister i ...

was the club's physiognomist for two years before being replaced for a time by Caroline Loeb and Paquita Paquin. Transgender icon Jenny Bel'Air also worked the door for a while. Regular club goers included

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

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Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Jean-Charles, marquis de Castelbajac (born 28 November 1949), also known as JC/DC, is a French fashion designer. He has enjoyed international success with some of his creations, including a coat of teddy bears worn by pop star Madonna and by su ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bains Douches 1978 establishments in France 2010 disestablishments in France 20th-century establishments in Paris 1980s in Paris Entertainment venues in Paris Nightlife in Paris Buildings and structures in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris Nightclubs in France Former music venues in France Punk rock venues

History

Opening as a club

Post-Punk days

See also

References