What is the budget?

Massage:facial:pedicure will run at least $200pp at the lowest end. Before tip.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i think its a weird thing to plan for a group honestly and very weird that you didn't run it by her first. MOST people would not want to prance around nude at a spa. Its a very specific experience.

+1

I love King Spa, but wouldn't plan a group outing there. When there I've seen friends together in groups of 2 or 3, or maybe occasionally four. But for a bachelorette thing? No. I don't think it works for that unless everyone is already into that kind of thing, or at least the bride. Otherwise it probably isn't the best choice. It isn't a spa like the old Red Door or something where you sit around sipping champagne and getting a pedicure and facials and massages.

Thanks for this. Honestly, her husband tapped me to plan it a couple months ago and then wanted to tell her about it in advance as a Christmas gift. So the planning was done without consulting her in the interest of it being a Christmas surprise. She's excited about the concept, but balked when she read about King Spa specifically.

She does like spas, which is why we planned it this way. But has never been to a Korean spa. And honestly, I've never gone to a spa (Korean or otherwise), so I've been a little out of my depth trying to plan it. King Spa had the best reviews and seemed like the kind of thing where everyone could afford to have fun together. I looked at Balian too, but it seemed like it offered fewer saunas and more expensive add-on treatments.

A basic massage/facial/pedicure package somewhere might be more her speed. Any suggestions?

Anonymous wrote:i think its a weird thing to plan for a group honestly and very weird that you didn't run it by her first. MOST people would not want to prance around nude at a spa. Its a very specific experience.

+1

I love King Spa, but wouldn't plan a group outing there. When there I've seen friends together in groups of 2 or 3, or maybe occasionally four. But for a bachelorette thing? No. I don't think it works for that unless everyone is already into that kind of thing, or at least the bride. Otherwise it probably isn't the best choice. It isn't a spa like the old Red Door or something where you sit around sipping champagne and getting a pedicure and facials and massages.

i think its a weird thing to plan for a group honestly and very weird that you didn't run it by her first. MOST people would not want to prance around nude at a spa. Its a very specific experience.

Anonymous wrote:I think if she is stressed about it maybe not the right choice. I love it but it is a bit of a new experience. maybe pick a salon where the girls on a lower budget can get a manicure and others can get a massage?

+1

It sounds like this is not what the birthday girl wants. Save King Spa for your own birthday.

If thr birthday girl is streesed and concerned, I don't think it would be a great idea.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe go to Balian Springs instead?

Balian is expensive.

Also, you all are worried about being the only white people? And nudity? I don't think any of this is for you. Go back to the Salamander.

She's not going to like it.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe go to Balian Springs instead?

Six of one, half dozen of the other.

Maybe go to Balian Springs instead?

I think if she is stressed about it maybe not the right choice. I love it but it is a bit of a new experience. maybe pick a salon where the girls on a lower budget can get a manicure and others can get a massage?

I go all the time.

Regarding being nervous about being the only non-Koreans, there are often more non-Koreans than Koreans. That's a non-issue.

The nudity thing is a bit more of an issue, but not by much. You will have to be nude in front of each other, because you have to change in a locker room. You can avoid going into the nude hot tub area which is adjacent to the locker room and where the gender segregated pools are and where the body scrubs are. You can go to the co-ed pool area instead, but you have to change into your bathing suit from your street clothes in the locker room. And you have to wear the uniform they give you (just shorts and a tshirt -- and everyone is required to wear it) in the entire rest of the place (the saunas, the restaurant, everywhere else), so you have to change into it from your street clothes in the locker room. Plenty of naked people in the locker rooms changing and coming in and out of the unisex pool room.

So you don't have to spend time in the nude spa area at all if you don't want to, and plenty of people don't. But you will see nude people and you will need to change in the locker room. So anyone fine with a little locker room nudity will be fine, and there is plenty for them to do. Anyone who is terribly uncomfortable with that might want to do something else.

A PP said something about Spa World allowing bathing suits in the nude areas -- that must be a new thing; I went there for years and they did not allow that at all. But Spa World does not have a unisex pool in which you can wear a bathing suit, so maybe that is what they do now? I don't know. But King Spa in Chantilly is much nicer -- I wouldn't recommend Spa World as a first choice.

There are few Koreans there. Last time I went, the guests were max 20% Asian.

You can definitely avoid participating in nudity, but you will not be able to get a body scrub if you're not comfortable being nude, which is the signature experience. Outside of what is essentially a locker room with hot tubs, everyone is in the uniforms. You can get massages and facials in co-ed, clothed areas. All the saunas are co-ed and clothed, and the outdoor pool is with bathing suits.

Apparently Spa World is of worse quality but allows bathing suits in the nude areas. There will still be nudity there, though.

I'm looking for advice on taking a group to King Spa.

I'm planning a birthday girls weekend for a group of 9, including the birthday girl, who is flying here to get away and because this is where the majority of her friends live (she moved away during Covid). I was all set to get us day passes to King Spa, but the birthday girl has just thrown a wrench into it by saying that she's uncomfortable with nudity. I was planning to just avoid the nude areas and it seems like that's pretty easy to do without missing out on much? She's also worried we would be the only non-Koreans there.

Does anyone have experience with King Spa? It seemed like the right fit, because the day pass is relatively affordable for everyone with plenty of spa things included, and anyone who wanted to add on extras (massage, facial, etc) could do so without the rest feeling left out. Would we be the only white people there, or the only ones wearing a uniform? Are there other options? She said she would be happy just booking massages at her hotel spa, but that's going to be out of the budget for some girls ($200+ for a 45 minute massage vs. $90 for a day pass at King Spa). I'm sort of at a loss now; I don't want to argue with her about what she wants for her birthday, but I don't want everyone else to feel priced-out of the celebration.