*note to self: take photo before the spa, because at this point, IDK even know what is going on. I am pretty sure I was sleep walking??*

DRAMATIC MUCH? Really though- if you haven’t been to a Korean spa you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

Yesterday, for my friend’s bday, I took her to the Korean Spa. She was a Korean Spa virgin, & it literally blew her fucking mind. As I was getting every single inch of my body scrubbed, it came to me, I need to blog about this experience ASAP.

A lot of people have never heard of a Korean Spa which makes this post basically a PSA. For those of you who have heard of a Korean Spa & haven’t yet gone because you’re intimidated, this post is gonna change.

My sister told me about Korean Spas 5 years ago when she was living in San Francisco & got us all hooked. Now that she lives in San Diego, we go together as a family. You don’t know family bonding until you’ve been to a Korean Day Spa.

ENOUGH OF THAT THOUGH- let’s get down & dirty w/ ALL the details… because there is a lot to know before you go!

What is a Korean Day Spa?

FIRST THINGS FIRST!! What is this out of world place people are raving about?! Korean Day Spas basically modern day bath houses & have become super trendy- for good reason, they are honestly amazing. Mind blowing. Life changing.

Clearly I am passionate about Korean Day Spa’s & am fully committed to converting all of you to make an appointment asap. The relaxation you will experience is like nothing else.

A Korean Day Spa is your one stop shop for all things self care, relaxing, & hanging out. In Korea, spas are meeting places. They aren’t about popping in for a facial & heading out- the women meet at the spa, stay for hours (or all day), they eat at the spa, they get treatments, they detox in the sauna, they shower (a lot!), they even take naps.

After going to a Korean Spa firsthand, & reading this post, you will have a new found respect for the commitment Korean women have to their wellness.

What you need to know before going to a Korean Spa

There is so much to know before you go & I think going in with an idea of what’s gonna happen will help you go into feeling much less intimidated & much more prepared to chill the eff out.

• Walk-ins are typically welcome at Korean Day Spas, but you can also make an appointment. You can either book a service or simply get a day pass to use the facilities.
• It’s affordable. A massage/scrub combo is around $80 & a day pass is $20.
• Korean Day Spas are open to both men & women, yet you will be separated during spa time.
• There will be tons of nudity… but it’s not a big deal. You have to be naked in the spa area for sanitary reasons. You may think you will feel self conscious, but you won’t. NO ONE IS LOOKING, no one is judging, everyone is just way too zen to care & after 5 minutes the awkwardness disappears.
• Don’t wear makeup. For some reason I decided to wear mascara yesterday, which I knew was a bad idea when I was putting it on… I think I forgot just how intense things got. So yah- NO MAKEUP!!!
• All Korean Spas are different, some more elaborate than others, but they typically include a variety of saunas, healing rooms, jacuzzis, cold tubs, etc. The Aqua Day spa I go to is on the smaller side, but has everything needed to relax- a clay room for detoxification, a wet sauna, a dry sauna, a jacuzzi, & an ice pool.
• Some of the more elaborate Korean Spas have gold lined saunas, Himalayan salt rooms, ice saunas, restaurants, are multiple levels, etc. I feel like I would need two day passes to get through everything, but I do need to see this in person… in the meantime, Aqua is fabulous.
• If you book a service, you need to arrive 30 minutes early to use the facilities (it prepares your skin for scrubbing)
• THEY ARE OPEN EITHER VERY LATE OR ALL NIGHT! I have never done a night time session, but it sounds pretty epic. Originally Korean spas were a place for the drunk businessmen to go to sober up, clean up, & rest before getting to work the next day… so a lot of them keep the all night tradition alive. Aqua Day Spa is not one of them, but they do stay open until 10pm.
• The scrub/massage is the traditional treatment & what I get every time. This scrub is like nothing you’ve every had before… but I will get down to the dirty details in a sec.
• Don’t be loud & don’t even think about bringing your phone anywhere near the spa rooms. This is a place for relaxation & no judgement, respect that. Come with friends, but be chill.
• Bring your own beauty products! They have shampoo for you, but if you like your own, bring it. You can also bring a deep conditioning hair mask & a sheet mask (although they typically do sell sheet masks!)

The Korean Spa experience

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF, the full Korean Day Spa experience from start to finish! This is how it goes down at Aqua Day Spa, but I am pretty sure the experience is pretty universal across the board!

• Upon arrival, you are given a key on a wristband. DO NOT LOSE THIS KEY. This is the key to your locker & your identifying number for the day. You are also given a basket that has a robe & two towels. You will get naked, put your stuff in your locker, & take yourself + your bin into the spa area.
• Once in the spa area you have to take a shower before using any of the facilities for sanitary reasons. Once clean, you have 30 minutes to do whatever until your name is called to be scrubbed.
• I typically hit up the wet sauna, dip in the cold pool (it’s freezing & I can only go halfway), put on a sheet mask, & chill in the jacuzzi till my scrub.
• When it’s your turn, a small Korean woman wearing a black bra and black underwear will come and shout your number.
• You will be led back to the other half of the spa where there is a line of orange vinyl tables. They are all close to each other so you will be scrubbing in an open area with other women. The tables are wet, the whole situation is very wet, but don’t be scared- everything is fully cleaned between scrubs.
• THE SCRUBBING BEGINS!!! You start off on your stomach, but you switch to your back & both sides so that EVERY SINGLE inch of you is scrubbed multiple times. This is an INTENSE SCRUB. The mitts are rough, parts can get slightly uncomfortable (nothing too bad), & they are not scared to get in there. Don’t be surprised if they fling your legs open to get your inner thigh & fully scrub your boobs. It’s all part of the process & 100% normal. They do this all day long so just go with it & enjoy the process. They will scrub you for a minimum of thirty minutes, throwing buckets of warm water on you every 5 or so minutes, & if you look around you when their done scrubbing you will see an unbelievable amount of dead skin on the table. It’s sick, but also rewarding & it’s the most epic form of fully body lymphatic drainage. If it’s too hard, speak up… they will go easier on you (I like it level 10 rough though!!!).
• Once the scrubbing is done you will shower & come back for your massage. The massage is also not for the faint of heart, but it is one of the best massages I’ve ever had. These tiny women are STRONG & they really get in there. They focus on pressure points & although they have a strong hand, I fall asleep every time. They massage your back & then flip you over to massage your front (including a digestive tract massage!!).
• THAT’S NOT IT THOUGH!!! After they are done w/ the massage your tiny masseuse will begin to whip up a homemade cucumber mask. I literally watched her grate a whole cucumber, make a paste, & then apply it to my face. While it sits, they WASH YOUR HAIR/give you an insane scalp massage (again, no dainty fingers here!). It is heaven.
• Lastly, before they send you on your way, they douse you in warm milk. YES, WARM MILK ALL OVER YOUR BODY. I am speechless. There are no words to describe the level of zen I am feeling at this point in the process.
• They direct to shower one more time, give you an envelope to tip the scrub master, & you are welcome to go off & continue using the facilities for as long as you like. I will typically do a quick lay down in the red clay room for further detoxification (+ it aids in weight loss) before making my way to the dumpling spot… cause all that scrubbing makes me hungry lol.

AS FOR THE TAKEAWAY FROM THE WHOLE THING: you will be in a weird relaxation coma for the rest of the day, extremely glowy, SO FUCKING SOFT OMGGGG. You don’t even know what soft skin feels like till you’ve done a Korean scrub. I literally compared my arm to a 2 year old & my skin was softer. I KID YOU NOT.

Seeing the effort Korean women put in to taking care of their skin is inspiring & the results show in their flawless complexions… which gives me a renewed energy on upping my skincare routine. I definitely need to invest in some of those extra strong scrub gloves & make my Korean Day Spa visits MUCH more regular!

SO… have you guys been to a KOREAN DAY SPA? Is your experience the same as mine? If you haven’t been- DID THIS POST CONVINCE YOU TO GO? LMK! x.