I've seen a few comments in the open threads, and gotten some emails as well. People wondering how they'd be treated at a spa if they're overweight.
I'm not really sure exactly what they mean. I was at Century Spa on Sunday and there were guys of all shapes and sizes. Skinny guys, muscular guys, average guys, and various degrees of overweight guys. I didn't personally see any negativity toward overweight guys.
That said, I got the sense that they meant something like "will the guys have sex with me?"and the answer is "Who knows?" Different guys are attracted to different types. For me personally, body type isn't all that important. If a guy is overweight, I can still find them attractive.
But do thin/muscular/young guys get more action? Probably. Just like in the world outside of the spa.
But if you're going to a Korean spa with the expectation that it's a sexual free-for-all, or if you think the price of admission includes some kind of "right" to fool around with the people of your choosing simply because you're all naked, then you shouldn't go.
Anyone disagree?
Monday, September 30, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Review: Beverly Hot Springs, Koreatown
Amenities: 3.5/5
Cruisiness: 2.5/5
Price: $30 weekdays, $40 weekends
Pros: Fed by a natural hot spring, nice facility, combo locks so no need for a key
Cons: Expensive, limited towels, tiny steam room, 9pm closing time
Finally, a new review!
I felt like going to a spa today so I decided to check out one that I'd heard about for years but never got around to checking out until now: Beverly Hot Springs.
It's unlike any other Korean spa I've been to. You enter and are greeted by this 2-story waterfall, surrounded by plants. I went to the front desk and got my entry: $30 for the spa, which is way more expensive than almost any other K-Town spa, and it's $40 on the weekends!
After paying, to get to the men's spa, you take the elevator to the second floor, and the attendant gives you two large towels. (I actually don't know if they'd give me more towels; I never asked.) The towels are probably way larger than they really need to be, to be honest (practically bath sheet size), but the quality of the towels is nice. You can pick whichever locker you want; instead of being issued keys, the locks are all combination; you set the combo to whatever 4-digit number you choose. Setting the lock was slightly confusing, but I figured it out. The lockers are huge; they're full height, rather than half-height top/bottom lockers one sees in most locker rooms.
The spa itself is really nice: stone walls, and a waterfall surrounded by green plants at the end of the hot pool. It was pretty clean. My biggest complaint about the spa area in general was that it was so dark! There was very little lighting in the main room, and it was actually difficult for my eyes to adjust after being in the bright lights of the locker room or steam room.
There are four standing showers, but they're kind of scattered: two next to each other, a third one across from them, and a fourth one on the other side of the wall. Additionally, there are three seated showers.
The centerpiece of the spa is the warm pool, which is spring-fed. The pool is huge. The posted occupancy limit of the pool is 20 people, but I think it could at least accommodate twice that. The minerals in the spring water actually have a noticeable effect... my skin felt super soft after soaking in it. The temperature was pretty close to ideal for me. Another great thing about the warm pool was that the edge of the pool, along the back wall, had a slanted edge that was just perfect for leaning my head back.
Next to the warm pool was the cold plunge. It was also a pretty good temperature. It was just so damn dark in the corner where the pool was. Also, there was a stone sculpture sticking out of the corner that I didn't notice and I hit my head on it.
The steam room was also a pretty good temperature. If it were up to me, I maybe would have lowered the temperature by a couple of degrees, but it wasn't bad at all. The problem was that it was small. It seemed almost crowded when only three people were in there... it probably could have accommodated a fourth, but no more than that. Fortunately, it wasn't too busy on a Tuesday night so we never had to test it out.
The dry sauna was not nearly as hot as I'm used to in most spas. The thermometer in the sauna said it was around 135 degrees. That said, I wasn't complaining... I thought it actually felt great, and I was able to spend more time in there as a result. The sauna was larger than the steam room, with three tiers of benches with a slanted backrest on the top tier. It was great for relaxing, but it wouldn't surprise me if some people complained about it not being hot enough.
There's also a relaxation area. I hesitate to call it a sleeping room because (1) the beds are more like non-adjustable lounge chairs (with foam padding, so they're relatively comfortable), and (2) the noise from the waterfall is loud enough to not be able to relax very much. I would have liked a lie-flat option for resting.
The spa was never really crowded when I was there... when I got there there were maybe 4 or 5 other men there, mostly older men (generally Caucasian) and I really wasn't getting a gay vibe from them. But there was a younger guy (maybe mid 30s?) who was definitely interested. As my time went by, the older guys left and the crowd got noticeably younger (and pretty good looking). There were a couple of guys there who seemed like they were on the down-low, like they kind of wanted to play but were too afraid to try.
And that's the biggest issue with the spa if you're looking to play around... there really isn't anyplace to do it. Both the sauna and the steam room have glass doors, and the steam room is small enough that you can't get far enough back in the steam to conceal any "activities" you might be interested in doing.
That said, I actually really liked this spa. The magic waters actually did feel great on my skin, and I liked the decor... felt way more "natural" than most Koreatown spas. I just wish it were cheaper. I'd actually planned on visiting twice, once on a weekday and once on a weekend, before doing my review. But I can't see myself paying $40 for a spa entry. Although the body scrub, at $60, includes the spa entry, so that might make more sense on the weekend. (still pricier than most other spas though!)
Cruisiness: 2.5/5
Price: $30 weekdays, $40 weekends
Pros: Fed by a natural hot spring, nice facility, combo locks so no need for a key
Cons: Expensive, limited towels, tiny steam room, 9pm closing time
Finally, a new review!
I felt like going to a spa today so I decided to check out one that I'd heard about for years but never got around to checking out until now: Beverly Hot Springs.
It's unlike any other Korean spa I've been to. You enter and are greeted by this 2-story waterfall, surrounded by plants. I went to the front desk and got my entry: $30 for the spa, which is way more expensive than almost any other K-Town spa, and it's $40 on the weekends!
After paying, to get to the men's spa, you take the elevator to the second floor, and the attendant gives you two large towels. (I actually don't know if they'd give me more towels; I never asked.) The towels are probably way larger than they really need to be, to be honest (practically bath sheet size), but the quality of the towels is nice. You can pick whichever locker you want; instead of being issued keys, the locks are all combination; you set the combo to whatever 4-digit number you choose. Setting the lock was slightly confusing, but I figured it out. The lockers are huge; they're full height, rather than half-height top/bottom lockers one sees in most locker rooms.
The spa itself is really nice: stone walls, and a waterfall surrounded by green plants at the end of the hot pool. It was pretty clean. My biggest complaint about the spa area in general was that it was so dark! There was very little lighting in the main room, and it was actually difficult for my eyes to adjust after being in the bright lights of the locker room or steam room.
There are four standing showers, but they're kind of scattered: two next to each other, a third one across from them, and a fourth one on the other side of the wall. Additionally, there are three seated showers.
The centerpiece of the spa is the warm pool, which is spring-fed. The pool is huge. The posted occupancy limit of the pool is 20 people, but I think it could at least accommodate twice that. The minerals in the spring water actually have a noticeable effect... my skin felt super soft after soaking in it. The temperature was pretty close to ideal for me. Another great thing about the warm pool was that the edge of the pool, along the back wall, had a slanted edge that was just perfect for leaning my head back.
Next to the warm pool was the cold plunge. It was also a pretty good temperature. It was just so damn dark in the corner where the pool was. Also, there was a stone sculpture sticking out of the corner that I didn't notice and I hit my head on it.
The steam room was also a pretty good temperature. If it were up to me, I maybe would have lowered the temperature by a couple of degrees, but it wasn't bad at all. The problem was that it was small. It seemed almost crowded when only three people were in there... it probably could have accommodated a fourth, but no more than that. Fortunately, it wasn't too busy on a Tuesday night so we never had to test it out.
The dry sauna was not nearly as hot as I'm used to in most spas. The thermometer in the sauna said it was around 135 degrees. That said, I wasn't complaining... I thought it actually felt great, and I was able to spend more time in there as a result. The sauna was larger than the steam room, with three tiers of benches with a slanted backrest on the top tier. It was great for relaxing, but it wouldn't surprise me if some people complained about it not being hot enough.
There's also a relaxation area. I hesitate to call it a sleeping room because (1) the beds are more like non-adjustable lounge chairs (with foam padding, so they're relatively comfortable), and (2) the noise from the waterfall is loud enough to not be able to relax very much. I would have liked a lie-flat option for resting.
The spa was never really crowded when I was there... when I got there there were maybe 4 or 5 other men there, mostly older men (generally Caucasian) and I really wasn't getting a gay vibe from them. But there was a younger guy (maybe mid 30s?) who was definitely interested. As my time went by, the older guys left and the crowd got noticeably younger (and pretty good looking). There were a couple of guys there who seemed like they were on the down-low, like they kind of wanted to play but were too afraid to try.
And that's the biggest issue with the spa if you're looking to play around... there really isn't anyplace to do it. Both the sauna and the steam room have glass doors, and the steam room is small enough that you can't get far enough back in the steam to conceal any "activities" you might be interested in doing.
That said, I actually really liked this spa. The magic waters actually did feel great on my skin, and I liked the decor... felt way more "natural" than most Koreatown spas. I just wish it were cheaper. I'd actually planned on visiting twice, once on a weekday and once on a weekend, before doing my review. But I can't see myself paying $40 for a spa entry. Although the body scrub, at $60, includes the spa entry, so that might make more sense on the weekend. (still pricier than most other spas though!)
If the price were lower, it would definitely be among my favorite spas. But yeah, at twice (or more!) the price of most other spas, I probably won't visit here too much.
Beverly Hot Springs
308 N Oxford Ave (at Beverly, 1 block east of Western)
Los Angeles, CA 90004
http://www.beverlyhotsprings.com/
Beverly Hot Springs
308 N Oxford Ave (at Beverly, 1 block east of Western)
Los Angeles, CA 90004
http://www.beverlyhotsprings.com/
Friday, August 9, 2013
Natura tonight?
Thinking of hitting up Natura tonight (Friday Aug 9)... Roughly 5:30-8:00 or so. Maybe later. Anyone want to meet there?
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
More Groupons!
A couple more Korean Spa Groupons were posted in the last day or so:
Wilshire Spa - 2 visits for $16:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/wilshire-spa-1
CJ Spa Hermosa - $10 for one visit plus $15 off a service:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/cj-grand-health-spa-3
Wilshire Spa - 2 visits for $16:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/wilshire-spa-1
CJ Spa Hermosa - $10 for one visit plus $15 off a service:
http://www.groupon.com/deals/cj-grand-health-spa-3
(The CJ deal actually makes their body scrub, normally $50, actually affordable!)
If you've never bought anything from Groupon before, and you want to support this blog, use this link: http://www.groupon.com//raf/UserReferral_rp/121015/10r1act/lk/uu4361422
...I get a $10 referral bonus if you use it!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Orange County spas
I meant to post this link a while ago, but completely forgot. Anyway, someone decided to do a blog about Orange County spas.
http://ocgayguidekoreanspa.blogspot.com/
The only one I've been to is Imperial Spa in Fullerton... I meant to write a review of it but I kept putting it off until it got to the point where I couldn't remember all the details anymore.
http://ocgayguidekoreanspa.blogspot.com/
The only one I've been to is Imperial Spa in Fullerton... I meant to write a review of it but I kept putting it off until it got to the point where I couldn't remember all the details anymore.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Century Spa update
I went to Century Spa on Friday night and I had a few comments:
- There are signs everywhere telling people to shower before entering the pools, and warning that anyone who doesn't will be kicked out. Which I agree with, but it still bugs me that they even have to put the signs up... I mean IT'S COMMON SENSE. That said, as I was leaving on Friday night I saw two guys come in and go straight for the tubs without showering first. Eww. Maybe they need a big sign right in front of the stairs to the tub.
- Also, a new sign stating that no smoking is allowed on the patio. Excellent! (For me at least. I guess it sucks if you're a nicotine addict)
- I met up with a couple of friends there and we ended up going upstairs to the restaurant to eat. It was my first time there, and it was pretty good. I also got a chance to check out the Jimjilbang. It seemed ok (and was absolutely deserted on Friday night) with like 5 saunas of varying temperatures. I still hate the idea of having to wear clothes and sweating in a sauna though.
- Back to the men's area, it felt like the temperatures were cranked up on several saunas: the marble sauna felt warmer (but I actually liked it), but both the mist sauna and steam room were way too hot. The steam room would have way too hot steam going for a while, then it would shut off and cool down (almost too much, and the steam would mostly dissipate) before turning back on. I've been to other spas that do a much better job at maintaining a constant temperature; I wish they'd do the same.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Review: Joy Spa, Hacienda Heights
Amenities: 2.5/5
Cruisiness: 4/5
Price: $15
Pros: Unlimited small towels, not too expensive, three pools
Cons: Seemed kind of dirty, or at least in need of a revamp
I "came out" to a friend of mine regarding this blog over the weekend: I knew that he reads the blog so I confessed to him that I was the author. And... he'd already figured it out. There were a few subtle clues that he picked up on, and he recognized my writing style, and that made him pretty sure it was me. Anyway, it was funny.
Part of our conversation was about Korean spas and how (as I discussed in an earlier post) it's supposed to be this Korean cultural thing (and, to a lesser extent, other Asian cultures) but gay guys are using them to hook up without discretion, thereby being disrespectful to the Asian guys. Which I totally agreed with, as I pretty much said in my previous post. Anyway, this becomes relevant later...
So I was on my way back from being out of town over the long holiday weekend and I figured I'd give one of the other spas in the San Gabriel Valley a try. I basically flipped a coin and decided to check out Joy Spa. It's in a strip mall on Hacienda Blvd, fairly nondescript from the outside.
I paid my $15 to get in, and entered the locker room. It's a big locker room, with lockers along the walls and recliners in the middle facing a television. Kind of like Wilshire Spa. There was only one sink in there, which was odd; even the smallest spas I've seen have multiple sinks.
Unlike most spas, the locks here aren't electronic, so you have a big metal key on your wristband. Not as bad as Lions Spa though, where it makes noise when you move around. So I'm thankful for that. Unlimited small towels are folded and stacked next to the door to the wet area.
Inside the wet area, there are standing showers (6 of them I think) to the right, followed by 6 more seated showers beyond that. On the left are the pools: cold, warm, and hot. The pools were decent size; the middle one had a capacity of 8, the others seated 5. Across from the pools (and next to the seated showers) was the body scrub area. There was absolutely zero privacy there... if you're getting a scrub, anyone in the pools is going to get a full view of what's going on.
Past the scrub area is the steam room and the sauna. The steam room wasn't large; it could maybe seat 6 or 7 comfortably. The sauna was a bit bigger though. Both the sauna and the steam room were at good temperatures: hot enough, but not TOO hot. One thing about the sauna, though, was just that it seemed dirty. The wood was old and was showing its age. The door was supposed to be clear glass but what was probably years of moisture and splashes made it partially opaque on the lower 2/3 of it, with no apparent effort made to get those water stains off. And in parts of the sauna, when I put my towel down, the color from the wood transferred to the towel, looking kind of like skid marks. Uhh, no thanks.
After exploring those rooms for a bit, I headed back to the locker room and found two rooms: a sleeping room (with recliners), and a room that was kind of a clay room (had clay walls), kind of a marble room (had a marble floor) but was hotter than those respective rooms at Century Spa. It was the kind of room I'd expect in a coed Jimjilbang, but it was nice to have one off the locker room where I could be nude.
The clientele varied while I was there: when I first got there (mid-afternoon) it was almost entirely Asian guys. Which was pretty much what I expected, being Hacienda Heights and all. Oh, there were a couple of kids there too, at least briefly. Eventually, though, the crowd changed to probably half-and-half Asians and non-Asians. Then as afternoon started to turn into evening, it got more and more crowded, and I think the balance turned more Asian. And this big group of youngish, tattooed Asian guys came in.
But here's the thing... it seemed like the Asians were being more cruisy than the White and Latin guys. Usually, I go in with the assumption that most of the Asian guys are at the spas for the cultural aspect, and most of the non-Asian guys are there to see penises. But it seemed like a lot of the Asian guys (actually MOST of the Asian guys) were looking to play more than the white guys, at least until the tattooed gang came in. So anyway, so much for my friend's observation that it's the Asians that are being disrespected when white guys come to play!
Oh, I forgot to add: there were signs all over the place warning that anyone participating in "inappropriate behavior" would be kicked out and banned. Kind of tacky, actually. But it was being widely ignored, as far as I could tell!
There was this super cute young Asian guy that I could tell was trying not to get a hard-on (and failing! Ha!)... we fooled around a little bit but it started getting crowded and I'd been there long enough anyway.
Anyway, the place is fine, I guess, if you like Asian guys and you happen to be in the area... but I wouldn't make a special trip out there, to be honest.
Hacienda Joy Spa
2020 S. Hacienda Bl. Suite H
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
http://haciendajoysauna.com
Cruisiness: 4/5
Price: $15
Pros: Unlimited small towels, not too expensive, three pools
Cons: Seemed kind of dirty, or at least in need of a revamp
I "came out" to a friend of mine regarding this blog over the weekend: I knew that he reads the blog so I confessed to him that I was the author. And... he'd already figured it out. There were a few subtle clues that he picked up on, and he recognized my writing style, and that made him pretty sure it was me. Anyway, it was funny.
Part of our conversation was about Korean spas and how (as I discussed in an earlier post) it's supposed to be this Korean cultural thing (and, to a lesser extent, other Asian cultures) but gay guys are using them to hook up without discretion, thereby being disrespectful to the Asian guys. Which I totally agreed with, as I pretty much said in my previous post. Anyway, this becomes relevant later...
So I was on my way back from being out of town over the long holiday weekend and I figured I'd give one of the other spas in the San Gabriel Valley a try. I basically flipped a coin and decided to check out Joy Spa. It's in a strip mall on Hacienda Blvd, fairly nondescript from the outside.
I paid my $15 to get in, and entered the locker room. It's a big locker room, with lockers along the walls and recliners in the middle facing a television. Kind of like Wilshire Spa. There was only one sink in there, which was odd; even the smallest spas I've seen have multiple sinks.
Unlike most spas, the locks here aren't electronic, so you have a big metal key on your wristband. Not as bad as Lions Spa though, where it makes noise when you move around. So I'm thankful for that. Unlimited small towels are folded and stacked next to the door to the wet area.
Inside the wet area, there are standing showers (6 of them I think) to the right, followed by 6 more seated showers beyond that. On the left are the pools: cold, warm, and hot. The pools were decent size; the middle one had a capacity of 8, the others seated 5. Across from the pools (and next to the seated showers) was the body scrub area. There was absolutely zero privacy there... if you're getting a scrub, anyone in the pools is going to get a full view of what's going on.
Past the scrub area is the steam room and the sauna. The steam room wasn't large; it could maybe seat 6 or 7 comfortably. The sauna was a bit bigger though. Both the sauna and the steam room were at good temperatures: hot enough, but not TOO hot. One thing about the sauna, though, was just that it seemed dirty. The wood was old and was showing its age. The door was supposed to be clear glass but what was probably years of moisture and splashes made it partially opaque on the lower 2/3 of it, with no apparent effort made to get those water stains off. And in parts of the sauna, when I put my towel down, the color from the wood transferred to the towel, looking kind of like skid marks. Uhh, no thanks.
After exploring those rooms for a bit, I headed back to the locker room and found two rooms: a sleeping room (with recliners), and a room that was kind of a clay room (had clay walls), kind of a marble room (had a marble floor) but was hotter than those respective rooms at Century Spa. It was the kind of room I'd expect in a coed Jimjilbang, but it was nice to have one off the locker room where I could be nude.
The clientele varied while I was there: when I first got there (mid-afternoon) it was almost entirely Asian guys. Which was pretty much what I expected, being Hacienda Heights and all. Oh, there were a couple of kids there too, at least briefly. Eventually, though, the crowd changed to probably half-and-half Asians and non-Asians. Then as afternoon started to turn into evening, it got more and more crowded, and I think the balance turned more Asian. And this big group of youngish, tattooed Asian guys came in.
But here's the thing... it seemed like the Asians were being more cruisy than the White and Latin guys. Usually, I go in with the assumption that most of the Asian guys are at the spas for the cultural aspect, and most of the non-Asian guys are there to see penises. But it seemed like a lot of the Asian guys (actually MOST of the Asian guys) were looking to play more than the white guys, at least until the tattooed gang came in. So anyway, so much for my friend's observation that it's the Asians that are being disrespected when white guys come to play!
Oh, I forgot to add: there were signs all over the place warning that anyone participating in "inappropriate behavior" would be kicked out and banned. Kind of tacky, actually. But it was being widely ignored, as far as I could tell!
There was this super cute young Asian guy that I could tell was trying not to get a hard-on (and failing! Ha!)... we fooled around a little bit but it started getting crowded and I'd been there long enough anyway.
Anyway, the place is fine, I guess, if you like Asian guys and you happen to be in the area... but I wouldn't make a special trip out there, to be honest.
Hacienda Joy Spa
2020 S. Hacienda Bl. Suite H
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
http://haciendajoysauna.com
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