As a follow up to my review on the Spa at Mandalay Bay, here is some information on my experience at Imperial Spa while visiting Las Vegas.

I stayed at a strip hotel and took a $15 ($20 with tip) Uber ride to the spa on a weekday. Entry is $35 dollars. They give you a locker key, two towels, and shorts and a T-shirt for the coed areas. It looked like sandals could be provided (I brought my own).

The men’s facilities start with a locker room, from which you can access the pools/steam/sauna area, a salt room, a relaxation room, and the upstairs coed areas.

The pool area contained a large front section and smaller back section of open showers. There was a hot tub and mid-temperature pool, with two steam rooms (one really hot, one less hot) and a sauna.

Signs ask you to shower upon entry and every time you come out of the steam room, sauna, or salt room and into a pool. So the showers are almost in constant use as people cycle.

The upstairs coed facilities contain a cold room, clay rooms, a jade room, relaxation areas, and a Korean kitchen. I ordered lunch; it was great and reasonably priced.

Nudity is required in the pool and sauna area. Everyone sits on his towel on the benches or sides of the pool when lounging. A few were wrapping with towels when walking around, but the majority were not. Age varied between late 20s through perhaps 60. There were around 15 guys at the spa during the 2.5 hours I spent there.

Maybe it was because I had already bit the bullet at Mandalay Bay, or maybe it was because nudity was required, but I felt even more comfortable being nude in this space. I went with a buddy and we chatted and cycled between rooms together the whole time. We had some conversations about healthy attitudes toward nudity, body positivity etc. At a certain point I almost stopped thinking about the fact that I was naked.

For anyone who followed or participated in my poll about being uncut in the showers, I made the choice to use the frequent showering there as a chance to clean under my foreskin in an attempt to normalize it for myself. I was still somewhat uncomfortable, but I think it was a step forward in embracing something I shouldn’t be embarrassed about. That felt good!

The atmosphere was social but on the quieter side. Guys were chatting here and there, falling in and out of conversation. I found it pleasant; I enjoy getting to know strangers in this kind of environment.

Something I noticed were the signs on the door to almost every room warning against sexual activity in the spa, and advising that the police would be called if activity were discovered or reported. I don’t know who the hell would try to get away with that in such open spaces, but apparently it is enough of an issue that they have it posted all over the place. For what it’s worth, nothing like that seemed to be going on; there was only one guy I was talking to who seemed to make no effort to not fixate on my junk … I ended that conversation a bit more quickly.

Going with a buddy was also a great experience. It was a fun way to hang out and feel like there weren’t as many walls up, figuratively.

The spa is not what I would define as a luxury experience. The facilities are utilitarian and non-aesthetic in their design. You are given one large and one small towel without open access to more towels during your stay. I had to ask the attendant for another one before my final shower.

Due to the cultural nature of the spa, it is a family-friendly place. Signs advised parents to not leave kids unattended and to check diapers before allowing them to enter pools. I appreciate that spaces exist like this for families, but I have to admit I was a bit turned off especially by the thought that the diaper sign was necessary. There were no kids there, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed myself as much had there been.

For an entry price of $35, I would say Imperial is more than worth it. The main thing I would change is the lack of guest access to towels. It’s nice to change out your sopping wet towel every so often, but it was inconvenient to do so as you had to hunt down an attendant every time. The easy access to the facility off the strip is a big plus; you’re not having to worry about parking or maneuvering through any of the giant hotels.