Relaxation usually means escaping the crowds — but don't tell that to the operators of the jumbo-sized spas that have recently become popular in Asia. Tokyo's five-story, 10,000 sq m Spa LaQua, tel: (81-3) 5800 9999, crams some 65,000 guests a month into its hot-spring baths, pools, saunas, massage rooms and restaurants. In Seoul, the popular Sports Club Seoul Leisure, tel: (82-2) 404 7000, uses an extraordinary range of facilities as its lure: its 10 floors feature themed saunas,

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nginx/1.14.0 (Ubuntu) oxygen rooms, a golf practice range, a movie theater and a karaoke room. In Shenzhen, the gaudy Queen Spa (86-755) 8225 3888 sprawls over 40,000 sq m and includes overnight sleeping capsules, more than 500 massage rooms, and a leisure area with Internet access, billiards and table tennis (there's also a restaurant serving Cantonese and European fare).

Can such behemoths really be considered spas? "They are more like leisure entertainment complexes for the masses," says Maggie Gunning, managing director at Spa Synergy, a Singapore-based spa consultancy. They're fast becoming hotel alternatives, too. An extra $17 at LaQua, for instance, lets you stay overnight in a fully reclining chair. Factor in the $23 entrance fee, as well as the costs of a massage and a meal, and you still have a bargain when it comes to lodging in Tokyo. Just don't expect a mint on your pillow.

• STEVE MOLLMAN
• Jumbo-sized spas have become leisure entertainment complexes for the masses