High-end gay-friendly day spa in San Francisco?

April 25, 2010 9:10 AM

I want to buy a gift certificate to a day spa for a twenty-something gay man with upscale conservative taste. I'm looking for a place that's sleek, sophisticated and oriented towards men, with good massage and other services, high standards for service and cleanliness, and ideally also offering lunch and cocktails. The kind of place where someone could lounge around all day drinking a mimosa and reading the paper, wearing slippers and a robe. It needs to be in San Francisco proper, not elsewhere in the Bay Area.

Girly, frilly, Victoriana would be bad, and I definitely want to avoid places that are primarily nail salons, hair salons, and/or the type of place where bridal parties might go. I's also like to avoid mystical nonsense places that talk a lot about chakras and toxin flushing and suchlike. (No offence to people who like that stuff.)

In terms of style, Asian/Zen/minimalist would all be positives. Businesslike and corporate would be fine.

Ideally I am looking for a hidden gem, boutique-style place. I've checked Yelp and a bunch of other sources, but am just not familiar enough with upscale SF gay culture to make a good choice. If you are, I'd appreciate your recommendations.

posted by Susan PG to shopping (2 answers total)

Kabuki has much of what you're looking for - it's lovely and sophisticated, with "Zen" style, focused on massage rather than salon services, and there are men-only days for the baths (as well as women-only days, and co-ed days where swimsuits are required). They do not serve food/cocktails, but they are located in Japantown, where there are several nice restaurants - your friend could get a massage, go have lunch, then come back and use the baths. The vibe is not exactly "lounge around with the paper and a mimosa" though.
posted by judith at 11:17 AM on April 25, 2010

The Nob Hill Spa (http://www.nobhillspa.com/) is very high end, and they serve food and cocktails. It's a hang around and have a mimosa kind of place for sure-- there are comfy chairs overlooking the endless pool and a fireplace. I've gone with my mom on several occasions and we always feel like we want to move in.

I don't believe it caters specifically to gays, but nothing in San Francisco is really gay-unfriendly (says this straight female, YMMV)
posted by paddingtonb at 3:20 PM on May 4, 2010