WOODEN panels, minimalist furniture, high ceilings, soothing piped-in music, and just a hint of a subtle lemongrass fragrance.

It has all the pretensions of a spa.

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But it's not just a soothing of the body that customers at these gay spas are paying for.

The purpose, although never explicitly stated, is to meet, hook up and have sex.

The New Paper on Sunday team visited one such spa in the downtown area recently.

At the reception counter, a good-looking, well-groomed male receptionist immediately makes you feel welcome.

First time here?

No problem, you can sign up for an instant membership.

At one spa, we paid less than $30 to be on this membership list.

You are then handed a set of plush white towels.

Whatever your build or height, you are encouraged to use the smaller ones - to better show off your physique.

Then it's off to the locker rooms to change.

As part of the service, lubricants have been conveniently placed in the lockers for use.

To make the message even clearer, postcard-sized advertisements are pasted on the locker doors showing room rental rates on the upper floor of the spa.

Beyond the lockers, the lights are turned down low, making it difficult to find your way around, especially if you are a first-timer.

The toilets have no doors, just curtains of retro-style plastic chains.

Members are seen walking up and down - cruising, in gay lingo - along the passageways.

Some make eye contact, some smile knowingly, some immediately strike up a conversation.

Some even walk around in the nude.

There is a gym on the premises where you can work out.

But ultimately, it seems the customers all want to head upstairs to the private rooms. In the 45 minutes we were at one spa, a steady stream of men were seen going upstairs.

This article was first published in The New Paper.