From saunas to diving... a tour inside China's giant complexes that never sleep

- When Jinzhou Wang and his friends are looking for entertainment activities to spend their free time, they often head to a large recreation complex near their university in Beijing. After enjoying a hot bath, Wang, 22, may choose to have a private massage, or have various other experiences, such as playing billiards and singing karaoke.

Sometimes he may decide to spend the whole night in the health complex, to escape the atmosphere of university housing. There, the cost of accommodation ranges between 300 and 350 yuan per night, equivalent to about 45 to 52 dollars, which is lower than the prices of many hotels in the Chinese capital.

Throughout China, many people visit such spacious complexes, which extend over several floors and operate around the clock, combining recreation services and recreational activities. It usually includes various facilities, including video game halls, cinemas, and nap capsules, in addition to diving pools and water slides.

For example, the Shuiguo Plus complex, in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, offers an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, including caviar and spiny lobster. Nearby, the 430,000-square-foot Tangqi Tangquan Life Teens Resort attracts visitors with its Häagen-Dazs ice cream buffet.

As for Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, one of the resorts includes a hot tub, whose design resembles a hot pot soup, with chili peppers floating on its surface. China has a long history and culture of public baths, which provide a refuge for people who do not have private bathrooms or hot water in their homes.

Its importance is especially evident in the northeast of the country, where the harsh winter prompts residents to go there to enjoy the warm water and get rid of dry skin by rubbing their bodies. Traditional public baths are still popular among the elderly in China, as they provide facilities for bathing and body care, while some of them allow visitors to engage in various social activities, such as fighting crickets and playing mahjong.

But in recent years, these baths have turned into huge complexes with multiple facilities, attracting visitors and becoming widely popular on social media platforms, attracting a new generation of visitors, both local residents and tourists. Complete relaxation at an affordable cost. Many people go to these complexes for various reasons, including celebrating birthdays, spending evenings with friends, organizing entertainment meetings for companies, and even studying.

A survey published by McKinsey & Company in 2025 showed that 94% of consumers in China see wellness and health as their primary or important priorities. Anna Iskra, a researcher in therapeutic cultures and mental health in China at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said that visiting spas is an acceptable means of self-care, at a time when middle-class urban residents are increasingly seeking psychological counseling, despite the continuing social stigma associated with it.

One of the attractions is also the low cost, especially as the Chinese economy slows, with entry prices to many of these mega complexes starting at around 300 yuan, or about $40. “You pay a small amount, and yet you can enjoy a lot of services,” Iskra said.

This demand may also be related to changing travel habits. Xinyi Cheng, who manages the branding and marketing team at Xiangshangwei Group, told Ofoq News via email that demand for so-called “city vacations” has seen a significant rise.

The group operates spas across China under several brands, including Qiushui Lanting, Shuiguo and Shuiguo Plus. Huge spas attract tourists. Baths and spas are very popular among tourists in Asia.

In South Korea, visitors go to gimjilbang baths for hot tubs and body scrubs, while in Japan, hot springs are in demand, putting pressure on water supplies at some resorts. In recent years, China's huge spa resorts have begun to attract an increasing number of foreigners, in conjunction with the government's efforts to revive the tourism sector.

Social media also contributed to enhancing its appeal, making it a favorite destination for Instagram and TikTok users. In 2026, four Chinese cities will be among the top five most popular cities for spa tourism, according to the British company Spa Seekers, while searches for Shanghai resorts have increased by 67% compared to the previous year.

Today, technology helps tourists enjoy the huge spas in China, even though the staff do not speak English. Entrance tickets and services can be booked online, while electronic payment and translation applications facilitate the visitor experience.

But the relaxing experience is not without disturbance, as some people complained about the sounds of video clips and snoring in the rest areas, while some resorts provide smoking rooms. This model of spas has expanded beyond China, with the opening of the Bubble House Plus complex in Singapore, which operates 24 hours a day and includes bathtubs, steam rooms, a cinema, and relaxation capsules.

24-hour admission, including lunch, costs 129 Singapore dollars, which is about 100 US dollars. The diversity of activities is one of the most important factors that attract visitors to these resorts.

"Today, many of them combine various entertainment facilities, which solves the problem of friends having different desires about where they want to go," Wang said.