A Barcelona bathhouse has apologised for the exclusion of two Jewish women from an event hosted at the venue, declaring the organisers’ actions were “totally unacceptable” and contrary to its values.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, Sauna Thermas said it “completely dissociates itself” from the organisers, a collective known as Bolleras al Vapor, and announced that they would no longer be permitted to hold events at its facilities.
The controversy erupted after footage went viral online showing the women being asked whether they were Zionists after one was noticed wearing a Star of David necklace.
The incident drew condemnation from Jewish organisations worldwide, including the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain and the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which described it as “blatant antisemitism”.
Avui denunciem uns fets que haurien d’avergonyir la nostra societat. Una dona jueva nord-americana i la seva esposa van ser rebutjades ahir a la nit a l’entrada d’un balneari termal pel simple fet de ser jueves.
— Comunitat Jueva/Judía/Jewish de Barcelona (@BarcelonaJudia) May 30, 2026
Exigim la intervenció immediata dels serveis especialitzats en…
In its statement, Sauna Thermas stressed that it had been founded as an inclusive space for the LGBT+ community and its allies, with no place for “exclusion and gatekeeping”.
It said: “We wish to state unequivocally that our venue completely dissociates itself from the actions and comments of the organisers of that event, who prevented several people from entering in a totally unacceptable manner.”
Explicitly referencing the Star of David, the venue went on to state that it “strongly condemns the prohibition of entry to anyone because they display symbols of their identity, culture, or religion, such as the Star of David”.
The establishment added that geopolitics “cannot be used as an excuse to exercise hatred or censorship against individuals in a recreational or social space”.
Lamentamos profundamente y condenamos de manera categórica los hechos ocurridos en nuestro local.
— Sauna Thermas (@SaunaThermas) May 31, 2026
Queremos expresar con absoluta claridad que rechazamos cualquier forma de antisemitismo, racismo, xenofobia, discriminación o conducta que atente contra la dignidad de las personas. pic.twitter.com/qXjNGpQB9F
The venue also announced concrete measures in response to the incident. Most notably, it said that the Bolleras al Vapor collective would no longer host events at Sauna Thermas and pledged closer scrutiny of future external organisers to ensure that its standards of respect and diversity are upheld.
The statement concluded with an apology to those affected, saying the venue deeply regretted the suffering and discomfort they experienced.
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