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26
Apr 2023
Harrogate Turkish Baths accused of discrimination for halving women-only sessions
Turkish Baths Harrogate has been accused of discriminating against women by halving the number of single-sex sessions.
From May, the baths will reduce the number of women-only and men-only weekly sessions from two each to one.
Staff have said in emails to customers it is a business decision based on low numbers at one of the men-only sessions.
They say the decision to cut one of the men-only sessions means it's necessary to do the same with one women-only session to maintain fairness.
Consequently, the daytime session devoted exclusively to females will no longer exist — even though it is popular.
Regular customer Francine Holroyd said the decision was "fundamentally wrong" and unfair on women.
She said female-only sessions were consistently well attended and provided a safe space for women of all backgrounds.
Ms Holroyd said:
The Turkish baths on Parliament Street
Ms Holroyd, who is chair of governors at Harrogate Ladies’ College, said the loss of the daytime single-sex session would particularly affect women because, as they provide most childcare, they had more free time during the day to attend such things before school pick-up rather than in the evening. She added:
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Katie Summersall, Turkish Baths manager, said:
Nude ban remains
Ms Summersall also said the baths had "decided that swimwear will remain compulsory at all public sessions".
Clothing-optional sessions ended last month after a complaint was made to police about “inappropriate behaviour”. No further details were released.
North Yorkshire Police said at the time enquiries were at an early stage and ongoing.
The Stray Ferret asked for an update. A police spokesperson said:
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