A gay bathhouse in downtown Vancouver remains closed as of Oct 21, 2016, despite initial hopes that it might reopen by September, following the sudden death of its owner in late July.
Official records from the City of Vancouver’s license office show that Red Door Steambath, located at 1210 Granville St, has yet to renew its business license for the year. Businesses are prohibited from operating without an up-to-date business license, according to city bylaws. Currently, no other businesses are listed under that same address.
Red Door described itself as a “safe and discreet place for horny ‘no strings’ encounters.”
In early August, the bathhouse stated on its website that it would reopen in September. But the website has since been removed and Red Door’s front doors remain locked. The landlords of the space, who own the adjacent Hotel Ambassador, haven’t responded to Daily Xtra’s repeated requests for comment.
Red Door announced its closure on Aug 2 after its owner, Jeff Fraser, was found unresponsive near Helmcken and Burrard Streets on July 25, 2016. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Following Fraser’s death, his ex-wife Shauna Bosetti told Xtra that some of Red Door’s former staff had initially hoped to take over the business and reopen it, but soon backed out. To her knowledge, there have been no further developments, Bosetti says.
Fraser’s exact cause of death has yet to be determined, says Barbara McLintock, coroner of strategic programs at the BC Coroners Service. She noted a full coroners report is still in the works.
“We don’t formalize a cause and classification of death until the coroners report is completed,” she tells Xtra. “That is our written legal confirmation of cause and classification.”
In August, Constable Brian Montague of the Vancouver Police Department said foul play wasn’t suspected and Fraser’s death wasn’t being treated as suspicious.
Fraser was 52 years old.
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