Pawlowski and Schwartz bought the building last December for $557,000. Sex and nudity in public areas is not allowed. Technically, and according to the city, the Ybor Resort & Spa is a hotel and a men's health studio.
If it sounds like a bathhouse, don't describe it that way to the owners. The second-floor club has a darkened maze room and other 'intimacy zones.'' The courtyard boasts a kumquat tree and a 50-man hot tub, possibly the largest in Tampa. Photos of butt-baring hot guys adorn the walls - and are available for $169 apiece. While open to anyone, the hotel caters almost exclusively to gay men. Owners Vince Pawlowski and Fred Schwartz wanted to create a place where people visiting bars, restaurants and other gay businesses could stay for a weekend, a night or even a few hours.
The Ybor Resort & Spa opened last month on Eighth Avenue in the heart of the GaYbor District. A medical clinic and surgery center that once served Ybor City's Cuban community has taken on a new life as a gay-oriented hotel and men's club.