East Village Russian Bathhouse Faces Sexual Harassment Suit

A former employee of an East Village bathhouse is suing the health club for $100 million in a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on Friday.

A licensed massage therapist, aesthetician, and reflexologist, Susan Shellogg, claims the Russian and Turkish Baths at 268 E. 10th St. fired her in January because of her gender and her refusal to consent to clients' sexual demands, and in retaliation for complaints about sexual harassment and a hostile work environment she made to the bathhouse's owners.

During her employment at the baths, Ms. Shellogg claims she was strongly urged to "engage in sexual activity with clients." When she refused, her complaint alleges, the owners would reschedule her appointments to give them to other employees and chastise her for not being a "team player."

The suit also claims that sexual acts, including sexual intercourse, were rampant in the private rooms, that male employees would overtly watch the plaintiff showering in the employee locker rooms, and that the employees would regularly watch pornographic films while sitting at the front desk. When the plaintiff reported the incidents, the complaint alleges, the owners replied, "This is the way we do business, if you don't like it you can leave."

One of the listed defendants and owners of the bathhouse, David Shapiro, declined to comment yesterday, according to a woman contacted at his home who identified herself as his wife. Calls for comment made to the homes of other defendants listed in the suit were not returned.

The bathhouse, founded in 1892, was once one of many such places where residents of Lower East Side tenements could take a "shvitz," or sweat bath. Now frequented by both spa traditionalists and celebrities such as Sean "Diddy" Combs, bathers may sit in traditional tile-and-stone hot rooms, wooden saunas, or steam rooms, bathe in a small cold-water pool, and obtain spa-type treatments.