A health club that caters to gay men is under scrutiny by a Louisville metro councilman over concerns that it operates as a sex club.
Councilman David James claims that Vapor Spa is a haven for unsafe sex, and that the club represents a threat to public health.
James told WHAS-TV that, according to the CDC, about 20 percent of gay men who have been investigated by the health department and have a sexually transmitted disease admit to visiting Vapor.
“We have issues of sexually transmitted diseases according to the health department coming through there. But the bigger problem is this is a place that advertises and suggests lewd behavior at its location,” James told WHAS.
Business owner George Stinson said that James simply doesn’t like the way he chooses to operate his business.
Stinson said that members at Vapor Spa sign an agreement that states they are a gay man. Members have access to an outdoor pool, steam room, fitness center and private changing rooms.
The club exists in part of a 450,000-square-foot development that Stinson is building with a business partner that will also include a hotel, event center and restaurants.
“I have operated gay businesses for 40 years and every one has been called a sex club,” Stinson told the TV station. “It never stops.”
James said that he visited the facility using a different name after constituents raised concerns.
“There were people openly having sex all over the place in the building there, so I was kind of shocked,” he said.
Stinson says there’s no record of James entering the facility, and that the councilman has been unfairly attacking his business.
James said that he plans to raise the issue at a council meeting on Thursday.
