Badhuis Javaplein

Although this wonderful building is now a trendy restaurant and cocktail bar, it was originally opened in 1942 as one of Amsterdam’s last public bathhouses. Exactly 40 years later it became abundantly clear that most people preferred to bathe at home and it was closed only to reopen as a Hindu temple and then a thrift shop. Its latest incarnation as a popular hotspot is perhaps fitting as the old bathhouses not only functioned as hygienic necessities, but also as community meeting places. Women used to shower where the original white tile wall still stands behind the bar.