The Queen Spa in Shenzhen is probably the most well known spa in the city. What makes it stand out is its size: nearly 450,000 sq ft. For perspective, the average Walmart is about 100,000. Yeah, not small.
It has over 500 treatment rooms, spans five stories, and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can literally spend the night there.
What makes the Queen Spa in Shenzhen – technically called Queen Spa and Dining – a bit infamous is a reputation as a “full service” spa (if you catch my drift) and the widely varying reviews we’ve read. Some rave about the experience and the affordability, while others denounce the cleanliness, rather strange tipping policies, and the “full service” situation. Reviews on TripAdvisor range from “excellent massages” and “perfect Chinese massage” to “filthy, price gouge” and “mediocre, not worth your time.”
We figured, what the hell, you only live once. Might as well give it a try and see what the whole commotion is about. What’s the worse that can happen?
Sorry for the low quality images. We shot them quickly on our phone and the lighting was on the darker side. Not our best work.
Our Day At The Queen Spa in Shenzhen
From the street level entrance, you descend stairs to a basement level reception area, littered with visitors and staff members checking in and out among floor-to-ceiling marble. In my own previous experiences, entering a spa is usually met with a tranquil soundtrack, a soothing scent of burning candles, and soft spoken staff members. Quiet and serene. Queen Spa, on the other hand, is more like a windowless hotel lobby at your local Hilton or Marriott, and with about as many people standing around.
We took a seat, confident in our basic language skills, figuring that the chapter about ‘going to the spa’ from our Chinese language classes would finally come in handy. Within about thirty seconds of a confusing back-and-forth, the designated English-speaking staff member was sent over. Fail. Our new English-speaking buddy was very welcoming. I especially loved the name tag, which rather than his name, just said “English” in bold print.
For an idea of pricing, it costs ¥108 (US$16.68) to enter the spa for a 24 hour period. That fee is waived however if you spend more than ¥189 (US$29.19) in treatments. For us, that wasn’t an issue. The basic treatments cost from ¥49 (US$7.56) for an express pedicure to ¥338 (US$52.21) for an 135 minute Thai massage.
From the basement reception area, Julie and I were separated and sent to our respective changing rooms, located on opposite sides of the lobby. We said our goodbyes and arranged to met somewhere on the 3rd floor level.
I was escorted into the changing room and handed over to a locker attendant. He procured me a locker, handing me a bracelet with my locker number on it. This band is how you get charged for everything at the spa. From food to treatments, you show them your wrist band number and they add it to your bill. I had no need for a wallet or WeChat from this point on.
After awkwardly disrobing with the locker attendant standing right next to me, I deposited my belongings into the locker with the exception of my phone and wrist band. I was handed a towel and some flip flops and lead down yet another long hallway to the main changing area. Apparently on Julie’s side of things, there was very little nudity. She noted that there was a large locker room, but with visitors well-spread out, and more privacy for changing and showering.
The men’s area reminded me of my time in Finland, albeit with more people smoking. That is to say, mucho nudity. The smell of cigarettes hung heavy in the air too, and even the urinals were equipped with ash trays. I personally love the fact that the Chinese have adopted cigarettes into the wellness routine.
I was directed towards the shower area, where I had a quick rinse before heading to grab my official pyjama attire that I would wear for the duration of our stay. They are loose fitting and incredibly comfortable. It should be noted too that the changing areas, both men’s and women’s, were fully stocked with hair products, blow dryers, razors, disposable toothbrushes, shampoo, and anything else you might need. The men’s room also had multiple soaking pools and a few saunas.
From our respective changing rooms, Julie and I met up on the 3rd floor where most of the lounging and relaxing happens. There are pool tables, ping pong tables, a sleeping area, a restaurant, a fresh fruit bar, a coffee station, and a tiered seating area with huge leather recliners, each equipped with its own flat screen TV. Speakers are built into the headrest of each, which provided the perfect volume when you laid your head down, yet made it impossible for anyone else to hear. Kind of genius. Phone chargers were available at each chair.
Frankly, this room was a bit nicer than I anticipated, especially after reading some of the very critical reviews. Now, it wasn’t spotless, but let’s be honest, for a place that processes hundreds of people per day, it was very respectable. The fruit bar was great, and we happily snacked on fresh watermelon and orange slices (to this day, orange slices remind of halftime of youth soccer), a milk tea from the coffee bar, and settled into our neighboring recliners. I started watching a replay a World Cup game while Julie settled into another viewing of The Greatest Showman.
Julie joked that we would easily spend six hours at the spa, which I secretly thought was bonkers. No way that was happening. To be fair, we did not spent six hours at Queen Spa. We spent 7 hours.
Our English-speaking friend from the lobby (who I will refer to as English from this point forward due to his name tag ) stopped by and asked if we wanted to book any treatments. We headed to the main reception area, where there were a handful of touchscreen monitors. This is when things got a little bit weird.
There are dozens upon dozens of treatment options, and from basic massages to more intensive skin treatments (skin whitening is all the rage here!). We opted for a 90 minute Chinese massage to start with, and English assisted us in navigating the touchscreen, which only displayed Chinese characters. After arranging the type of treatment and duration, English let us pick our girls. And yes, you read that right.
The touchscreen menu populated with glamour-type shots of the available masseuses, even providing their age, height, and weight. This immediately screamed “full service salon” and the possibility of a compromising situation was racing through my head.
How do I say, “please stop” in Chinese again?
Luckily, that wasn’t necessary, at least this time. English booked us in a couples treatment room, so we would be together. He led us down to the 2nd floor, through a maze of treatment rooms that never seemed to end. We twisted and turned through corridor after corridor, finally arriving at our room. Shortly after we arrived, two women came in to begin the massages. We actually had a fun time trying to interact with them with our limited Chinese. We overheard them talking in Chinese about how round our butts were, and when Julie commented back to them in Chinese, they were a bit surprised that we could understand their conversation. They joked about how flat Chinese butts are in comparison. It was like having a bizarro Chinese language class.
Also, we kept our our nifty PJs for the entire massage. The style of massage is done over clothing so there wasn’t any discomfort with nudity or suggestive behavior.
Without any Chinese language skills, it would be hard to communicate with most of the treatment staff. They asked us a few questions, including if we wanted to add 45 minutes onto the massage. I could see how easy it would be for foreigners to unknowingly commit to extra treatments due to the language barrier.
For payment, you are given a slip that shows the listed price for the treatment, and gives you three options for tipping. The pricing at Queen Spa is odd, and I can see how it could upset people. The listed price does not include a 13% service charge, which is automatically charged. You are then given three options for adding yet another tip which goes to the staff, and tips are mandatory. The amount of the tip varies based on the cost of your treatment, but this process is similar for all treatments. You provide your wrist bracelet number and sign your name to complete payment.
After our massage, we headed back up to the 3rd floor and decided to have a late lunch. English saw us enter the restaurant and quickly rushed over to help us. This guy was everywhere; it was impressive. He even took our order. Is there anything English can’t do?
The menu options were extensive, and although they advertised Western options, we did not see any. We had a Macau-style roasted pork, with a shatteringly crisp skin, and a rice noodle stir-fry with beef. The food was surprisingly good, and although more expensive than your standard Chinese restaurant in Shenzhen, it was still a solid value. Our roast pork was ¥88 (US$13.59) and the noodles were ¥45 (US$6.95). It was nice having a leisurely meal in a restaurant while wearing comfy pyjamas.
We settled back into the recliners, and enjoyed a little more rest and relaxation. We opted for a few more treatments eventually, but more basic ones that could be done at your recliner. We both tried our first every ear cleaning, which felt simultaneously weird yet enjoyable, as the long metal wires went further and further into our ear canals. I also splurged on a 45 minute foot massage. I felt like royalty, as I sat in my pyjamas, in full recline, drinking tea and eating fresh fruit, while someone expertly massaged my feet. It was quite pleasant.
After far too many hours had passed, we decided we had to go ahead and began our long journey back home. I was wrapping up my ear cleaning, and Julie wanted to shower and blow dry her hair, so she left me to finish my treatment. That is where I discovered the other side of things at Queen Spa.
Within minutes of Julie leaving, the attendant began rubbing my shoulders and chest, which I initially thought might be part of the treatment. But as I was sitting there, I remembered that when Julie had her ear cleaning, I didn’t see her get a rub down like what was happening to me. The young, petite woman was standing behind the recliner, and she kept getting closer and closer, asking me about what I was doing in Shenzhen and what I did for work. Eventually, she was basically whispering in my ear, and I knew I had to make a run for it. She tried to encourage me to get a “full body” massage from her, so apparently she was both an ear-cleaner and “masseuse.” A true double threat.
I told her I had to leave for the final time, sitting up and ending our interaction. I never would have thought that an innocent ear-cleaning could lead to being propositioned. Anything is possible at Queen Spa apparently.
I headed back down to the shower area, and did the same process as earlier, but in reverse. I dropped off my pyjamas, took a quick shower, and met up with a locker attendant to get my clothes, who managed again to give me zero personal space as I got dressed. I met up with Julie in the lobby, where we checked out with the staff and brought us our bill. All told, we spent ¥1200 ($185.36) for five treatments and lunch, not to mention the free fruit, coffee, and soda that we took advantage of during our prolonged spa day. You can certainly find individual treatments for less in smaller, more traditional spas around Shenzhen, but when you factor in all of the amenities, we found it to be excellent value.
Conclusion
Queen Spa in Shenzhen is not for everyone. It is bigger and weirder than any spa I will probably ever go to, but it was a memorable experience. I would definitely recommend it for anyone in Shenzhen precisely because it is such a unique experience. We would both go back again for sure, despite the wackiness and overt advances I received from the staff. Hey, it just another story to add to our growing “only in China” moments as Shenzhen expats.
