Geylang spa privacy concerns after phone use incident

A female guest lodged a police report after spotting another woman using a mobile phone in the hot pool area of a spa in Geylang, but it turned out she was filming promotional materials.

The spa involved later clarified that it has since strengthened internal procedures to prevent further incidents.

The incident occurred at about 10pm on June 3 at G.Spa, a 24-hour spa and wellness centre located along Guillemard Road in Geylang.

Ms Hu (transliterated), 30, told Shin Min Daily News that she had checked into the spa in the evening of June 2, and spent the night there after using its facilities. However, when she visited the hot pool area the following day, she was shocked to see a woman using a mobile phone to take photos.

“She was fully clothed and did not look like a customer who was there to use the hot pool. At the time, there were three guests in the pool area, and we were only wearing the paper undergarments provided by the spa. It would have been very easy for someone to be accidentally exposed,” she said.

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Spa says photography was for marketing purposes, images deleted

Concerned that her privacy had been compromised, Ms Hu said she approached the woman and asked whether she had been taking photographs.

The woman initially denied doing so, but later said that Ms Hu had not been captured in any of the images. She eventually said that she would delete the photos.

Feeling uneasy about the incident, Ms Hu reported the matter to a staff member.

According to her, the staff member explained that the woman was an invited marketing personnel carrying out promotional work for the spa. The staff member also assured her that neither photos nor videos of Ms Hu had been taken and that any content captured had already been deleted.

Nevertheless, Ms Hu decided to make a police report.

“The incident went on for some time. I have no way of confirming whether the photos were actually deleted, nor can I be sure that they were not forwarded, backed up, or saved elsewhere,” she said.

Internal procedures strengthened: G.Spa

In response to queries from Shin Min Daily News, a G.Spa spokesperson confirmed that the company occasionally collaborates with content creators and social media partners for marketing campaigns. All individuals involved in such shoots are required to comply with the spa’s privacy requirements and filming restrictions.

“They are informed not to capture images or videos of other guests without consent and are required to follow staff instructions at all times,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also shared that staff members assisted Ms Hu in contacting the police, and officers subsequently visited the scene to speak to those involved.

The company added that it has since strengthened internal procedures, including introducing clearer filming guidelines, enhancing briefing requirements for content creators, and closer staff supervision of approved content creation activities.

Moving forward, filming activities involving sensitive or designated areas will require prior approval from management and must be supervised by a designated company representative.

Customer dissatisfied at spa’s response to one-star review

Ms Hu said she had left a one-star Google review on the day of the incident, warning others against patronising the establishment.

The spa responded to her review, but she felt it failed to address the issue directly and that the response was inappropriate.

When asked about the review, the spa’s spokesperson said the response was intended to reflect the facts as understood by staff at the time and was not meant to dismiss the guest’s concerns.

The representative added: “We regret if our response came across as insensitive, and we will review our public communication practices as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the guest experience.”