My First Naked Spa Experience in South Korea
Experiencing how locals spend their time has always been high on my priority list when visiting different cities and countries.
Since missing my naked spa opportunity in both Iceland and Norway the previous year, I’d resolved while in South Korea I was going to have that experience. But here it was, my final and sixth week, and I still hadn’t plucked up the courage. It was now or never, and never is not in my vocabulary when it comes to experiencing a country’s culture.
As it was mid-winter, the many natural outdoor spas that abound throughout South Korea were out of the question for this little wood duck. I’ve had saunas in winter where you run out into the snow and jump in freezing water before charging back to the warmth of the sauna, and any similarities were not on my list as I can’t run as fast these days for starters!
I wanted to relax and enjoy every drop of what that mineral water would do for my skin. I wanted to relish the pampering, albeit naked. I’d convinced myself it would be worth every inhibition.
Heading to Busan’s, and the world’s largest department store with 16 floors, Shinsegae Centrum City, I finally found Spa Land hidden at the back of the store. There was no turning back now. The naked bit was going to be getting in and out of the spa baths, right?
On arrival, the lengthy line of couples at the Spa Land desk got me worried. Surely, we are not all naked together? All these couples canoodling and little lonely me — what had I signed up for? I’m not that liberal! Much relieved after confirming with the girl at the desk that it was gender-separate, I paid my 18,000 won (about US$15) for a four-hour stay, the cheapest I’ve ever paid to go to a spa. (This was the weekend rate. It’s cheaper during the week and evenings).
However, unlike most Korean ‘jjimjilbang’ (as locals call it) that are open 24-hours all year round and have sleeping rooms, Spa Land is only open from 6.00 am to midnight, and while they have resting areas, there are no sleeping rooms. Their 13 themed saunas, 22 spas and open-air foot spas fed by two different natural springs cater to a maximum of 1,500 people at any one time.
At the top of the escalator, there are lockers for your shoes. My first mistake while looking for the number on my electronic wristband key was to turn right – the male locker side. I was quickly corrected that the female side was left by those hovering around. In my defence, there was no defining signage and the lockers all blended into one line. I was beginning to wonder if I should cut and run now, but soldiered on.
After scanning my wristband at the turnstile, I was handed a most unflattering set of unisex shorts and t-shirt along with a minuscule hand towel and told to turn right. Obeying the command and following the corridor, I was confronted with multi-rows of lockers with women in various states of dress and undress between the rows.
Once I’d found the number on my key, I off-loaded my coat, bag and clothes and dressed in the same uniform as everyone else to investigate the various rooms. Mistake number two — I headed towards the bathing area. That’s a no-no with any stitch of clothing on! Thankfully a couple of younger Korean women took pity on me and explained where the saunas and other rooms were before I managed to bolt back to my locker.
Each themed sauna room has a description and temperature sign outside the door explaining the Korean medicinal benefits. There was a Pyramid Room, shaped the same, a Wave Dream Room, Body Sound Room, Roman and many more including an Ice Room to cool off in. The Yellow Ochre and Salt Room were my favourites. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the ochre stabilising my brain waves or the Himalayan salt promoting my blood circulation, I felt good in them.
The resting areas between the sauna rooms had multitudes of large armchairs with individual TV screens and headphones, reminding me of business class seats in a plane. If all this strenuous activity is too much, there’s also a quiet room with comfortable sofas where people were napping.
To satisfy any hunger pangs, the restaurant caters for every main meal and in-between snack imaginable. People also gathered in the more informal café, sitting on the heated timber flooring or benches snacking on their own food (many had hard-boiled eggs, but I wasn’t game to ask if there was any significance).
Thankfully there were quilted puffer jackets to equip ourselves before heading to the outdoor foot spa area. The open roof not only exposed the brilliant azure sky but allowed the crisp winter winds to billow through. The water temperatures here varied from hot, warm and even cold, but it was enjoyable walking along each section allowing the stony bottom massage your feet. Like the saunas, the resting areas, cafes and outdoor spa area on this level are also unisex. Don’t worry; no one was naked; we all looked like prisoners in the same bland, ill-fitting uniforms.
Sufficiently relaxed, I returned to the women-only section to attack my naked fears. My ‘uniform’ stored in the locker, I desperately tried to work out how to hold the towel, as it covered nothing substantial. Trying to look confident as I walked into the bathing area, I was unceremoniously stopped by a middle-aged uniformed Korean woman thrusting a pink scrubbing cloth into my hand and directing me to a vacant shower at the rear of a four-shower standing cubicle (there are also seated showers).
As the only non-Asian person I felt rather obvious. My every move was being scrutinised. The shower area was fully equipped with shower gel, soap, shampoo and even toothpaste. Emulating what the other girls and women were doing in my area, I proceeded to douse every inch of my head and body in beautiful smelling products for the next ten minutes. As the last one in I wasn’t going to be the first one out, for fear they may present me with a dunce hat.
Finally, it was time to try the warming spa ponds, each displaying the temperature so you can choose wisely. I slipped into the closest pool, which luckily also had some gentle pulsating jets around my back and feet. I could relax and appreciate the vastness of the room and its architecture. While I received a few sideways glances, no one stared or even cared. No matter their shape or size, clearly every woman of every age was confident in themselves.
Spending over an hour in the various pools, I was surprised that I wasn’t like a prune thanks to the sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate in the two different waters. In the women’s area, there’s also a covered outdoor area where few were venturing.
At the bathing area entrance, multiple powder rooms were equipped every woman’s need to make her beautiful again, from toners, creams, gels, sprays, blow-driers, brushes and combs and everyone, particularly the younger girls, looked like they were preparing for a night out.
The scrub rooms next door had a whiteboard displaying prices. While contemplating whether to partake or not, a young Korean woman exited her skin red-raw. I also got a glimpse of the uniquely clad scrub mistresses in their black underwear and decided I didn’t need to pay for some form of kinky torture. Although I’m told the ‘seshin’ intense cleaning process of being soaked in hot water and scrubbed strongly all over with the pink cloth and a brush rids the body of all dead skin cells, I was content now. I wanted to ensure that my last memory of my naked spa experience encompassed this peacefulness.
I was getting dressed and heading out for a well-earned soju. I was proud of myself, and somewhere during the past four hours, I’d also lost my naked inhibitions. If I lived in Korea, I’d be doing this every week just like the locals do.
Spa Land costs 15,000 won on weekdays and 18,000 on weekends for four hours. Unless you buy extra time upfront to stay longer (which is cheaper), you will pay more when leaving for any additional hours over the four and also for any food or drinks you charged to your electronic wristband.
Header image: © Marcos Calvo Mesa
