# Spa (2026 film)
**Spa** is a 2026 Indian Malayalam-language adult comedy-drama film written and directed by Abrid Shine, set almost entirely inside an urban massage therapy center called La Paradise and centered on Mathan, a man struggling to separate the reality of love from its fictional ideals[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/). It was released in India on 13 February 2026[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Abrid Shine (story, screenplay, dialogues)[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) |
| Release | 13 February 2026 (India); 20 February 2026 (Ireland)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/) • [3](https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/18AB33C6003B44B7) |
| Certification and length | CBFC category A (adults only), certificate dated 9 February 2026, certified length 118.32 minutes[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) |
| Setting | La Paradise, an urban massage therapy center; a stream of male clients passes through while the therapists and receptionists hold the narrative together[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/) • [4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html) |
| Principal cast | Vineeth Thattil (Mathan), Shruthy Menon (Zara/Jennifer), Radhika Radhakrishnan (Riya), Sidharth Bharathan, Sreeja Das, Poojitha Menon[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) • [5](https://www.filmoti.com/movies/spa-2026) |
| Key crew | Music Ishaan Chhabra; cinematography Swaroop Philip; editing Manoj[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) |
| Producers | Sajimon Parayil and Sanchoo J, through Sparayil Creations and Sanchoo J Films, Ernakulam[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D) |
| Streaming | OTT debut on Manorama Max, announced 27 May 2026[6](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/05/27/abrid-shine-spa-ott-release-aaahladaam-malayalam-movies-manorama-max.html) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The film follows the intertwined lives of people connected to La Paradise, an urban massage therapy center. Clients arrive from different walks of society, from a sawmill worker to a doctor, an artist, and a film star, most of them seeking sensual pleasures under the pretext of a body massage[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2026/Feb/13/spa-movie-review-a-daring-engaging-experiment-that-falters-late). The [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification)'s plot summary describes an emotional and humorous arc in which an unexpected romantic attraction develops between Mathan and Riya after a therapy session[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D).
**Episodic storytelling.** Reviewers identified the film's structure with Shine's 2016 film *Action Hero Biju*: a steady stream of characters passing through a single location, each revealing a sliver of social behavior, with the storytelling mostly simple and linear[4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html) • [7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2026/Feb/13/spa-movie-review-a-daring-engaging-experiment-that-falters-late). Shine had said the story was not initially conceived around a spa setting; the idea emerged from his desire to explore a space where men and women could interact without social masks[6](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/05/27/abrid-shine-spa-ott-release-aaahladaam-malayalam-movies-manorama-max.html).
### The ending: Themes and reception
**The ending.** Reviews converged on the final act as the film's weak point. The Cinema Express review described a sudden introduction of two new characters and a Kill Bill-style subplot with underdeveloped writing and unconvincing action sequences; Nowrunning called the climax contrived and the epilogue weak[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2026/Feb/13/spa-movie-review-a-daring-engaging-experiment-that-falters-late) • [8](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/31646/spa/12231/review/).
## Themes and reception
Critics read the film as a satire on desire, pseudo-morality, and double standards, examining how men mistake desire for entitlement while the women who work at the spa are given agency and puncture male pretensions with wit[4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html) • [8](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/31646/spa/12231/review/). The Onmanorama review noted that [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema) has rarely ventured with confidence into adult comedy, often reducing it to crude wordplay, and credited *Spa* with a lighter, more observational approach that trusts suggestion over shock[4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html).
**Timing and context.** The release coincided with public and police scrutiny of massage parlours across Kerala, particularly in [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram), and with the BJP-led Thiruvananthapuram corporation's crackdown on cross-massaging (sexual services offered under cover of massage), which reviewers said lent the film added charge[4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html) • [7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2026/Feb/13/spa-movie-review-a-daring-engaging-experiment-that-falters-late).
## Release and classification
The film was certified A (adults only) by the CBFC's Thiruvananthapuram regional office on 9 February 2026, with a certified length of 118.32 minutes[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D). It opened in India and the United Kingdom on 13 February 2026[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/). In Ireland it was classified 16 by the Irish Film Classification Office on 18 February 2026, with strong ratings for violence, sex/nudity, and language, and released on 20 February 2026 through Dreamz Entertainment[3](https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/18AB33C6003B44B7). In Australia it received an M rating with consumer advice noting crude humor, sex scenes, coarse language, and references to sexual violence[9](https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Movie/Spa-Malayalam).
After its theatrical run, the film moved to streaming: Onmanorama reported on 27 May 2026 that its OTT debut was set for Manorama Max[6](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/05/27/abrid-shine-spa-ott-release-aaahladaam-malayalam-movies-manorama-max.html), while NetTV4U listed it as streaming on Amazon Prime Video with an OTT release date of 28 May 2026[10](https://nettv4u.com/movie-review/malayalam/spa).
## Commercial performance
IMDb records a user rating of 5.7/10 from 318 votes and a gross worldwide of $2,740[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/). On [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) the film held an 8.1/10 rating from more than 650 user votes, with review tags favoring direction, craft, and acting[11](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/darlapudi/spa/ET00486294).
## References
1. [SPA film certification record, Central Board of Film Certification](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTIwMTIyMDI1MDAwMjM%3D)
2. [Spa (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39028247/)
3. [Spa (2026), Irish Film Classification Office](https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/18AB33C6003B44B7)
4. [What happens in a 'Spa': Abrid Shine's adult comedy peers into male fantasy, Onmanorama (February 17, 2026)](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2026/02/17/spa-malayalam-adult-comedy-review.html)
5. [Spa (2026), Filmoti](https://www.filmoti.com/movies/spa-2026)
6. [Abrid Shine's 'Spa' set for OTT debut on Manorama Max, Onmanorama (May 27, 2026)](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/05/27/abrid-shine-spa-ott-release-aaahladaam-malayalam-movies-manorama-max.html)
7. [Spa Movie Review: A daring, engaging experiment that falters late, Cinema Express (February 13, 2026)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2026/Feb/13/spa-movie-review-a-daring-engaging-experiment-that-falters-late)
8. [Spa Review: A Satire on Desire, Nowrunning (February 14, 2026)](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/31646/spa/12231/review/)
9. [Spa (Malayalam), Event Cinemas](https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/Movie/Spa-Malayalam)
10. [Spa Malayalam Movie Review (2026), NetTV4U](https://nettv4u.com/movie-review/malayalam/spa)
11. [Spa (2026), BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/darlapudi/spa/ET00486294)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Malayalam films of the 2020s › Malayalam films of 2026*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license