Sutro Baths: Ruins, History, and a Hint of Ghosts

Have you ever walked the ruins of Sutro Baths? Equal parts breathtaking and eerie, it’s one of my favorite historical spots in the city and yes, some people swear it’s haunted.

Back in the late 1800s, former mayor Adolph Sutro dreamed up a Victorian paradise on the edge of the Pacific. Imagine this: a massive glass-roofed bathhouse, saltwater pools fed by the ocean, families splashing while the waves crashed outside. It was a marvel of its time - elaborate architecture, sweeping views, and a kind of grandeur San Francisco rarely does small.

Then came 1966. A fire gutted the building, and the Baths were never rebuilt. What’s left now are ruins - concrete pools, staircases to nowhere, and the sense of a place suspended in history. The National Park Service took over, but wisely left the site as it was, a haunting monument to the city’s past.

And the ghost stories? They’re part of the lore. Visitors have reported Victorian bathers drifting along the edges, women with parasols, children playing by the tide. Once, I even spotted a lady in a white gown… and when I turned back, she was gone.

Whether or not you believe in spirits, there’s something magical here. At sunset, when the sky goes gold and the waves blur into shadow, Sutro Baths feels less like a ruin and more like a portal.

Would you dare to wander at dusk?