Century Spa is one such. It's a huge complex, with a netted driving range out back, a full gym, a swimming pool and probably sixty rooms of other things that I've never seen. Until recently, their Men's Spa was good but not great. For $15, you got access to a pretty beat sauna (no rocks on the stove? wood falling off the walls?), a decent steam room, cold plunge, hot tub, and clay and marble radiant floor saunas. You also got a cruisey scene due to the poor layout. But there was some charm to the place. One of my favorite features was a trough of cold water with plastic bowls that you could dip in and dump on yourself. A trough! Weird!
Anyway, those days are over. For the past year or so, while we were inhaling mildew and mold in our heat, the owners of the Century Spa were hard at work on a huge remodel. It's been open about a month, and this weekend, I was able to give it a whirl. It's a whole new day at Century.
(Note: As of today, they don't have pictures of the new facilities on their site.)
The Locker Room -- A little smaller, but the locker size is still generous. They have this weird, Korean electric lock system, however, that flummoxed me both before and after my heat.
The Facilities -- The whole place feels much more modern, but with something of a twist. It feels like 2002 or so in there. Definitely newer, but not 2009 new. The place is definitely designed to wow the target audience -- Koreans. Maybe that's why something there feels dated. It's not that it's old or out of style. It's just a style I'm not used to. The size and scale of this facility doesn't really say "relax" to me, nor does the ubiquitous music or the a little-too-bright light, but all in all, it is something to behold. And that said, I was a huge fan of the limestone walls, the skylight and the sky-and-clouds painted ceiling.
To address the problem of cruisers overtaking their schvitz, they've given the whole place an open layout -- the saunas and steam have glass walls, the radiant floor saunas are in the main hall, and the whole spa can be viewed from the resting room on the second floor. So far, the tactic is working.
The Sauna -- Good and hot. New oven, glass wall, new cedar. All great. However, the door sticks open, which is a hassle, because people don't realize that it's open and heat rushes out. But the new oven kept it cooking in there. One weird thing was that the benches and floors were covered in towels. We couldn't figure out why this was. One gentlemen ventured that they were trying to preserve the wood? I don't know, but I didn't like it. I imagine, however, that this is temporary.
The Cold Sauna -- That's right! They have something called a cold sauna! I've never in all my days seen anything like it. It's this small glass room with an air conditioner at the top and plastic flap doors. There are two shower heads that dump cold water. That's it. It's basically a cold rinse spot, but they've decided to air condition it as well. Phenomenal.
The Steam Room -- The Koreans love a good steam above all else. This steam room is really great. It's easy to get cooking and comfortably seats 20 gentlemen. A glass wall lets you see some misty shapes moving around outside.
The Mist Room: This wasn't open when I visited, but it looked lovely and was intriguing. What is a mist room? I have no idea. But I like it.
Pools: The three pools that Century boasts are a half-level above these main facilities -- a nice design choice that allows for comfortable bench seating beneath. The cold plunge is small and clean, the hot tub is directly under the new skylight and is large and hot. But the best feature and new to Century is the tea bath, which is warm (not hot) and is filled with mugwart tea. A great place to recover after a circuit of heat.
The Clay and Marble Saunas: I love these rooms. They're both provide radiant heat from the floor and are quiet and dark. In the old Century, this used to be the hot spot for cruisers, but such is no longer the case, and thank god. There is no better place for a mid-circuit sweat than the clay sauna. As you lay on your towel on the floor, you won't get too hot, but you'll sweat slowly and get a really nice spot-heat on your back. It's truly fantastic.
Though the price has gone up to $20 to get in, it's worth every penny. The place has a whole new energy about it. People are not just happy to be there. They're happy to see a transformation gone right.
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