Anyone noticed how price of these 'Spa' massage places have enormously inflated out of control these past 2-3 years?

TST standard HJ+Massage (not the premium ones) are like averaging $550 (and thats only with a standard $200 tip, can be a lot more if you are generous or the girl is asking for more)

Even Sham Shui Po is not much different, I tried a few recently and they are around $500.

And some are even approaching the 600-650 mark

Some these places cost even more than a FS package! I love going to these SPA venues, but in some cases I feel price has gone up, quality has stayed the same or even got worse. Or is the rent prices in Hong Kong to blame?.

My question or rather I want to engage some conversation with you guys is:

- Are you still going?
- What are the cheaper alternatives you guys go for? (If any)
- Are the 'Spa' HJ & massage places pricing themselves out of the FS industry?

I would love to hear what you guys think!

you're talking about upstairs foot massage places who call themselves spa   …

6 years ago they were not that many nor were they too popular for hjs, in those days codt of a 2 session massage was about $200 to 250 plus one would tip $100 if one got a hj … over the last 4 yrs these pseudo spas started springing up all over the place, itv was something new and people started to tip more (they had their own agenda for this) … now you have what it is today

as a comparison:
6 to 7 yrs ago wgs in cc charged $300 to 350
with a normal tip of $20 to 50 at most
6 yo 7 yrs ago the cost of a 8 pack coke was $14, now its 27
6 to 7 yrs ago the cost of a reg lunch at cafe de coral was.$20, now its 35
6 to 7 yrs ago the cost of renting a room in fuji was 8k to 10k,
now its around 12k to 15k

in the past, i have visited some of these upstairs "spas" when bros have reported how good the massage was plus the extras, i visithe those same girls and i can say the massage part was average at best (some actually below average) although the hj part was decent …

would i frequent these "spas" ? no, and not because of the price

Rent inflation, as you and twice suggest, may be a factor in the rise in the basic price for the massage. But that doesn't explain why the expected tip jumped 100% about four years ago! When the girls at Halong Bay started to charge $200, I stopped going. Shortly afterwards,  the place closed.

To answer your questions,  I go less often and for 60 mins rather than 90, now the standard tip is $200.

The main reason I still go at all is that some of these places offer young (18-30) girls who are local (HK born or resident), so you can revisit them if you wish.

Walkups are generally better value at $380-450, and if you're persistent and lucky, you may find some gems from the PRC in their 20s. Hard to get a decent massage at that price, however, and repeat visits are far trom guaranteed with the girls on short-term visit passes.

Unless you really need a massage, and sometimes you do, I agree the M+HE girls are, in general, overpriced.