Amenities: 2/5
Cruisiness: 2/5
Price: $20 for spa pass (includes Jim Jil Bang)
Pros: Relatively clean; lots of nudity (because of the lack of towels); if you like 'em college age, CJ Spa apparently attracts CSUN guys.
Cons: Stingy with the towels, could use more maintenance, only the basic amenities in the men's area, everything seemed too hot.
Seeing that CJ Spa in Northridge was the first Korean spa I ever visited, as well as the most recent one I've visited, I guess it's appropriate that I review it first.
The men's area only has the "basics"... upright and sit-down showers, a sauna, a steam room, a hot whirlpool, and a cold plunge pool. The body scrub area is right next to the steam room, affording pretty much no privacy. (As an exhibitionist and a voyeur, that's not a problem for me.) There are four awkwardly-placed plastic chaise lounges around the pools.
In my opinion, the sauna, steam room, and hot pool were all too hot; it was difficult to tolerate more than a few minutes in any of them. The drinking fountain (next to the cold pool) was broken; you could get it to work, but the push-button kept falling off, which was annoying. There was a lot of condensation on the walls around the cold pool, and I noticed there was a mold problem on the ceiling in that area as a result.
There are only four lounge chairs in the wet area, and I was annoyed at the tendency of guys to use them as a place to put their towels while they were in the whirlpool or showers... seriously guys, the chairs are for people, not towels!
Upon entering, I was given a bath-sized towel and a smaller towel. There was no other supply of towels to be had anywhere in the spa area that I saw. In that situation, what one does is carry around the small towel to sit on, and leave the bath towel in your locker to use for drying off when you're ready to leave. I like that idea in theory; it's more encouragement toward nudity (other spas I'll be reviewing later have a lot of guys covering up with towels all the time). But after a few minutes in the steam room, your small towel is completely drenched. Also, it didn't help that the upper benches in the steam room were uneven JUST enough to allow water to pool on them. So I put my towel down and it was immediately saturated. I had to wring out my towel several times.
As far as cruising, it's a mixed bag. The crowd when I went seemed to be roughly 40% gay. The place is small though, with not a lot of places to mess around. Both the sauna and the steam room have large windows facing the whirlpool area. The level of steam in the steam room is JUST low enough to make people in the steam room visible to those outside, but fortunately a conveniently-placed wall pretty much hides you from most of the room unless there are people passing right in front of the window. Likewise, the sauna, while facing the whirlpool area, is in the corner of the room so that much of the sauna isn't really easily visible unless someone is standing right outside of it. But if there's any kind of straight crowd there (and there usually is) it's not really easy to cruise there... some occasional cautious play in the steam room (as long as you can stand it in there, as it's hot), but that's about it. That said, both times I've been there, some brief discreet play did occur.
I've heard other guys say they like CJ because of the number of CSUN students there, but honestly both times I've been there, there didn't seem to be much in the way of college guys. I wasn't really going there hoping to meet college guys though, so I didn't really care one way or the other.
I didn't visit the Jim Jil Bang (I rarely do at these places) so I can't really say anything about it. I'm under the impression that there are more saunas and a restaurant in there, though.
CJ Grand Health Spa
10211 Balboa Blvd., Northridge, CA 91325
http://www.cjgrandspa.com/
I was just at CJ's Northridge and the drinking fountain is STILL broken! However, this is probably my favorite of the Korean spas. I pretty much agree with your observations, although I like the temperature of the rooms and pools. I usually go on weekends and I feel the crowd is usually more gay than straight - there are always guys messing around. One has to be discreet with play, though; I've seen guys get escorted out.
ReplyDeleteThe Jim Jil Bang upstairs is great. There are three additional dry saunas at different temperatures, an ice room, a gym, a lounge area with projection TV (showing Korean programming, of course), and a restaurant. The food is just OK.
Every now and then I also get the scrub/massage/facial combo, which takes place in the men's wet area. At $80, I think it's a great deal.
I was just at CJ this afternoon, I had been there twice before and so no kind of action. Today was much different. At one point there was a nice size group of us in the steam room tugging away.
ReplyDeleteI'm straight but have been curious about jacking off with another guy and I had a great show today :-). I was just wondering do guys usually finish in the steam room ? I didn't see anyone finish we were all just watching each other enjoy ourselves.
Do guys ever go further than just watching ? One guy looked like he was about to start blowing this other guy that was rock hard and pretty big but others kept coming in and interrupting
I thought it would be pretty quite because when I got their there were only about 3 other guys there but then it got busy and a lil more interesting. I will definitely go back again some time soon and see if things get a bit more interesting.
Your blog is really great, maybe I will work up the courage to go to a different spa with more action. Keep the reviews coming there great :-)
Thanks for the kind words!
DeleteAs for guys going further than just watching, yes I've seen (and participated) in oral sex before... I've seen guys finish too, but a lot of times (especially if the place is busy) there's not really enough time to get things to that point before someone else walks in. Never seen any fucking though; I'm sure it happens, but it's kind of hard to carry condoms and lube around in there, and most guys, if they're smart, won't bareback.
So, did you actually jack off with the others? Or did you just watch?
I did start to jack off with them, it was different and interesting :-). I couldn't get a full erection, partly because people kept coming in and it was really hot in there. I wasn't really turned on, but I wanted to get hard to put a show on for them like they were doing for me.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would get the courage to go to a more cruisier spa as you call it and maybe there I can do that with few interruptions.
Would it b wrong to just watch and not jack off ? Or was it bad that I didn't get hard ? The guy next to me was hard instantly I didn't know if he expected me to do something to him, what's a signal or would a guy do to try and do more than just watch ?
Thanks for the reply and question, your making me want to go back to the spa ;-).
No, there's nothing wrong at all with not jacking off, or not getting hard... whatever you're comfortable with (as long as the others are comfortable with it too) is fair game.
DeleteTo signal that you want something more, you'd move closer. maybe he would reach for your cock... but there's absolutely nothing wrong with pushing his hand away if you don't want to be touched; a lot of guys don't. If he continues to try to touch you though, that's uncool.
The guy wasn't pushy or anything, although I did feel that he was cruising me, because he would look to see where I was and then sit next to me so I could see him stroking his cock.
ReplyDeleteAlso no one really spoke, I know you say that's the norm, but it was a bit awkward at first, I think I might of been a bit more comfortable if someone would have spoken up. What is it that you would normally talk aboutb or say in that situation ?
if I were going to say anything, maybe I'd comment on how hot their body was, or just that they (or what they were doing) was hot in general.
DeleteI don't know how far I would be willing to go, I have never done anything with another guy but lately I guess I have been a bit curious, I had the body scrub and massage there and the massues got a bit close and rubbed my taint area. It felt good but I didn't get a hard on, I did think to myself " what if this guy grabs my cock while he's rubbing my thigh.
ReplyDeleteI've read about the gay bath houses have you ever been or do you go to those ? If so maybe instead of reviewing the club you can post some stories of what you've done or maybe seen go down at them :-).
Yeah, I've been to Midtowne Spa, which is a gay bathhouse. There are several others in the city, but that's the only one I've been to. And I've only been twice. Imagine a Korean spa, but without any fear of being caught... that's what a gay bathhouse is like. :-)
DeleteYeah I have read reviews of places like that out here in LA, seems like its pretty much a free for all :-). I think I will stick to the Korean spas for now. Maybe I will run into you some time and we won't even know it ;-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah, I was thinking that. I've also wondered if any other readers had ever run into me at a spa and not known it.
DeleteYou don't have any pictures of urself on here do you ? How would we know if it was you :-) ?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't have any pics of myself on here. I don't really want people I know to find out that I'm the author of this blog, so I like to stay anonymous.
DeleteSo how often do you go to the spa's ? Do you go to ch often or not really ?
DeleteI go to a spa maybe once or twice a month... not too often. Usually, if I have a choice, I'll end up at Century Spa. I don't really want to say what area I live in, but I rarely go to CJ Spa because it's a lot more of a pain to get to the Valley than it is to get to Koreatown.
DeleteYeah CJ is what is closest to where I live and like I've said before maybe some day i will get the courage to go to century and play a bit more freely, or maybe you could be my guide there or at an actual gay spa some day ;-). I can't really tell any of my straight friends to join me at CJ so it would be harder to get them to go to midtown for sure :-)
ReplyDeleteHehe, perhaps; I probably won't be visiting any spas for at least the next week or so, though.
DeleteYeah I don't go very often, I wasn't going to go this past Sunday but my body needed the relaxation. I hadn't been since January. Have you ever ran into someone in the spa a second time after u have done something with them or in front of them ?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've run into guys at Century that I've seen (and jerked off in front of or messed around with) in previous visits. It's not common though; it's more common for me to see someone that I've seen before, but it's someone that I'm not at all interested in.
DeleteBut the awkward thing is to run into someone you know. Because you're pretty sure they're up to the same thing you are, but neither really wants to let the other find out about it. Haha.
About a month ago I went to Century and saw someone there that I was SURE was a former neighbor of mine. I still think it might have been him, but I didn't get the nerve to actually get close to him and get a good look. (and I'm horrible at facial recognition) But if it was him, he's straight and married. And cute. And is in a profession where promiscuity is frowned upon.... but I didn't actually see him fooling around with anyone.
I was very disappointmented with their massage. My friend and I had a horrible experience. During my massage I had 6 people come in and talk to my masseuse. They just kept talking and talking. She would leave the door wide open and men would pass by and keep looking inside my room. I asked her if she can close the door and why do people keep coming in. She said all her friends want to talk to her. They also switched ladies 4 times on me. I left so tense. At the end the lady kept insisting that I pay her tip.
ReplyDeleteMy friend had similar experience but she had to change rooms three times and they deducted that time from her massage.
I complained and all they could do is smile and say sorry.
I'm debating on wich one to go to today
ReplyDeleteEaither midtown or century
Hoping to mess around the thought of the kind of public scene really turns me on
Will be going to one forsure tonight
Are they both 24hrs?
Let me know the next time you go and I'll join ya. I'm a straight, curious guy here as well. Just wanna jack off in front of a few dudes.
DeleteMost of the gay bathhouses are 24/7 but are run down dumps like Midtowne Spa in a scary part of downtown LA. Pay for the guarded garage parking next door for safety, they will add it to your admission. It is in an old multistory building and has strip shows on Sunday and Monday and a porn star j.o. show on Thursday night. Remodeled indoor pool and wimpy jacuzzi. Scary basement and rooftop smoking patio.
ReplyDeleteHollywood Spa is probably the cleanest and nicest of the gay spas but all those stairs! It has wimpy steam and jacuzzi, lots of rooms, small cafe and a live deejay at times, etc....
FLEX is probably the most fun plus indoor rooms and an outdoor pool and a new in ground jacuzzi and two new restrooms in the back. The dry sauna and rear shower near the pool were closed for renovations the last time I went about two months ago.
Just get a locker, take off your clothes and walk around wearing a towel and check out the action. You can watch or join in unless some guy says he is "taking a break" which means GO AWAY.
FREE condoms but bring or buy lube there for j.o. fun in the video jerk off room, steam room, etc... FREE parking in the small lot behind the FLEX. "Bottom" buys the room!
You can't beat the Korean spas for cleanliness and amenities but they are not really the place for "socializing".
In my experience, a lot of the gay spas are being ruined by guys using crystal. Especially if one goes after 11 p.m., the places are full of mostly strung-out tweakers. At least at Korean spas, you can usually meet guys who are into health as well as cruising. Also, I like the fact that if cruising does go on at the Korean spas, everyone is nude and the action tends to start more quickly, not after some guy walks past one's door 15 times with a towel on....
DeleteThanks for leaving the back and forth with the first commenter up. I had similar questions and it was nice to get down to earth questions.
ReplyDeleteHaha, no problem... I actually enjoy going back and rereading the back-and-forth sometimes.
DeleteHow's it going I'm the guy who had that conversation about CJ earlier. I hadn't been on your blog for a while and am glad to read new reviews. I have been back to CJ a couple of times and have jerked in front of others but that's as far as its gone. I will continue to follow up with your blog and see if I can make it to your next get together at century, I'm straight curious 30 yr old latino. Hopefully I can make the next get together
Delete-straight showoff
CJ Grand Spa Northridge lived up to your review. Went 7 to 9 pm on Saturday night, March 9, since I was out in the Valley. Hard to find hidden behind a Chase Bank south of Devonshire. Much smaller than I expected. Towels rationed to one small and one large. Girl at counter refused to give lady in lobby extra towels "We are out" then another girl brought more from laundry but she still refused to give an extra towel, she asked if I wanted razor or toothbrush so I grabbed a razor, none available inside although I did see some wrapped toothbrushes.
ReplyDeleteNice locker room, small restroom inside with no toilet paper in one stall, 6 sleeping chairs, only one sink (?) at large counter with hair dryer and a few bottles of lotion, gel,etc....6 standup showers and 8 sit down showers, water fountain near cold plunge was working (seems to be broken in previous reviews), hot tub was nice temp,steam room and sauna were comfortable temp, too, but steam pools water on seats as noted. Scrub room next to steam room rarely had shower curtain door closed so I got to see guys getting scrubbed. No more than 10 guys at any time in wet areas. White, latino and black mixed in with Korean of various ages. Only two possible "CSUN Students" may have been stunning Latino guy leaving when I arrived and another fit guy who showered and left. No real cruising vibe or activity or privacy since the place is so small and steam and sauna face the jacuzzi. No annoying music like Century. Golf channel playing on TV above jacuzzi with no sound seemed to give guys something to look at instead of naked men so crowd may have been very straight last night. Doubt I would go back unless I have a couple hours to kill in the Valley. $20 includes jimjilbang but I did not get dressed and go upstairs to check it out. Two young guys showed up in board shorts in the sauna as I was leaving but everyone else was nude all the time.
Just want to share my experience, although not sure how appropriate it is in this forum.
ReplyDeleteI'm a straight (and bit curious) 31yr old with a decent looking 5.5" hairy uncut cock. I'm not shy, I enjoy being nude around others, and like to see and be seen (esp by women :). The other night I went to the spa for the first time and really enjoyed my experience. I had read reviews about Korean spas, so had an idea of what to expect and what to do. Of course, inside the men's spa felt just like being in a men's locker room at a gym, only diff being EVERYONE is nude here. I went on a weeknight so it wasn't overly crowded, but there were some nice dicks on display, and most everyone seemed to be straight and minded their own business. There were a few shy guys who covered their penis with their towels when they walked around the spa, but their bare asses were on full display.
Anyway, after using the spa facilities, I casually walked fully nude (with just a towel in hand in case of emergency) out of the men's area to the stairs at the far end of the hallway, and toward the coed area upstairs. I didn't see anyone outside the men's area, so felt safe, and made sure I didn't get a boner. I got to the stairs and noticed there was a security camera there. But I decided to go for it, and continued to let it all hang out and in full display to anyone who came by. As I started walking up the stairs without attempting to cover up, I suddenly heard a female voice (from the front desk outside) shouting excitedly to someone in Korean. I didn't understand a word she was saying, but could tell from her voice that she was telling someone about me, and was probably shocked to see me walking naked. I had almost reached the top of the stairs when a guy came running from the front desk, and asked me to come down, and told me that upstairs was the coed area and I needed to wear their t-shirt and shorts to go up there. Again I walked casually down the stairs w/o covering up, I apologized to him saying I had no idea, since it was my first time there. I then went back into the men's locker room, got dressed and left quickly. I am still amazed that I had the balls to do this (pun intended). I have jerked off several times thinking about how the girl at the counter must have got an eyeful of my privates.
Anyone else tried something like this? Or seen someone do something similar?
Interesting story, and admittedly kind of hot, but I don't really condone this kind of thing. I'm not shy at all when it comes to nudity, but at the same time I don't think it's very appropriate to expose yourself to others without their consent... In the men's area, as in a locker room, consent is implied since people are expected to get naked there. But not so in the coed area.
DeleteMy most similar story was at Century Spa. I was in the upstairs meditation room, by myself, laying out completely naked on one of the beds. Someone walked in, I opened my eyes and saw it was a woman. She looked really confused and didn't really know what to do, I guess; she just stared. Then another woman from outside the door yelled at her in Korean, I assume to tell her that women weren't allowed in there. It was kinda funny.
Thanks for your post on Spa Etiquette. It is much needed for everyone reading these blogs. I agree that this guy's behavior was inappropriate. I feel the appropriate thing to do (just my 2 cents) would be to delete this above post from the blog, so we send a clear message to him that we do not accept or condone such behavior. Keep up your good work.
DeleteTo the three men who were at CJ Spa Northridge today around 2:00 p.m. Before I begin my story, I would like to emphasize that I am supportive of the LBG community. I believe that everyone has the right to choose their partners in life without discrimination or repercussions and also be allowed the same legal benefits that are afforded to heterosexual couples nationwide. With that said, I believe that there should always be a mutual respect among people who choose to live different lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteI am a Korean female who enjoys visiting the CJ Spa at least once a week. My family and I have been going there since it opened and have always enjoyed the nice, relaxing atmosphere. I have run into a few lesbians while at the spa, and they have been nothing but courteous. Today, my boyfriend was suffering from allergies so I convinced him to go to the spa with me. We have been there on two separate occasions, and he has always had a relaxing experience.
His experience today was different. When my boyfriend was about to walk into the dry sauna, he saw, through the glass door, that three men were masturbating. He chose not to enter and spent his time using the wet sauna.
Gentlemen, I am sure that you will agree that this spa is not only for gay men, and that there are straight men who also use the facility. What I find offensive is that rather than using discretion, these men chose to use this place with reckless disregard as to the rest of the customers who were trying to enjoy the facility. Sure, you may have been doing this inside the dry sauna but you effectively prevented anyone else from entering the sauna who did not choose to engage in your activity nor had any interest in observing an act which is probably best done in the privacy of your own home or in an environment which is more conducive and tolerant of such.
Such acts, whether between gay or heterosexual couples, should be done with respect to the environment that the acts are being committed. Just as a heterosexual couple having sex upstairs in one of the co-ed rooms would be offensive, so are acts being done in an environment which was not set up for this type of activity.
The management has been notified, and they have promised to be more vigilant in making sure that the spa is an enjoyable environment for EVERYONE. May I suggest that, next time, please make sure that there are no other men in the spa who may not choose to be witness of such acts. Judging from reading the posts here, it seems that Century is probably a good option. Otherwise, please be mindful of others. Thank you.
To the exhibitionist who decided to walk out of the men's side without covering up: You are a pervert who gives the rest of the respectful men here and elsewhere, a bad name. I will make sure to give a printout of the little story you told here to the management.
Thanks for this. I agree that that was inappropriate behavior. I'd been contemplating a post addressing the issue of sexual activity without any sense of discretion for months, actually, but this post is what finally put me over the edge. I hope your boyfriend doesn't assume that we're all like this, and I hope he doesn't get turned off of the spas in the future because of it.
DeleteHello, thank you for understanding our situation. Both of us have friends in the LBG community, and we know that the majority of the people are not like this. I hope I was not being disrespectful by coming here and posting the story but your blog came up when I did a google search. I believe that what is at fault the most, here, has nothing to do with a person's sexuality but rather, exhibitionists who subject unwilling people to witness their acts. Such people exist in both LBG and hetero community. I don't want to put a damper on the fun that you guys have but I would just like everyone to be mindful so that we can all enjoy the spa.
DeleteI am sure that you, as well as, seasoned Korean spa goers know that it is not uncommon for mothers and fathers to bring their daughters and sons to a Korean spa. It is considered a family outing. I would hate for this tradition to die off simply because we, as adults, cannot distinguish between what is appropriate and inappropriate in a given environment.
Thank you again for being understanding, and I hope that you will address this issue in a future post so that inexperienced spa goers will understand what is an appropriate behavior at Korean spas so that we can all find rest and relaxation without having to worry about blatant indiscretions.
Oops... I noticed that you already addressed the issue. Thanks again!
DeleteI'm the idiot who posted the above story of walking out of the men's area. First, I would like to apologize for my behavior, as I have realized it was a stupid thing to do. I have already learned my lesson, and faced the consequence, since my gf and i had a fight over this, and she nearly broke up with me. (I won't go into those details here).
ReplyDeleteTo the Korean lady in the previous post, I am sorry. Trust me, I'm not a perv, and this was the first and last time I did something like that. I do not want to get into any more trouble over this, so I request you to not report this to the management.
To the admin of this blog, I request you to kindly delete my story (post) from this blog. I don't want others getting stupid ideas from reading the story, and also, I don't want to get into any trouble. Mucho gracias!
"Straight" guys and women are now commenting on a Gay Guys Spa Blog? Oy vey. It is the end of the world as we know it.
DeletePlease keep your "hairy 5.5 inch uncut cock" in the men's locker room where it belongs and don't frighten the women and children. The shorts and T-shirt for the jim-jil-bang are included with admission at CJ Northridge so there is no excuse for your behavior other than your desire to expose yourself to others.
To quote Aunt Sassy (the gays will get this one):
"I don't need to see that!"
I had a friend that got excited by the thought of exposing himself to women. He decided to try it, got arrested, spent 6 months in the county jail and is now a registered sex offender. You might want to reconsider your dumbass ballsy moves.
DeleteHad a nice scrub massage combo at CJ Northridge today. They have a new scrub/massage table with a hole for your face when you are face down. There was also some nice eye candy in the afternoon. Especially this one very handsome guy: about 5'6", muscular, with a mustache. I loved all of you! You asked me where the drinking fountain was as I was preparing to leave. If you see this and are interested, let me know the next time I can meet you at CJ's.
ReplyDeleteUpdate: I had a scrub/massage combo this past weekend and they went back to a completely solid table. I guess the hole for the face wasn't popular.
DeleteIs CJ's crowded on the weekend? I'm wondering what the best time to go is...
ReplyDelete