On a dimly lit street in the seedy East Village stands a New York institution where, on any given day, sheepish, lovelorn men flock through the doors looking for connections.
But at the entrance to the Turkish and Russian Bathhouse on East 10th Street hangs a photo of a very familiar face.
The grainy photo shows a young Diddy, his face slightly hidden under a baseball cap, posing with a friend.
The recording was made during one of many visits that owners say the rapper made in the 1990s, when he was at the height of his powers as the king of hip-hop.
Now sitting in a filthy prison cell, accused of sex trafficking and horrific abuse, the visits raise dark questions about how the rapper hid his unhealthy obsession with sex in plain sight of the world that revered him.
P. Diddy is pictured with a friend during one of his frequent visits to The Turkish & Russian Bath. The photo hangs proudly in the lobby of the East Village institution
Located on 10th Street in the East Village, the modest three-story townhouse has been a destination for locals and celebrities alike since its inception a century and a half ago.
The modest three-story mansion has been a destination for locals and celebrities alike since its inception a century and a half ago.
Since 1892, men and women have flocked to this legendary bathhouse for its health benefits: to scrub, steam, relax and rejuvenate.
Many visit innocently, looking for a place to rinse off the city after a hard day’s work.
But for Diddy, the attraction lay deeper.
So says his former bodyguard, Gene Deal, who claims he was visiting to “cruise” male partners.
On a recent rainy afternoon in September, DailyMail.com visited the infamous bathhouse.
Next to Diddy’s photo are those of other celebrity clients — none of whom are in the same legal trouble the rapper is now drowning in.
John F. Kennedy Jr., Danny DeVito, LL Cool J, Liev Schreiber, Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Jackman and Russian MMA fighter Igor Zinozier.
The authentic Russian Room is one of the rooms in the bathhouse where P. Diddy often visited
The sauna, also called the schvitz
At 11:30 a.m. there was already a line of men waiting for the doors to open, ready to enjoy the men-only session that runs from noon to 5 p.m.
The crowd consisted of men of different ages, professions and demographics.
Some were newcomers. Others, experienced splashers. Many were fit and muscular, while others looked well nourished and had generous bellies.
By 2 p.m., nearly a hundred men had streamed through the basement of the bathhouse—some wrapped in small loincloths, others completely naked.
While many were just there for a burst of steam, others quickly became playful.
When the men weren’t taking a dip in the heated freshwater pool or using the steam and sauna rooms, they indulged in therapeutic treatments: mud and salt scrubs, shiatsu massages or the signature platza oak leaf.
According to some employees, that was one of Diddy’s favorite treatments.
The cold plunge pool
One of the steam rooms
The outdoor roof terrace
In a video interview with The art of dialogueDiddy’s former bodyguard Gene Deal spoke about the record producer’s trips to the Russian and Turkish Baths months before he was arrested for running a criminal enterprise.
Deal claimed that his boss secretly met gay men in the steam rooms, sometimes three times a week.
“So you’ve heard the rumors. I waited for him outside the Turkish baths,” Deal told the producer, “That’s where a lot of gay men meet and all take hot baths together,” he said.
“So that’s why me and the driver were out two, sometimes three times a week.
‘He came across the Turkish bath. You have such a big bath at home, but do you want to come here?’ he laughed.
John F. Kennedy Jr. was one of the notables whose photo hung on the wall of the legendary bathhouse
There is also a photo of Matthew McConaughey in the bathhouse
Actor Danny Devito with friends
Blues Brothers: Dan Akroyd and John Belushi
Diddy never addressed the claims.
The bodyguard also spoke about some of Diddy’s other escapades, recalling one of their trips to an exotic bookstore.
The bath is not just for male customers; there are special women-only times, and mixed ‘couple’ times, when the men must wear shorts.
The pool offers annual and monthly memberships or single-day passes starting at $60. Walk-ins are also welcome.
For Diddy, the days of a luxurious visit to the bathhouse, which brings with it the sly chance of happiness, are over.
It’s safe to say that his showers at Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center are much simpler and lonelier.
What exactly he did or did not do will remain hidden in a cloud of steam.
DailyMail.com reached out to the bathhouse owners but has not heard back.