Seoul Diary: Dragon Hill Spa
Ice Room
Level 1 Steam room
Level 4 Steam Room!
Egyptian themed room :’)
Me yawning like a Totoro
Dragon Hill Spa is a Jjimjillbang located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. My friends Danielle and Florian took me and Joanne there one evening after a hard day of shopping ^___^ keke. It was one of the most awesome experiences ever, i’ve never even been to an English spa resort so i didn’t know what to expect.
As soon as you enter through the bushy tunnel covered in fairy lights, you go to a desk and pay 12,000 KRW (like £7?!) In exchange for an electronic wristband with a key on it , a t-shirt, shorts and a towel. You walk through to lots of tiny lockers for everyones shoes, most traditional places in Korea you have to take off your shoes even some restaurants. After this me and Florian headed to the mens locker room and WOAH what a shock i had, basically Korean dudes don’t really give two hoots about people seeing their privates, it’s just normal? Infact you’re strange if you walk around covering it up! The mens hot baths were just on from the locker room and these baths you are supposed to go in naked >__< first we were going to experience the rest of the spa and use these last. So i had lots of time to prepare myself….. Firstly we changed into the ‘Dragon hill spa’ t-shirt and shorts and head downstairs. I felt like i was in Spirited Away, i had become on of the members of the bath house… aha.
Downstairs was an arcade full of games where you could win plushies, air hockey, shoot em ups, bongo/dance mat games and even Noraebang booths?! WTF! aha All you have to do is swipe your electronic wristband and it gets added to your tab ^__^! such a good idea (this also goes for any food/drink you buy and any premium services you used eg.massage chairs!)
On from the arcade was a food/restaurant bit, everyone gets these hardboiled eggs?! I was like Ehhhh? but the customers seemed to love them aha. The next section was like a big chill out room with a giant throne in…led on from this room were steam rooms with tiny doors, all different temperatures and levels, we’d go in on level 1 until we were sweating out and then keep moving up and up until my entire t-shirt was full onwet with sweat 0_0…. but no one even cared or batted an eyelid, it was normal aha. Once id got to this point though i FULLY appreciated the ice room.
We went downstairs again and there was a hub of computers like an internet cafe and then a cinema room…? After a good few hours of steaming/arcading we headed to the baths… Upstairs me and Florian went and then we had to strip off our branded t-shirts and shorts. Left Stood naked with all the other naked Koreans i just strutted with confidence… and maybe slightly quicker than usual? ahah. I felt okay though as it appeared Koreans aren’t as well endowed as the English…and i dont think they have ever heard of shaving or even maintaining?!!? ANYWAY.
The hot baths were awesome, up to 45 degrees and one steam room that made me feel like i was about to have a nose bleed, but dont worry in that room was a fountain of freezing cold water that i continually splashed my face with as to not let the imaginary nose bleed happen. Once we were done we used the facilities provided to get ready, including hair dryers, lotion even ear buds!?! It was insane. The level of detail in this place, now that i’ve experienced this kind of spa i dont think anything in England can come close to it.
The East just have a different perception of living, especially in their attitudes. Me and my friends were saying, this kind of spa/bath house definitely wouldn’t work in the UK, you see young people/teenagers with their grandmas/families all sweating it out together and then all bathing together nude? The UK are too self conscious, it’d be rare to see the majority of England acting in this kind of way, some teenagers would find it life ruining to be naked in a bath with their gran, maybe it’s a lack of respect? I’m not sure.
I just know it’s very different but i prefer it ?
Sorry i’ve babbled on, maybe my longest post ever? and it’s about a spa :’)
More Seoul Diary on its way!
PS. im back at University now, WHYYYY.