A few days in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

[alexexal]

Will suggested this place for our sauna visit, and we arrived at about 5pm on Sunday afternoon. Coming by Grab car (which seemed to work well and cheaply all over HCMC), we stopped at the end of the little side street and walked down. A very unlikely location - quiet residential street - and then some energetic music and a name plaque on the wall to show we had arrived.

I found the “system” a bit confusing on arrival, but only because it was different to what I have experienced anywhere else. Immediately handed a small bottle of water with a key on a rubber band, then invited inside without needing to pay, the key then immediately taken from me by a helpful assistant who showed me to my locker and unwrapped some fresh, fluffy towels for me.

Will continued his excellent guiding job, showing me round the main areas and pointing out where everything was, before leaving me to my own devices, having arranged our meeting point.

The place was every bit as lovely as the pics on Google - very stylish and clean, and with a night club kind of vibe to it. And (not in the pics on Google) jammed full of about 100 of the most beautiful young Vietnamese men (and a couple of other foreigners) that I could have dreamed of. I had heard a lot about how shy the locals can be, but that certainly wasn’t the case here - especially in the darker areas further back. Fortunately, many of them seemed keen on an older, white top like me.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Will had more on the schedule for the evening, I would probably still be there. I imagine that Sunday afternoon was a good time of the week to visit, and this was the real highlight of my time in HCMC.

[alexexal]

Before arriving in HCMC, I had researched various massage options - there seemed to be many. I also had a few guys contact me on phone apps offering to come to my room for massage, but the prices they quoted were the same as going to a proper spa location, and I preferred to do that.

During my day with Will, I asked him for any recommendation, and he suggested Ikeman. Since that was one of the places I had already researched, and was not far from where I was staying, I was happy to give it a try.

Very conveniently, I was able to book through the Ikeman page on Facebook, and went for the 90 minute Thai massage, for 750,000 dong. The appointment was quickly confirmed by message back to me.

The place was quite easy to find (address worked for Grab car, then on arrival I asked the guard at the gate house who showed me the exact entrance). At Ikeman reception, I was offered and accepted a private room, which cost an extra 200,000 dong.

I was asked to wait in the locker room, which was a very pleasant area, with hot tea available. There was no suggestion or obvious place to take a shower, so I was glad I had had one before visiting, then my masseur arrived, who washed my feet before we proceeded upstairs.

The massage itself was extremely good. Strong pressure but never uncomfortable, and the bed and room itself were very relaxing. Altogether a very invigorating experience, especially and happily towards the end, followed by a relaxing head and shoulder massage.

After being shown downstairs for more tea, I sat for a while on the bench. The masseur’s next customer was there, so I waited (OK, slightly voyeuristically) while he had his feet washed and then went upstairs. Then I had a look round and realised that in fact there were some lovely outdoor showers, along with a small sauna room and small steam room. All of these were very smart and clean, with bundles of herbs placed around, giving a lovely relaxing fragrance to the place.

It was really lovely to be able to stay and relax like this for a while after the massage, before dressing and heading back out into the city.

Total came to 950,000 dong (all prices include tip), so I gave a round 1,000,000 (I love using all these big numbers). That is about US$42, which may be one of the best value massages I have ever had, given the quality of the overall experience.

[Andaman!]

Thanks for excellent detailed report. Was most of the action safe or BB? When you refer to “older white top” are you talking 30, 40, 50, 60, 70??

[alexexal]

Thanks for excellent detailed report. Was most of the action safe or BB?

Difficult to see what else was going on, given the subdued lighting, but I would say a mix of both was on offer.

When you refer to “older white top” are you talking 30, 40, 50, 60, 70??

In my case, mid-50s (so about twice as old as most of the locals there).