BAY SPA — Attraction in Santa Clara

Although I have visited the spa multiple times prior, I decided to save my thoughts on the place until the opening of their food court. Now that it is open, I can confidently say Bay Spa is my favorite spot for self care and relaxation!

Purchasing a day pass allows you to stay within the facility until closing. While this already provides amenities such as salt and clay rooms, heated and chilled pools, saunas and even complementary massage chairs, the introduction of a restaurant inside really culminates this place into the ultimate Korean Spa experience.

Previously if you ever felt hungry, you would need to leave the spa for food and unfortunately I don't think they allow reentry. With the opening of a restaurant inside, I really feel like I am getting my moneys worth in the pass because my time inside is not limited by my stomach.

Ordering is simple enough using their digital kiosk I was actually shocked to see the sheer variety of Korean dishes they provided on their menu. They include Korean staples such as Kim Bap, Ramen, Soondooboo, Kimchi Fried Rice and even Galbi, Bulgogi, and Korean Fried Chicken!

Entree items are sensibly priced and are actually cheaper than Korean restaurants I go to nearby in El Camino! I personally went with a small group and was able to try a couple of entrees for myself.

The kimbap was enjoyable and I would absolutely prefer this over what you find in local HMarts or the Kyo-Po Market. They absolutely LOAD them full of veggies, picked radish, eggs, and beef that one serving is definitely enough for one person.

The seafood Soondooboo came out piping hot on a traditional Korean soup bowl and was delicious! They did not skimp out on portions of seafood and I've heard that all meat and soondooboo entrees come with a bowl of rice, pickled cucumber, kimchi, and Eomuk Bokkeum (Stir-fried Fish Cake).

What really stole the show for me were their Parmesan Fried Chicken, and Galbi.

I was shocked at how light and crispy the batter was while maintaining the moist texture of the chicken inside. I would absolutely recommend the parm flavor as they taste similar to the honey butter chips that used to be super popular a couple years back. Lots of coleslaw was provided too.

The Galbi was definitely restaurant quality and had a perfect amount of char on them. The marinade gave each bite a sweet caramelized flavor.

For how unassuming the front of the food court was, the flavor of the food itself was simply amazing. I completely forgot to take pictures of the SoonDooboo and Galbi before inhaling them but when I visit again I will follow up with...

TLDR: Great affordable option to spend a few hours for a self-guided spa day. Caveat -- I did not try their massage services and I visited on a Monday, presumably much less busy than weekends.

We tried out this place at the recommendation of a friend and was not disappointed. For the $40 entry fee, you get towels, shirt/pants to wear inside, and access to the massage chairs, hot tub, cold tub, steam/dry sauna, showers with products, and the 4 'rooms'. There is a decent Korean cafeteria onsite that is reasonably priced. The locker rooms is attached to the 'wet' areas that is gender-seperated. As is common in these communal baths, clothing is not worn in the wet areas and there are zero privacy. You can bring your towels in, but nothing can be worn when using the tubs. Shirt and pants is provided and must be worn outside the locker rooms. The wet areas are decently sized, but I can imagine it getting quite crowded on the weekends. All their communal areas are clean and products are well stocked. I really enjoyed their high-end Kahuna massage chairs. The dedicated large room have 20-30 chairs to choose from. Since it was not busy when we visited, we were able to enjoy almost 60 minutes of uninterrupted massage chair use!

The food at the cafeteria was decent, with their seating areas in the main common rest area. The 4 'rooms' are there as well. The Jade, Salt, and Clay room is heated from the floors and you can lay down on the materials (on top of the provided towels/mat). While the heat and the tactile feel of the clay and salt does feel nice, the rooms does feel somewhat gimmicky. The ice room is basically a walk-in fridge you can sit in, which is unexpectedly enjoyable.

Overall a great use of a few hours if you want to relax and unwind. They could certainly use more thoughtful decor, the space as it is feels really generic. Can't comment on their services. Certainly will visit again, but perhaps not...

I've been to two other Korean spas in the bay and this one is by far the biggest. There's more communal space and a cafe.

I booked a premium seaweed body wrap experience and had a great time! I wish I arrived an hour ahead of my appointment instead of only 30 minutes before. I explored a bit of the jade and clay rooms before I soaked ahead of my body scrub.

The body scrub andel wrap parts of the experience were comparable to the other ones at Pearl Spa and Imperial Spa in SF. The facial and massage parts of the service were better than what I've experienced at the other Korean spas. I appreciate when the hand movements during the facial flow well and are performed symmetrically on my face. The massage targeted my neck and shoulder areas well even though I had not voiced that concern. I don't know if she felt the tension or this is part of her usual service. Perhaps the differences are based on who is providing the service.

The experience is in an area that is completely open. There's no curtain between you and the next guest. I was asked to shower off in the shower area in the next room two times during my service. With regards to these two aspects, I prefer Pearl Spa where there's a curtain for a bit of privacy and showering / rinsing during the experience happens all in one place and you don't have to go in and out of the scrub area.

After the services I went to the massage chair area and it was nice to select a preset program and chill. Next time, I want to try out the cafe.

I went early in the morning so I had my pick of parking spots. By the time I left around noon, parking was packed.

I highly recommend coming here if you haven't tried a Korean spa experience or maybe you have and this is closer than the ones in SF. While there are some differences, the overall experience is...