Jameson Farn had humble beginnings, growing up in rural communities in Western Canada, starting with a farm in Saskatchewan. Since 2011, he live’s on France’s glitzy Côte d’Azur and owns a luxury real estate and villa rental business that operates in France and in the Principality of Monaco, where an estimated one in three of the 41,000 residents are millionaires. He’s hung out at parties with Princess Stéphanie, as well as with other celebrities and business magnates he coyly declined to name in his interview with Wander+Lust. He describes his clientele as UHNWI, which stands for Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals—that is, people with a net worth of $30 million or more in investable assets.
During the pandemic, Farn wrote a memoir of the part of his life—the era spanning farm boy to Côte d’Azur business person—when he managed three different gay bathhouses. Called Bathhouse Babylon, and based on his own diaries, the book chronicles his personal journey from curious customer to a manager who’s had to deal with compulsive sex behaviour, out-of-control customers, drug culture and, as the news release says, “the inner workings of an industry driven by money, secrecy and desire.” Originally published in 2021, Farn re-released the book last fall with more salacious adventures. “Based on the feedback I got, I threw in a whole crapload of sex stories,” he says.
“I wasn’t going to be able to get any of my work done, since I wanted to be in the midst of where everything takes place in the club. As soon as I stepped out of the office for what I told myself would be a short break, I could see the bathhouse was filling up with a cornucopia of men, all practically throbbing in anticipation,” Farn writes in Bathhouse Babylon. “As I approached the snack area, one of my few favourite guys had just checked in, one whom I would occasionally have sex with. Our faces lit up as we instantly smiled at each other followed by a knowing flirtatious ‘hello,’ yet done discreetly as we passed one another as though we thought we were maybe trying to fool the staff or anyone else who had observed our down-low sexual relationship.”
When the book came out, Farn worried that revealing a risque side of his life would turn off his posh clients. Not so. “Publishing the book actually made my work better, especially with people from Monaco. People came out of the woodwork to work with me. It was just crazy,” says Farn. “They love scandal and stuff like that here. The things you hear! It’s just fantastic.”
Farn has also launched a substack newsletter focusing on LGBTQ+ life on the French Riviera, also referred to as Côte d’Azur, which stretches, depending on who’s talking, from the Italian border to Toulon.
With all that knowledge—and all those naughty stories—Wander+Lust had to ask Farn about his book and his life in Côte d’Azur.
Bathhouse Babylon is an eye-opening read. You really get into the mechanics and the behind-the-scenes drama of bathhouse culture. What makes bathhouses different from any other kind of business?
They’re places where you can meet people from every walk of life. Once those towels are on, you can’t really tell a person’s financial situation, their education or anything like that. They’re places where you can really see how opposites attract, the whole sociology of it all. There’s a real sense of community, with a camaraderie between patrons even if they aren’t hooking up. We had regulars who came in all the time, and people who became regulars quite quickly. People who came so frequently they became almost addicted to the place. But a lot of people would show up and not have sex. They just liked the environment.
What’s something that surprised you as someone who could see what was happening behind the scenes?
There are people that you would assume lead a clean lifestyle, then you find out later that they’re massively into drugs or whatever. Some funny things too. We’d have nicknames when we talked about customers, based on what they were into or their personality, GHB Stud, Greek God, names like that. There are people who come off as very straight laced with fetishes that you would never assume. They were into the raunchiest, most outrageous things, stuff that could get you barred from the bathhouse. A huge percentage of men would tell everybody how straight they are, that they were just checking out the place. Those were the ones we really had to watch because it was almost like they were going to Vegas for a weekend, like it was a free-for-all. We caught a lot of men damaging property—just crazy stuff.
But a number of celebrities would come in because a lot of movies were filmed in the same city. Half of the celebrities didn’t care if people knew and the other half were trying to be incognito. Wearing a baseball cap and trying to be fully clothed in a bathhouse? That’s just going to make you stand out. There was one who was into not fisting but using your feet instead. Another celebrity was only into Asian men, feeling them up or whatever, but it had to be out in a public area of the bathhouse.
You’re going to give me the names of all these celebrities, aren’t you?
I can’t. I had to have the book checked legally before I published it. But think major TV sitcoms and made-for-TV Hallmark-type movies. That type of thing.
What are some tips you’d give bathhouse patrons that would help them enjoy their experiences more?
Don’t go in with any preconceived notions. Don’t force yourself into anything. Look at it as a place to hang out, use the gym equipment, watch TV, spend time in the hottub. Also, one visit won’t tell you what a place is like. A weekend is completely different from, say, a Monday night. Give a place a few tries.
What advice would you give first-timers?
A lot of people worry, “What if I go there and somebody recognizes me?” Try it in a new city, where nobody knows who you are. When I was younger, people would say, “Oh, it’s just old men and drug addicts.” But it’s not like that at all.
What are some of the differences between North American bathhouse culture and European bathhouse culture?
French people in general can be more private until they get to know you. Even in a bathhouse space, they’ll usually just hang around with their friends at first. But once they’ve hooked up with you or even had a bit of a chat, you feel them slowly becoming more friendly. I’m very close to the Italian border, so we get a lot of Italians on the weekends. That changes the vibe.
Nice is well known as a gay-friendly destination. (Read our insider’s guide to the best of LGBTQ+ Nice here.) Monaco is about a half hour away by car or train. What are some of the cultural differences, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community?
Nice is considered an LGBTQ+ cultural hub. It’s where all the gay bars are. There are a lot of gay-owned establishments. People always say there are no gay people in Monaco. Yeah, there are. I just went to a party that had about 40 gay men and one woman. Of course, I knew half the crowd. They’re out of the closet, and some are even directors of yacht clubs and stuff like that. A director with Barclays. But if somebody lives in Monaco, they tend to party everywhere, wherever they want. If it’s London one weekend, Paris or Nice the next, whatever.
Because I work in luxury real estate, I’ve discovered that the ones with the real money, you can’t tell at all. They don’t flaunt it. You can become friends with them a lot easier. I don’t find it snobby at all. It’s great to network, make friends. I volunteer with Princess Stéphanie’s charity, Fight AIDS Monaco. When the media is around, she’s more subdued. But when they’re gone, she’s so much fun and she likes a good laugh. Her daughter attends the main Pride event here.
Is it worth staying in Monaco if I can see it on a day trip from Nice, which isn’t as expensive?
They have regularly priced hotels like Novotel here. But your first visit could be a half-day. See the palace, the port, the casino. Once you get to know it better, there are other things to see. Larvotto Beach is a man-made beach [the only public beach in Monaco] that’s been redone in the past few years. A good friend of mine lives right there—he goes swimming every morning before starting work. That’s the lifestyle here. You can walk into Monaco from Cap-d’Ail, France, and on the other side you can walk to Cape Martin on walking trails along the sea.
So we’ve spent the day in Monaco and our pilot has the night off, so we can’t fly off to Berlin or Dubai. Where are we going for a night out in Nice? Your newsletter has a lot of tips on what’s going on.
I recommend Rainbow Bar (9 Rue Bonaparte, Nice). It’s in what they call Le Petit Marais, the gay area, near the port. They make different cocktail concoctions. There are drag shows. Ramdam Bar (3 Rue Lascaris, Nice) is a new kind of art gallery/bar. They have karaoke nights, but they’ll also have cruising nights on Saturdays. Those are before you go to nightclub Le Glam (6 Rue Eugène Emanuel, Nice). It’s one of the oldest gay nightclubs in the area, very community-minded. They have a 1980s night, a techno night. L’Oméga Club (8 Pass. Emile Négrin, Nice) is 20-and-up, more techno with DJs that fly in. It’s quite a big club for Nice.
There’s got to be a bathhouse.
Les Bains-Douches (7 Rue Gubernatis, Nice) has been around forever. I recommend going there. It’s three or four stories high—very discreet coming off the street, so you have to look for it. Don’t make a big plan out of it. I know the owner. I’m always joking with him, “Let me get behind the counter and help you out a bit.” Actually, the cruising bars in Nice are more fun, so I’d suggest Morgan Cruising Bar Gay (3 Rue Claudia, Nice), which is the most popular one. Le Code (4 Rue Jean-Pierre Papon, Nice) is huge and good if you’re into fetish, hardcore. Both are bars, too, so you can drink there.
Should we expect your scandalous Monaco diaries to be published soon?
I don’t think I’ll call it “Monaco.” I have a title. I’m in the process.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
