Review: T Health Spa, Torrance

Amenities: 2/5
Cruisiness: 3/5
Price: $10 $15


Pros: Plenty of parking, unlimited small towels, quiet, inexpensive
Cons: Some aspects seemed kind of run down for a "new" spa.

Note: I lowered the "Amenities" rating slightly since I originally reviewed the spa to reflect the change in price and the discontinuation of unlimited towels.


I just heard about this place a few days ago, so I decided to check it out. It's already so cheap that I almost don't even want to promote the fact that there's a couple of Groupons for it, as I feel like the more money they get, the more they can put into the place to make it a little nicer.

I walked in... wasn't really sure which door was the right one. (it's right behind the El Pollo Loco), got my key and went in.

When you first enter, you're in what looks like an office breakroom or something. Kind of disorienting. But the lockers were right beyond it, I found my locker and got undressed. I then explored a bit. Off the locker room area, there were three different sleeping rooms. One was a plain sleeping room, I couldn't see anything unusual about it. One had black lights and had a strange space mural painted on the ceiling. It was an odd room. And finally, there was a tiny clay/salt room with enough space for two people. The rooms didn't feel particularly warm; I mean, they were fine and I wasn't cold or anything. I just kind of expected them to be warmer. And the mats in all three rooms were really just six-foot-long rugs. Seemed kind of cheap.

In the wet area, there were 4 or 5 upright showers, and 5 seated showers. Also a couple of rain showers in the middle of the wet area. There was a hot tub and a cool tub, but the cool tub was taped off with caution tape for some reason, so I didn't go in. The temperature of the hot tub was slightly warmer than I prefer, but not terrible. There was also a steam room and a dry sauna. Both were great temperatures.

The steam room wasn't very deep, and wasn't very steamy part of the time, but the temperature was good so I didn't complain. My only real complaint about the steam room was that the benches were in an "L" shape, and along one leg of the L, the wall was this mosaic rock pattern... which looked great, but wasn't comfortable to lean your back against.

The dry sauna was a good temperature. My only complaint was that the wood on the backrest seemed worn and splintery. I didn't get any splinters, but I noticed it. The dry sauna smelled like fresh wood too. There was also an area in the back of the sauna where the bench opened into a large flat area, the size of maybe a queen size bed. I guess so you can lay down there, but it was kind of strange.

There were few customers there. When I first got there, there was only one other guy, and he left not long after I arrived. A few other guys arrived later, and it was a very mixed crowd. One thing I noticed was that, despite being a "Korean spa", neither the front desk person nor the attendant/scrubber were Korean. There were a total of four customers at its peak while I was there, and three of us were gay. (No idea about the 4th, but he was Asian and I don't think he was gay.)

It's kind of hard to play there because the wet area isn't really private. The sleeping areas are private, but there's no real warning if someone is coming in. That said, the fact that there aren't many customers makes it a little easier to play, but I wouldn't expect much to happen there if this place were to get much more popular.

All of that said, there were just aspects of the place that could have been improved. While it's supposedly a "new" spa, it was obvious they took over a spa space from a former tenant and just rebranded it, as there was a lot that looked kind of aged and they really wouldn't need to do that much to make it seem newer and nicer. For example, the baskets in the showers holding the shaving cream were rusty... c'mon, that's a cheap thing to replace. And the rough wood in the sauna, and the cheap mats in the sleeping room, etc.

But all in all, for $10 it's still a great deal. Hopefully they can actually make it work.

T Health Spa

1555 Sepulveda Blvd Ste P (Just east of Western)
Torrance, CA 90501

https://www.thealthspa.com/

Five Years!

Wow, it's hard to believe that I started this blog five years ago today. I honestly thought I'd give up on it in a few weeks due to lack of interest.

But apparently I have a lot of readers, so thanks you guys!

Review: Club 1350, Wilmington

Amenities: 2/5
Cruisiness: 5/5
Price: Varies. (See website for details)

Pros: All the action you want without worrying about being caught, unlimited towels (sort of), you can get a room if you want, free condoms.
Cons: Sorta sketchy neighborhood (not as much as Midtowne though), paid parking (or take your chances on the street), $4 processing fee for new customers, no pool or jacuzzi.

SInce I previously reviewed Midtowne Spa, I figured I'd review one of their sister spas, Club 1350. I had a free coupon a few weeks ago, so I figured I'd check it out. 

It's kind of a similar setup to Midtowne, but instead of being on four floors like Midtown is, Club 1350 is on two larger floors. 

They have a paid parking lot across the street, but I found street parking literally right in front of the entrance.

I paid my $4 processing fee since it was my first visit and the attendant gave me a towel, padlock and condom. I had to figure out that the locker room was all the way in the back. 

After taking off my clothes I decided to explore the place a bit. On the main floor, there is a sauna and steam room (both with, in my opinion, great temperatures) and across from them were open showers. I kind of liked the way the showers were set up for maximum visibility... perfect for exhibitionists like me. Haha. There was also a workout area and a dark maze/glory hole area. 

Outside, there was a patio area that I didn't really explore much because it was raining. It looked like a great place to play when the weather is good.

I went downstairs into the basement and that's where the private rooms are. The corridors where the rooms are are almost like a maze and kind of fun to explore. And on the far end is a tv lounge area and another dark play area.

There's also a rooftop deck that I didn't really look at because of the weather.

Most guys wore towels while walking around; I went naked though. 

There weren't nearly as many guys there as there were at Midtowne when I was there. But the guys there were, in my opinion, generally better looking and definitely friendlier. Struck up conversations with several guys in the sauna, one of whom was telling me that there's usually a larger evening crowd than on the night I was there. (I was there on a Thursday). Had some fun with a few guys as well. 

I wish this place had a hot tub... but that said, I liked the place. I would like to go back in better weather and explore the outdoor areas some more.

The price for a locker is $20 on weekends and $18 on weekdays, but there's a special rate of $13 on Wednesdays and a promo $10 on Monday evenings. 


Club 1350
510 W. Anaheim St (between Lagoon Ave and Neptune Ave)
Wilmington, CA 90744
http://midtowne.com/index.php?fuseaction=dsp_city&c_city=wilmington

One million page views!

As of right now, this blog just hit a million total page views! Too bad I don't make any money off this thing. Let's celebrate by going to Wilshire Spa today! I'll be there around 11.

Sweat Out The Old, Sweat In The New! 2017 Edition

As I've done a few times before, let's do a New Years Day spa meetup!

When: January 1, 11:00am until night time.
Where: Wilshire Spa (Note: according to some of the blog readers, the price is going up to $20 on January 1)

Rules:
- Don't wear a towel!
- Be respectful!
- Don't be that guy that's jerking when nobody else is interested.
- Be careful!
- Say hi to me!

I'll probably get there around 11:00am or a little after that.

Review: Midtowne Spa, Los Angeles

Amenities: 3/5
Cruisiness: 5/5
Price: varies (See their website for details)

Pros: All the action you want without worrying about being caught, unlimited towels (sort of), you can get a room if you want, free condoms.
Cons: Sketchy neighborhood, paid parking (or take your chances on the street), $4 processing fee for new customers.

I was debating whether or not to review this place. First off... it's not a Korean Spa. I'd almost hesitate to call it a "spa" at all, but it has a steam room and a sauna and a jacuzzi... so I guess it technically counts. Plus, if people are looking for more action... they'll find it here.

It had been years since I'd been here. Didn't really have fond memories of the place, but a friend (with benefits) had never been and insisted that I take him here, so I figured, why not?

When you arrive, you go to the window and tell the guy whether you want a locker or a room. They ask for your ID. Since it had been several years since I'd last been, my info had been purged from the system, so I had to pay the $4 "processing fee". He told me that they purge the customer database of anyone who hasn't been there for a year. So anyway, it takes forever to enter the information, pay the fee, sign a waiver, etc. If there's a line to get in, prepare to wait a while.

Once you've gotten past there, the attendant hands you a padlock with key (for the locker), a towel, a condom, and small packet of lube. If you need another condom, there are bowls of them all over the place.

Once you get in, where you go from there depends on whether you for a room or a locker. I've only gotten lockers. The place is kind of annoying to navigate... it's a three-story building (plus a basement and roof deck) and the stairs are easy to miss. But the locker room is on the second floor. Get naked on the locker room. Although I guess it's not required to completely strip down, but I'd say 98% of the guys were naked, with one or two that I saw wearing sexy undies. Like Century Spa, almost everyone wears their towel around their waist... I was one of the few that just walked around naked. If you need a clean towel, exchange your old towel at the front desk for a clean one.

The first floor of the building, where the entrance is, is also where the group shower, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, and pool are. The showers are kind of annoying, as they have a motion sensor. You have to keep your hand over the sensor to take a shower. I get that they don't want to waste water (and presumably have an orgy in the shower) but it was still annoying.

The steam room is huge (at least three times as big as any I've seen in a Korean spa in LA), with benches and little cubbies to get a little privacy (not much) if you want to get it on in the steam room. The temperature isn't too hot in there, making it tolerable to stay in there for a longer time than some much hotter steam rooms at Korean spas. The sauna and jacuzzi are tolerable temperatures too, and the indoor pool is pretty much a perfect pool temperature. I'd honestly be happy if all of these amenity temperatures were at a Korean spa. (ok, maybe I'd like a slightly hotter steam room)

Also, off the pool room, are a couple of outdoor patios.

On the second floor are a bunch of private rooms (which cost extra). The locker room is at the far end of the hall. At the other end of the hall is a TV room, a room with vending machines (snacks and drinks and stuff), a porn video theater, another room with some booths (I guess glory holes? I didn't inspect too closely)

On the third floor, it's all private rooms except for a ridiculous gym with only two cardio machines, more lockers, and that's it.

Above the third floor is the roof deck. There are a bunch of lounge chairs to get some sun if it's daytime. They also allow smoking up there, which isn't my thing. In the back, they have a "maze" with twisty passages for you to explore.

All the way back down to the basement, there's another maze (really dark down there) with little rooms. There's one room with a sling. There's another little porn theater in the back. And a few more glory hole booths.

It happened to be "Bear night" when we went, so the guys there were a bit larger than usual. My friend and I fooled around with one of them though. And there were some guys that were younger and cute and not at all "bears." My friend and I did a lot of exploring and checking guys out, but mostly we just fooled around with each other and let other guys watch. It was pretty hot.

It seemed cleaner than the last time I'd been here. Doesn't mean it was spotless, and I still brought flipflops to wear... which is what I'd recommend. I enjoyed myself more as well. Maybe because I had my friend to keep me entertained.

The steam room and the basement was where most of the open action were happening. A lot of guys up in the rooms as well, hanging out by their open doors, waiting to invite someone in.

So if you're looking for a place to hook up without worrying about getting in trouble, for a price similar to a Korean spa, I guess I'd recommend Midtowne. I have never been to any of the other bathhouses or sex clubs in LA, so I have no idea how they compare.

Midtowne Spa
615 Kohler St (near 6th and Central)
Los Angeles, CA
https://www.midtowne.com/index.php?fuseaction=dsp_city&c_city=los+angeles

Film: "Spa Night"

There's a film playing now at the Sundance Sunset Cinema called "Spa Night"

If you're expecting a lurid exposé of gay cruising in Korean spas, you'll be disappointed in the film.  It's primarily a drama about a Korean-American family in Koreatown trying to survive financial hardship and the closeted son trying to figure out his future.

I'm not really a film reviewer so I won't go into too much detail. I liked the film (except the ending) but it really focused mostly on the family, with a few scenes featuring the Korean spas and a young Korean-American's coming to terms with his sexuality. It's not a porn film; you see a few out-of-focus background penises here and there, but most of the sex is only hinted at or offscreen.

I liked the film, though. The family drama was interesting, and the later scenes in the spa were all too familiar to me and I'm sure many others.  I laughed when a sign was taped onto the wall warning about inappropriate behavior... just like the ones at Wilshire Spa. I didn't like the way it ended (I won't spoil it for you), but I didn't think it detracted too much from the rest of the film.

The actor who played David was cute, too.

Anyway, I think it was worth checking out. I think it'll be playing at least through Sept. 8th, so if you want to get a glimpse of Korean-American culture along with some spa fun, check it out.