This January 1, come to the spa to recover from your drunken debauchery the previous night!
Century Spa
Noon until whenever.
DON'T WEAR A TOWEL. (Unless you have a boner.) Be brave, nobody will judge you. Let's try to make Century more naked in 2015!
Groupon here:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/century-day-night-spa
Korean spas are becoming more and more popular among the non-Korean population in Los Angeles. I've visited several and thought I'd post my impressions of a few of them.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Review: Hyundae Health Spa, Koreatown
Amenities: 2/5
Cruisiness: 1/5
Price: $10
Pros: Inexpensive, unlimited small towels, open 24 hours
Cons: Not very clean, limited parking, privacy issues
I'm running out of spas to review, but I found out about this one a few months ago and finally got around to checking it out.
I first tried going there a few weeks earlier, and the parking lot was totally packed, and street parking in the area is limited. So I gave up and ended up at Wi.
I went back recently and was able to find parking. So I went.
When you first walk in, you walk past, basically, a pool hall. Kind of a strange thing to see in a spa. I got to the front counter. Based on their price list, I had assumed that the price was $15, but I gave her a $20 and she gave me $10 change, so I guess I read it wrong. She handed me my key and I headed toward the locker room.
In the lobby, at the entrance to the locker room, is a wall of shoe lockers. Your locker key opens both the corresponding shoe locker and your clothes locker in the locker room. I put my shoes there.
Once in the locker room, I found my locker. The locker room is kind of average. I'd compare it to the locker room at Lions Spa. As I was undressing, I looked at the sign on the wall above my locker, which said something about video surveillance to deter theft. And sure enough, I looked down the wall and there was one of those dome video cameras on the ceiling. IN THE LOCKER ROOM. I mean, I'm a nudist, and there are plenty of naked photos of me on the internet, so I wasn't all that upset by it. But still, as far as I know, that's illegal, right? And I'm sure others might have an issue with it. (Note, you can see the camera on their website here, in the first photo of the gallery: http://www.hyundaehealth.com/facilitiesservices/)
Off the locker room, there was a TV room with recliners, and a restroom.
Once in the spa, the decor and feel of the place was odd... The ceiling was painted blue, and the walls were a brown marble tile that almost looked like wood. And there were some fake plants, and a few large photos of nature scenes on the wall. It felt like I was in the 1980s.
In the middle of the room, right in front of the entrance, were the seated showers. It seemed like a really awkward place to put them. The upright showers were arranged strangely, too. There were clusters of two or three upright showers to the left and right of the entrance, and another pair of showers around the corner. The showers had no barrier between them, and they were pretty close together, so you ended up pretty close to your neighbor. Some of them only had one soap dish to share the bar of soap with your neighbor, too. When I got there, it was actually pretty crowded, with all of the upright showers in use.
The "jacuzzi" (that's what the sign said) was pretty big, and a pretty good temperature, but the jets weren't working. I looked on the walls to see if there was a dial or something to turn on the jets, but I didn't see anything. There might have been a sign, but everything was in Korean. They didn't make much effort to translate many of the signs. While sitting in the jacuzzi, I noticed ants crawling along the wall. There was also a smaller cold pool and hot pool.
The steam room was a moderate size, could maybe handle six or so people. The floor was pebbly, so it was odd to walk on at first if you're not really paying attention to the floor.
Then I went into the sauna. The sauna was a good size, and the temperature seemed ok. I didn't stay in there long though. It had a typical sauna layout with the two-level stair-step benches, but the bottom level had carpet on it. And the carpet looked NASTY. Seriously, looked like several people had ejaculated on it or something. The top level was wood, but it was severely worn down and looked really splintery. So, anyway, I didn't stay more than a minute or so in the sauna.
They also had a heated-floor room sort of behind where the body scrub area was. (I didn't see anyone getting a body scrub while I was there)... The heated floor room was very large, and there was only one other guy in there while I was there, but most of the time I was in there I had the room to myself, which was kind of creepy. Also strange, there was a restroom off that room. Just for that room, apparently.
The clientele was entirely Korean, probably aged 30s to 60s. I was the only non-Asian in the whole place for the time I was there. And absolutely no cruising going on while I was there. This is not the place to look for sex.
In a nutshell, not my favorite spa, but it's cheap, I guess. I probably won't be returning.
Hyundae Health Center
3625 W. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(Cross streets are 6th and Ardmore - Enter through the parking lot on Ardmore)
http://www.hyundaehealth.com/
Cruisiness: 1/5
Price: $10
Pros: Inexpensive, unlimited small towels, open 24 hours
Cons: Not very clean, limited parking, privacy issues
I'm running out of spas to review, but I found out about this one a few months ago and finally got around to checking it out.
I first tried going there a few weeks earlier, and the parking lot was totally packed, and street parking in the area is limited. So I gave up and ended up at Wi.
I went back recently and was able to find parking. So I went.
When you first walk in, you walk past, basically, a pool hall. Kind of a strange thing to see in a spa. I got to the front counter. Based on their price list, I had assumed that the price was $15, but I gave her a $20 and she gave me $10 change, so I guess I read it wrong. She handed me my key and I headed toward the locker room.
In the lobby, at the entrance to the locker room, is a wall of shoe lockers. Your locker key opens both the corresponding shoe locker and your clothes locker in the locker room. I put my shoes there.
Once in the locker room, I found my locker. The locker room is kind of average. I'd compare it to the locker room at Lions Spa. As I was undressing, I looked at the sign on the wall above my locker, which said something about video surveillance to deter theft. And sure enough, I looked down the wall and there was one of those dome video cameras on the ceiling. IN THE LOCKER ROOM. I mean, I'm a nudist, and there are plenty of naked photos of me on the internet, so I wasn't all that upset by it. But still, as far as I know, that's illegal, right? And I'm sure others might have an issue with it. (Note, you can see the camera on their website here, in the first photo of the gallery: http://www.hyundaehealth.com/facilitiesservices/)
Off the locker room, there was a TV room with recliners, and a restroom.
Once in the spa, the decor and feel of the place was odd... The ceiling was painted blue, and the walls were a brown marble tile that almost looked like wood. And there were some fake plants, and a few large photos of nature scenes on the wall. It felt like I was in the 1980s.
In the middle of the room, right in front of the entrance, were the seated showers. It seemed like a really awkward place to put them. The upright showers were arranged strangely, too. There were clusters of two or three upright showers to the left and right of the entrance, and another pair of showers around the corner. The showers had no barrier between them, and they were pretty close together, so you ended up pretty close to your neighbor. Some of them only had one soap dish to share the bar of soap with your neighbor, too. When I got there, it was actually pretty crowded, with all of the upright showers in use.
The "jacuzzi" (that's what the sign said) was pretty big, and a pretty good temperature, but the jets weren't working. I looked on the walls to see if there was a dial or something to turn on the jets, but I didn't see anything. There might have been a sign, but everything was in Korean. They didn't make much effort to translate many of the signs. While sitting in the jacuzzi, I noticed ants crawling along the wall. There was also a smaller cold pool and hot pool.
The steam room was a moderate size, could maybe handle six or so people. The floor was pebbly, so it was odd to walk on at first if you're not really paying attention to the floor.
Then I went into the sauna. The sauna was a good size, and the temperature seemed ok. I didn't stay in there long though. It had a typical sauna layout with the two-level stair-step benches, but the bottom level had carpet on it. And the carpet looked NASTY. Seriously, looked like several people had ejaculated on it or something. The top level was wood, but it was severely worn down and looked really splintery. So, anyway, I didn't stay more than a minute or so in the sauna.
They also had a heated-floor room sort of behind where the body scrub area was. (I didn't see anyone getting a body scrub while I was there)... The heated floor room was very large, and there was only one other guy in there while I was there, but most of the time I was in there I had the room to myself, which was kind of creepy. Also strange, there was a restroom off that room. Just for that room, apparently.
The clientele was entirely Korean, probably aged 30s to 60s. I was the only non-Asian in the whole place for the time I was there. And absolutely no cruising going on while I was there. This is not the place to look for sex.
In a nutshell, not my favorite spa, but it's cheap, I guess. I probably won't be returning.
Hyundae Health Center
3625 W. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(Cross streets are 6th and Ardmore - Enter through the parking lot on Ardmore)
http://www.hyundaehealth.com/
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Various Spa Updates
Some various spa updates...
- Green Spa has closed down. Good riddance.
- I went to Wi Spa a few weeks ago, using the voucher I had, and noticed that, on the price list, the sauna-only price was listed as $20, where before it was $15. I'm not sure when they changed it.
- Funny story... I went to Century Spa a couple of weeks ago. As I was getting dressed to leave, a guy was just arriving, and his locker was a couple of lockers away from mine. Anyway, he wrapped his towel around his waist before taking off his underwear, which I just thought was hilarious... I mean, even at Century, what's the point, right? So he left the locker room with the towel wrapped around him, and I continued getting dressed.
A minute or two later, he comes back into the locker room, opens his locker, and puts his clothes back on (again with the towel on while he put on his underwear)... and then he left. I have no idea what was going on there, but I'm assuming he had no idea you had to get naked in front of people? - I also went to Riviera Spa about a week and a half ago. Sauna was too hot. Warm pool was too hot. The only reason I went was because I was in the area (and a friend, who was also in the area, wanted to meet me there)
Friday, August 22, 2014
Wi Spa deal on LivingSocial
Hey everyone,
There's a Wi Spa deal on LivingSocial, $12 for the full entry (including jimjilbang), which is regularly $25. Check it out!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Koreatown spa updates
- I went to Century Spa last Friday only to find out it's closed. Since then I've seen a few comments on here about "plumbing problems"... anyone have the skinny? I heard in the comments that it might open this Friday... anyone know for sure?
- So instead, I ended up at Natura Spa. I was very happy to see a huge sign at the entrance to the shower area:
NO LOUD TALKING
NO SHORTS
NO CELL PHONES
YOU MUST SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING TUBS
That sign is very welcome, as Natura had been getting popular with certain groups that are too chicken to get naked in front of others, I guess... has anyone noticed any violators since the sign went up?
- So instead, I ended up at Natura Spa. I was very happy to see a huge sign at the entrance to the shower area:
NO LOUD TALKING
NO SHORTS
NO CELL PHONES
YOU MUST SHOWER BEFORE ENTERING TUBS
That sign is very welcome, as Natura had been getting popular with certain groups that are too chicken to get naked in front of others, I guess... has anyone noticed any violators since the sign went up?
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Wi Spa Tonight
Heading to Wi Spa tonight (Tuesday) to relax after work. Hope to see some friendly faces there!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Review: Royal Spa, Hacienda Heights
Amenities: 4/5
Cruisiness: 3/5
Price: $25
Pros: Very clean, unlimited small towels, free snacks (!!!)
Cons: Small, kinda far from central LA, more expensive than most spas
I've been meaning to check out this spa for a while, but I'm just never in the Hacienda Heights area (unless I'm passing through to get somewhere else) so it's usually kind of inconvenient for me. But I finally had time a few days ago, so I went to check it out.
I walked in, paid my entry, and was told by the woman at the counter to remove my shoes and place them on the shelf next to the men's spa entrance. I usually like to put my shoes in my locker, but I felt like it wasn't an option with her staring over my shoulder, so I complied.
I walked into the men's spa and you're immediately in the TV room with recliners. There were two or three guys in the recliners at any given time while I was there. The lights were a little dim, but not too much. The lockers were on the far side of the recliner area. The locker "room" was tiny, two rows of lockers facing each other. The entire locker area was smaller than my bathroom. There's also a heated-floor sleeping room off the recliner area with a really awkward step up to get into it. But best of all, there's a full snack bar in there: nuts, crackers, fresh fruit and even instant ramen there for the taking. Never seen anything like that at any other Korean spa.
The spa is decorated in stone, and there are those flickering LED "candles" everywhere. It was a nice touch, even though there were so many that it was leaning more toward being tacky. Not too bad though.
Inside the spa, there are four upright showers, three right inside the door and a fourth one beyond the cold pool. There are also several seated showers, maybe six of them but I really didn't look too closely at them to get an accurate count. At the far end of the seated showers was the body scrub table... it's in full view of the seated showers and the hot pool, but otherwise not really visible from the rest of the spa.
The warm pool is the largest pool, could maybe accommodate 6 or 7 guys, with a slightly smaller hot pool and a cold pool. The warm pool was a great temperature... in my opinion, just about perfect for relaxing. The hot pool was too hot for me to stay in too long.
There is also a very small steam room and very small sauna down a little hallway... both would be crowded with three people in them. The steam in the steam room is controlled by a 5-minute dial timer outside of the steam room itself, which is a mixed blessing: it's nice to be able to have complete control over the steam, but having to exit the steam room every few minutes can get annoying.
When I was there (on a Saturday afternoon), the clientele was probably 50/50 Asian and Latino. And me. (There were probably no more than 6 or 7 customers total at any one time while I was there) Most of the Latin guys seemed to be looking to play, as did one of the Asian guys. The only places to really play are the steam room and sauna, but even then it's difficult... They have full windows into the hallway, so there's not really any privacy, even in the steam room (it doesn't go far enough back for the steam to completely obscure you). But you can usually tell if someone is heading down the hallway, so you might get a short warning before someone stumbles onto you. But if the place is at all busy, it might not be the best place to play.
The spa was really nice though, definitely my favorite spa in the San Gabriel Valley.
Royal Health Spa
1020 S Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(cross street of Hacienda Blvd & Gale Ave)
http://www.royalhealthspa.net/
Cruisiness: 3/5
Price: $25
Pros: Very clean, unlimited small towels, free snacks (!!!)
Cons: Small, kinda far from central LA, more expensive than most spas
I've been meaning to check out this spa for a while, but I'm just never in the Hacienda Heights area (unless I'm passing through to get somewhere else) so it's usually kind of inconvenient for me. But I finally had time a few days ago, so I went to check it out.
I walked in, paid my entry, and was told by the woman at the counter to remove my shoes and place them on the shelf next to the men's spa entrance. I usually like to put my shoes in my locker, but I felt like it wasn't an option with her staring over my shoulder, so I complied.
I walked into the men's spa and you're immediately in the TV room with recliners. There were two or three guys in the recliners at any given time while I was there. The lights were a little dim, but not too much. The lockers were on the far side of the recliner area. The locker "room" was tiny, two rows of lockers facing each other. The entire locker area was smaller than my bathroom. There's also a heated-floor sleeping room off the recliner area with a really awkward step up to get into it. But best of all, there's a full snack bar in there: nuts, crackers, fresh fruit and even instant ramen there for the taking. Never seen anything like that at any other Korean spa.
The spa is decorated in stone, and there are those flickering LED "candles" everywhere. It was a nice touch, even though there were so many that it was leaning more toward being tacky. Not too bad though.
Inside the spa, there are four upright showers, three right inside the door and a fourth one beyond the cold pool. There are also several seated showers, maybe six of them but I really didn't look too closely at them to get an accurate count. At the far end of the seated showers was the body scrub table... it's in full view of the seated showers and the hot pool, but otherwise not really visible from the rest of the spa.
The warm pool is the largest pool, could maybe accommodate 6 or 7 guys, with a slightly smaller hot pool and a cold pool. The warm pool was a great temperature... in my opinion, just about perfect for relaxing. The hot pool was too hot for me to stay in too long.
There is also a very small steam room and very small sauna down a little hallway... both would be crowded with three people in them. The steam in the steam room is controlled by a 5-minute dial timer outside of the steam room itself, which is a mixed blessing: it's nice to be able to have complete control over the steam, but having to exit the steam room every few minutes can get annoying.
When I was there (on a Saturday afternoon), the clientele was probably 50/50 Asian and Latino. And me. (There were probably no more than 6 or 7 customers total at any one time while I was there) Most of the Latin guys seemed to be looking to play, as did one of the Asian guys. The only places to really play are the steam room and sauna, but even then it's difficult... They have full windows into the hallway, so there's not really any privacy, even in the steam room (it doesn't go far enough back for the steam to completely obscure you). But you can usually tell if someone is heading down the hallway, so you might get a short warning before someone stumbles onto you. But if the place is at all busy, it might not be the best place to play.
The spa was really nice though, definitely my favorite spa in the San Gabriel Valley.
Royal Health Spa
1020 S Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(cross street of Hacienda Blvd & Gale Ave)
http://www.royalhealthspa.net/
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Public Service Announcement
I just found out about it as the month is coming to an end, but April is STD Awareness Month.
A couple of months ago I got an email from someone who claimed he caught an STD from a spa. I don't know how he knew he caught it there, but if you're messing around with other guys there, you could be catching an STD, or spreading one, and not even know it.
Seriously, people, if you're fooling around at all at the spas, or even if you're sexually active at all, get tested regularly. I usually go to the LA Gay and Lesbian Center in Hollywood. It's free and you don't need an appointment. Some of the counselors there are really cute, too.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Changing my mind.
When I write my reviews, they're kind of stuck in time, and sometimes my feelings change a bit. I really liked CJ Spa in Hermosa Beach when I first reviewed it, for example, but as time went on I became less and less thrilled by it. It's closed down now, though, so I guess it doesn't matter.
On the other hand, I really didn't like Lions Spa very much when I first reviewed it, but it has kind of grown on me. It's still not my favorite spa and has a few major shortcomings, but I actually don't find it too bad anymore.
Anyway, I'm just bring this up because my reviews are basically a snapshot of what it was like on the particular day I was there, but my mind can change.
Speaking of things changing, Natura Spa moved recliners onto the formerly heated floor in the sleeping room. I love to lie down on heated floors, and not because that was the best place to fool around, either. (I like the heated floors at Wi, too, and they're out in the open). Anyway, it's kinda sad that they got rid of it only to cram in more recliners.
On the other hand, I really didn't like Lions Spa very much when I first reviewed it, but it has kind of grown on me. It's still not my favorite spa and has a few major shortcomings, but I actually don't find it too bad anymore.
Anyway, I'm just bring this up because my reviews are basically a snapshot of what it was like on the particular day I was there, but my mind can change.
Speaking of things changing, Natura Spa moved recliners onto the formerly heated floor in the sleeping room. I love to lie down on heated floors, and not because that was the best place to fool around, either. (I like the heated floors at Wi, too, and they're out in the open). Anyway, it's kinda sad that they got rid of it only to cram in more recliners.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
CJ Grand Spa in Hermosa closed for good, apparently.
I went to work out at the 24 Hour Fitness in Hermosa Beach the other night (I usually don't go to that location) and I took a peek upstairs to see what the status of CJ Grand Spa was...
The same sign is in the door saying that they're "temporarily closed", but it's not looking like they're coming back. It was dark when I was there, but the inside looked like it had been emptied. It's a shame, too. Oh well, I guess your best bet for a spa in the South Bay is Riviera now.
The same sign is in the door saying that they're "temporarily closed", but it's not looking like they're coming back. It was dark when I was there, but the inside looked like it had been emptied. It's a shame, too. Oh well, I guess your best bet for a spa in the South Bay is Riviera now.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Wi Spa Groupon
There's a new Wi Spa Groupon available. $12 gets you a regular entry ($25 value on most days).
The regular entry gets you access to the men's sauna plus the jimjilbang, which has more saunas and a restaurant, which users of this blog rated the best food of any Korean spa in LA!
(Note that if you only plan on using the men's sauna, the regular entry fee is $15)