Korean Spas in Houston: Gangnam Spa vs Spa World
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Houston has two Korean spas, and both sit on the west side: Gangnam Spa on Highway 6 and Spa World in Katy. Neither is open 24 hours any more. Gangnam is the original and adults only; Spa World takes children and publishes what its rooms actually run at.
At a glance
- What it costs: $48 weekdays at Gangnam Spa, $45 at Spa World, all day either way.
- Who can go: Gangnam is 18 and over; Spa World admits ages 11 and up with a same-sex guardian.
- Hours: both open at 9am and close at 10pm (Gangnam runs to 11pm on Saturday). No overnight stays.
Prices and hours are each spa’s own, checked October 2026.
Which Korean spa in Houston should you pick?
The age rule settles it for most groups. Gangnam Spa requires every guest to be 18 or older and to show a government photo ID. Spa World admits children from 11 up when a same-sex parent or guardian comes along, and sends under-11s to a separate, staffed Kid’s World play area that costs extra. Families go to Katy. Everyone else is choosing between a bigger single-purpose bathhouse and a two-story building with a restaurant, a bar, screen golf and karaoke attached.
If you have never been inside a jjimjilbang, a Korean bathhouse with hot bathing pools on one side and heated co-ed rooms on the other, either one works as a first visit. Houston’s Koreatown runs along Long Point Road in Spring Branch, by the way, but neither spa is there.
Gangnam Spa, Highway 6
Gangnam Spa (4055 Highway 6 North, west Houston) calls itself over 30,000 square feet of specialty baths, sauna rooms and relaxation lounges. Houstonia called it Houston’s first traditional Korean megaspa back in 2019, and it still reads as the more serious bathhouse of the two.
Admission is $48 Monday to Thursday and $58 Friday to Sunday and on holidays, with all-day access and no time limit. No reservation is needed; on busy days a waitlist runs one guest out, one guest in. Towels and the spa uniform are included, food and services are not.
Hours are 9am to 10pm daily, 11pm on Saturday. Older guides and listings still call this place 24-hour. It closes at 10pm, and the internet has not noticed.
Spa World, Katy
Spa World (929 Westgreen Blvd, Katy) opened in September 2020 and is the one of the two that tells you its numbers. Admission is $45 Monday to Thursday, $55 Friday to Sunday and on eleven federal holidays, all day, uniform and small towels included. Hours are 9am to 10pm, with the last non-member check-in at 9pm. Every guest needs a legal photo ID, and it gets scanned at the door.
The co-ed floor is the draw. The Fire Dome, a wood-fired kiln room lit each morning with oak logs, reaches up to 185°F (85°C). The Himalayan salt room runs roughly 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C). There are two clay rooms, a jade room, a gold pyramid room, a far-infrared room and a cedar Forest Room held at 75°F. When you have had enough, the Arctic Room is chilled to 40 to 45°F (4 to 7°C). In the gender-separated bath areas, the hot tub typically runs 103 to 109°F.
Admission also covers the movie theater, the outdoor terrace and the heated-floor sleep zone. Screen golf, karaoke and Kid’s World are charged on top, as are the restaurant, cafe and bar.
Gangnam Spa vs Spa World, side by side
| Spa | Area | Weekday | Weekend/holiday | Hours | Minimum age | 30-min scrub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gangnam Spa | Highway 6, west Houston | $48 | $58 | 9am-10pm (Sat to 11pm) | 18, photo ID | $70 |
| Spa World | Westgreen Blvd, Katy | $45 | $55 | 9am-10pm daily | 11 with same-sex guardian | $70 |
Two spas is the whole list for a metro this size. Traveling instead? Atlanta has a bigger cluster and lower admission in places.
A body scrub costs $70 at either spa
A basic 30-minute Korean body scrub is $70 at both, and admission is charged separately and is mandatory even if you came only for the service. That puts a weekday scrub visit at $118 at Gangnam Spa and $115 at Spa World, before any tip. Longer treatments run up from there at both venues.
The setting differs. Gangnam does all scrubs in the nude, gender-separated wet area, not in individual rooms. Spa World uses private stalls inside the bath area and includes a shampoo and conditioning. Both want you soaked for at least 15 minutes first, which is why Spa World asks you to arrive 30 minutes early and Gangnam asks for 45 to 60.
The rules, in three lines
Shower before you get into any pool. You bathe nude in the gender-separated wet areas at both spas, and swimsuits are not allowed in the pools anywhere (Spa World lets you keep a towel around you walking between pools; the pools themselves are nude). In the co-ed rooms you wear the spa’s uniform, which comes with admission.
Beyond that: bring your photo ID, go barefoot after check-in, and leave your phone in the locker in the locker rooms and bath areas. Spa World fines photography in the bath area $500. Your wristband is both locker key and tab, so food and extras get settled at checkout.
Not Korean, but in town
Löyly Sauna Lounge near Montrose is named for the steam burst off hot sauna stones, though its saunas are infrared rather than stove-heated. It runs 45-minute contrast-therapy sessions with a saltwater hot tub and a communal cold plunge, and the intro pass is $49 for seven consecutive days. The owners told the Houston Chronicle in September 2025 that they plan to add traditional wood-burning saunas; those are not open.
SweatHouz at Autry Park opened in mid-January 2026 with private infrared sauna and cold plunge suites, from $70 a session according to Community Impact. Trellis Spa at The Houstonian throws in its steam rooms, whirlpools and outdoor soaking pools free with any treatment of 50 minutes or longer.
What Houston does not have, as far as our research found: a Russian banya, or a traditional Finnish public sauna with a stove you can throw water on.
Common questions
What is the best Korean spa in Houston?
There are only two, so the choice is mostly about who is coming. Gangnam Spa on Highway 6 is the larger, adults-only bathhouse at $48 on weekdays. Spa World in Katy is $45 on weekdays, admits children 11 and up with a same-sex guardian, and publishes its room temperatures, including a wood-fired dome that reaches 185°F (85°C).
Is there a 24-hour Korean spa in Houston?
No. Gangnam Spa was once 24-hour and plenty of older articles still say so, but it now runs 9am to 10pm, with an 11pm close on Saturday. Spa World is 9am to 10pm daily, with the last non-member check-in at 9pm. Neither offers an overnight stay.
Can kids go to a Korean spa in Houston?
Only to Spa World in Katy. Children aged 11 to 18 may use the spa when accompanied by a same-sex parent or guardian, and children 10 and under are not allowed into the spa facility at all, though they can use the separate Kid’s World play area for an extra fee. Gangnam Spa requires every guest to be at least 18 and checks photo ID.
How much is a Korean body scrub in Houston?
A basic 30-minute scrub is $70 at both spas, with admission charged on top and required. A weekday scrub visit therefore comes to $118 at Gangnam Spa and $115 at Spa World before any tip. Soak for at least 15 minutes beforehand and arrive 30 minutes or more ahead of your booking.
Do you have to be naked at a Korean spa in Houston?
In the gender-separated bathing areas, yes: both spas require full nudity in the pools and do not allow swimsuits. Everywhere co-ed you wear the spa uniform that comes with admission. At Spa World you can skip the bathing pools and use the co-ed sauna rooms in the uniform instead.
Hero photo: Choikwangmo9, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (a jjimjilbang in Wonju, South Korea).
