Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:03 What could be to travel. That's podcasts. Here we share our favorite destinations, travel tips, ideas for saving money and stories from our adventures. Be sure to check out our show notes at two travel dads.com/podcast-episodes. Hey, welcome back to another episode of to travel dads podcast. I'm Rob, I'm Chris. And um, today we are talking about something awesome and hilarious. Um, we're doing this today specifically cause we just left. Um, we're talking about, uh, Korean spa experiences. Yeah. Um, so it's something that I chose to do for Bob for his birthday because he heard about it through a friend, um, who are really raved about the amethyst room or I guess also known as the jewel room. Yeah. And so Bob really wanted to go check it out. So that alone is the reason that we went and then, yeah, now we've had a complete experience.
Speaker 1 00:59 Well, they have a jewel room, so we'll get told that. All right. But yeah, so we are going to tell you all about our complete experience at the Korean spa from start to finish. Um, but before we dig into that, um, let's kinda talk about some other spot type things that we have gotten to do. Cause I think feel like we get to visit spas randomly and every one is very different. And I was trying to think about what it is that I like about each one that we've gotten to go to. Um, and I think I like that they're so quiet. They are really quiet. I think it's, uh, it's nice that people respect your desire to relax and uh, find your inner Zen. Yes. So that's one of the things that we love to find is spas, a nice quiet space, a relaxation room sort of thing.
Speaker 1 01:52 Um, all scrap to remember word like around kids all the time. Yeah. So when we actually get a break to do a spa day, it's really special. We actually tell somebody to be quiet. I know. Yeah. We actually got to do a really wonderful one, um, in big sky Montana this summer and a friend watched the kids so that we could go and do it. And it was fantastic. That was nice. That wasn't so much of a spa experience as, as much of a, just go and get a massage experience. That's true. Yeah. So I guess, Oh, so then I guess that you just great segue into what we're talking about. So there's a spa experience and then there's a massage experience. Massage is awesome. You can, you know, get one anywhere, you know. Um, but doing the spy experience, um, we are, um, talking more about like the hot tubs, the pools, the different sort of team rooms, the sound <inaudible> yeah. All the different treatments and interesting health things that you can do at a spa. So, yeah. Um, so we've got soaking and spa pools, um,
Speaker 2 03:00 you like to do the weird, um, hot to cold sort of thing. Yeah, the, um, I, I, you know, I mean there's lots of information about it, but, um, yeah, there, you know, you can go from a really hot hot tub to a warmer pool and then down to a cold pool, um, and alternate between them. So, um, you know, I think it's great that there's something there for everybody, but I do enjoy doing that. I will say there was this one place that we went to that was in Ben, Jen, right. Um, and it's down in the Columbia Gorge on the Washington side of the river. Um, and they have a really great pool, but they also, and they have a nice a infrared seminar room and, uh, out out outdoor hot tub. But inside they have a really cold, cool pool, but it's freezing cold. Like it is the temperature of the sound. Like I want to say like 32 degrees too cold. It's too cold.
Speaker 3 03:54 Mmm.
Speaker 2 03:55 But, um, you know, but I think you're gonna find a different experience each place that you <inaudible>.
Speaker 3 03:59 Yeah. So I mean, that's something that we always try to do is each thing that is available when we get to do a spa sort of thing. Um, and you know, he was just talking about, it was actually not even a spa. It was just at the hotel, which was cool. So health all around. Um, so there's that aspect. And then there is of course, the massage aspect. So we've gotten to do, um, hot stone when we were in Hawaii. We did, um, Lomi Lomi I had it or did you have that? Or just me? It was the, let me, let me with the sticks where they roll the sticks across your body.
Speaker 4 04:32 Maybe. I think I wasn't sure. Well I didn't watch them do it. So if they use decks, I don't know. Maybe I thought it was there for arm. I never know actually what they're doing. Um, and I think we've talked about this before. It really great to like have it videotaped only so you could know like, okay, so how are they doing this really amazing thing so I could replicate it at home. Right. But you don't, you're just like imagining it as it's happening. You're like, how are they doing that? Yeah, it, gosh, I'm thinking back to this, this one massage that got to have a long time ago where somehow my arm did yoga independently of my mind and the massage therapist had my arm up bent and twisted back behind my head so that she could dig under my scapula, which was amazing.
Speaker 4 05:18 Anyways. Um, so that's another awesome thing is that spas offer all kinds of different treatments like that. And then like facials and stuff too, if you want to get into like the beauty side of things. But yeah. Well I think it's just, it's all about self care, right? And I think what's different about spas is that you have all those different treatments that you mentioned, rights or whether or not you want to do a body scrub, a facial body wrap, massage in addition to all those services that provide. You don't even have to get one of those. You can go and check in to the spa and enjoy the pools and then
Speaker 2 05:53 boy, the rooms that are available, um, all without actually doing a treatment.
Speaker 3 05:58 So I think that's what's really kind of cool about. And the spa. Yeah. And that's what brought us to the Korean spa was all the stuff besides the treatment type of things. But, um, so the reason that we want to share it is because it was, um, it was a very interesting experience from start to finish, you know, doing this Korean spa. It was our first time doing that for either one of us. Um, and beef, before we even went, we were advised to just roll with it. Open mind. Yeah. Yeah. Our friend who recommended, she said, just keep an open mind and just go with what they tell you to do and you'll have an experience. So that was not a lot of info and we did, I didn't research ahead of time. So, um, now we're gonna take you through what actually happened. Um, and yeah, it was very, um, intimate.
Speaker 4 06:49 No, not really. It wasn't intimate. No, it was, um, uh, you know, it's a, you know, you're, you're around lots of people, so you, when you first get to at least this spa, and I'm sure like many others, you checking at the counter and at this Korean spa, um, you know, uh, no shoes, right? So right out front there's a locker. Um, so you get a little key right that you'll take with your repor render rest. Um, you put your shoes right in the first initial locker before you enter in the, they call it the wet room area. And this is the space where it is, um, divided, right? So you've got your men space and then you have your women's space. And in these spaces, it's where it's, um, they're no clothes, right? So completely nude. You're not supposed to wear shorts in these areas, right?
Speaker 4 07:35 So you've got your towels and things, but this is where you go to use the different pools that are there. And that's why they call it the what room. So there's the different pools, which is like, at least in this space, um, the hot, warm and cool pools. And in addition to those, they have the steam room and the sound out. So you can go between all of these different spaces and enjoy that area. And there it's, it's, it's no clothes. So if you're not used to that, it, it first feels very awkward to literally just like walk out of the locker room, just, yeah. But naked. I think for most Americans it's probably like that versus other countries where, you know, these, these types of environments are common. Yeah. So I mean, personally for me, for the first few minutes I had to, um, just ignore everything around me and just make myself comfortable.
Speaker 4 08:23 Yes. You just have to go. It was really awkward for me. It's super awkward. It's weird. You kind of get a drink in your neck from keeping your eyes like up at the ceiling cause you know, you feel like you can't make eye contact and you know, the MTVs throughout the rest of the place. I think inside of there it'd be nice words. That would've been great to have a TV in there. But um, but, but still though, I mean people keep to themselves, it's not a, but then there were also a bunch of people who were just like chatting. Yeah. Just like regular conversation for other people in another cultures. Um, it's a, it's a social too,
Speaker 1 08:56 um, you know, while a social experience for me. Um, but, uh, but there, um, you know, you can, after you're done experiencing that portion of the spa, um, that's when it gets to be coed. So they give you a nice little outfit for you to wear. Um, so you put on your shirt and these little shorts and then you can go down to the coed space. And that's where the different rooms are that, uh, Bob had talked to him personally, that it was much more relaxing for me than the, than the wet room experiences. But yeah. But, um, yeah, so that's, that's the whole white room area. And they had that multi temperature, um, different pools, like Chris was talking about, you know, go from hot to cool to cold. Um, so there's that. But the thing we experienced about, to us soak on the sound, right.
Speaker 1 09:45 And Townson they had, um, I don't remember, I don't remember a cold pool, but they had like a, I remember there was the hot copper saline pools, and then there was like the, like sauna, the sauna. But, but, and that was different in which it was, I think it was like shorts optional. So, yeah, unlike where we were at, just that was mixed clothing optional that was mixed. Yup. That was also awkward. It was. But what's really different if you're not used to nudity, it's just, yeah, that's true. That's true. You can reserve your own room. Okay. But I'm moving back along with our experience today. Um, after we had our soak time, we had to be in the pools for at least a half an hour because Chris booked us, um, body scrubs. So what did you expect the body scrub was going to actually be like or include? Well, I thought the body scrub, um, would be in a room and, um, have some type of, uh,
Speaker 2 10:45 I don't like paste or, you know, some type of, some nice skin cleansing like cream or paste, something that had some expediating, you know, exfoliation with it, but it wasn't, um, it was actually in the same area, in that same wet room that we talked about and, uh, open to the rest of everybody else and you're actually completely naked doing this. Um, and there was this other guy who had just wears these exfoliating gloves and he just like scrubs you down. I don't even know what the gloves were made out of. Maybe they had, I just calmed my stones. I don't know. I had to close my eyes too because it was so I've had nine tattoos and only one of them was more exhilarating and, or had moments of pain more than my body scripted. I've had zero tattoos, but however, I don't think that the body scrub was painful in any way. Oh, it was painful for me. But I also like loofahs and, and I don't, and those types of things, um, you know, when, when I bathe or shower. Um, but what was interesting is that, um, in addition to the, the, the
Speaker 1 11:54 aggressive aggressive scrubbing, right. And you're just completely naked on like a massage table. It has, um, I, I don't know what it's like vinyl, vinyl. I was going to say a tarp thrown over, quite a tarp, but it is waterproof so that, um, they can, after they're scrubbing for a little bit, just like dump a bucket of hot water on you to rinse off the dead skin cells. And if you have your eyes closed, you're not quite prepared for it and all of a sudden you just, there's just this Deluth deluge over your body that is extremely sensitive. Keep your eyes closed. But, um, but that part actually felt good to me, like actually getting rinsed off without hot water. Um, it felt really good. So while it was an awkward experience, um, you know, just being naked on a table in the same area that other people are using these pools and walking by you, um, getting scrubbed by a rando person.
Speaker 1 12:46 Um, I think my skin feels great. Yeah. Okay. My skin does feel great, but yeah. Anyways, so, so it starts off in your, on your back and you're getting scrubbed aggressively everywhere and like he scrubbed in my beard, which felt weird and it felt like a cat was trying to clean my beard really aggressively. And there was the water and stuff and then you flip over and then the same thing you had to do the backside. And I felt that it got a little invasive in terms of my back crack. Well, but our friend told us like they're going to get in all the places and they get in all the places. So moving on from there, they did the same thing where they dump hot water all over your backside and then there's of course a hole in the table for your face to go through and like a standard massage table.
Speaker 1 13:33 Yeah. Um, I don't know how your face was sitting, but mine wasn't sitting quite right. And when that happened I had water go up like towards my mouth and my nose and it startled me and it was just, it added to my experience. Yeah. No, I, I, I figured out what was happening and I managed myself appropriately. Okay. Will not happen. Congratulations from there. Right. So with that body scrap experience, which was not what we had thought. Um, and uh, and then they end it by like kind of putting some sort of something else on you. Well then they kind of wash you with a loofa with some type of liquid. I don't know what, um, but, um, and then they give you like a little massage at the same time. Um, and they end by hitting you and, well, it's more like a cupping, clapping, like if you were to cut your hands and then kinda smack your body.
Speaker 1 14:22 Yeah. It's like, it's like that. Um, but uh, but, and it just kind of wakes you up a little bit. Um, but anyways, from there, then you go rinse off and then you get ready for your massage. Yeah. Yeah. And like I jumped back in the pools cause I was like, I don't know what to do right now. My body's on fire. But then, yeah, so going back down, um, or putting clothes on and then going down to the mixed coed area, that's where I finally started to like, relax and feel spy. Shh. Um, so yeah. Um, Korean massage is awesome. Um, it's a fun experience. It is. Um, it was not as aggressive and um, startling as my Chinese massage experience in, um, China. Um, but it was still, it was, it was very different from your standard therapeutic massage. Um, know if, have you ever seen like somebody actually do that, like seen a video of somebody doing what happened to us today?
Speaker 1 15:24 Like with the, no, I've not watched a video. I mean I've, I had this Korean massage today, which was completely different and picture on what you'll get from a standard. I know what I'm thinking in Charlie's angels, the movie with drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz and Lucy living like way back. I know there is a scene where they, where Lucy Lou is playing a massage therapist and she runs and jumps on Tim Curry's back and she's holding onto bars in the ceiling and walking on his back and then she cracks his neck and makes him go and coach number that. So that was my only reference of what was going to happen was watching like a spy movie. They didn't walk on our backs, but I wasn't in your room, but she walked on my bed or walked on your back. She walked on my back and she did this interesting thing with, um, her knees on my hips.
Speaker 1 16:14 Yeah. I had, I had, I remember feeling knees as part of the massage. But you didn't have no, she didn't walk on my back. Oh yeah. I had full on walking. It was very interesting. Like she like waited to take steps until she could sense my breath and um, many of my ribs got put back into place. Yeah. I think maybe they figured out what each person needs and then adjust their massage. Yeah. I mean, that makes sense. And that's how it should be. But that was, um, it was really fascinating and it was really interesting to have another person's full body, like their weight go into their elbows, at your shoulders and into their knees at your hips and really like this whole hippo lining process. It was fascinating.
Speaker 4 16:59 Well in, in rural view listening, I mean, depending upon what your experience has been with, you know, massage your standard massage that you'll get from, I think most massage therapists is very, um, calming and relaxing and you've got all these wonderful sense that they'll share with you. Asian massage is so different. Um, and it's amazing. I love being able to have both experiences because I also spend a lot of time in, in China, um, had lots of massage in, uh, you know, in Shanghai and there, I don't want to say it's aggressive, but it's just a different approach and I feel I prefer it actually, I think compared to the ones that just put you asleep, huh? I dunno, which I prefer. I really, really enjoy like the, because it's chiropractic.
Speaker 3 17:50 I was going to say it's massage and it's chiropractic. Like I feel that they have, um, I don't know,
Speaker 2 17:59 tons of experiences that are informing what they're doing. Yeah. Not that other people don't, it's just like they're taking in the thousands of years of experience, you know, that they've learned in, you know, they may share or whatnot. But, um, yeah, it's very, very different experience than your standard therapeutic massage. I loved it. I would totally do the massage aspect again in a heartbeat. Um, yeah, but I think that's kind of
Speaker 3 18:24 all I have to say about the massage. I mean, thinking back to like my Chinese massage in China where it was very for me, it was very aggressive and there was um, very quick, you know, like hand motion that was startling and on around my neck and then my neck getting cracked side to side and all that stuff and my feet been pulled over my shoulders and yeah, this was much, much more um, relaxed and less intense. So I enjoyed it. Extra good times anyways. So, um, after massage, um, you're kind of free to do what you want. So like Chris was saying, one of the cool things about getting to do a awesome like Korean, spotty like this is that you do have access to all the spaces. So you can go back upstairs, get back in the, the pools if you want. You can go in just like chill in the recliners or like do yoga.
Speaker 3 19:19 Um, but then there are a bunch of really cool, um, just different rooms that have different elements added to them. So, um, starting with, I think, I think my favorite room actually was the salt room. I didn't really get a chance to look at the floor. Um, did you notice Himalayan salt? Just like chunks, chunks, chunks of it, like underneath the, uh, the mats? Yeah. So like, not river rock size, but not pea gravel size. I don't know what I would call it. Gravel size. Yeah. Gravel or a little bit bigger than gravel of just salt that is all over the floor. Um, like it's like thick, like, like a sand pit. Um, and then they put like blanket, like type towels over it so that you can lay in, there are a great number of headrests and
Speaker 1 20:14 maybe at like giant, you know, rest that for bamboo. Stay up for your, and not bamboo sticks for chopsticks. Yeah. Like big chopstick rests that are for your head to lay on and you just lay there and um, it's a heated room. So, you know, it's just like a sonnet has, um, there's some seasoned wood in there and then seed or like Cedar planks in the ceiling and then, um, two of the walls and then an entire column is just more salt. Do you know what the benefit of the salt is? Cause I know that's also of how the age steaks, I don't, I could Google it, but I don't, I know it's nice to be in a, in a hot relaxing room. Yeah. Yup. And Google's trying to, yeah, sorry. As I said, I can Google that. Google decided to like open up on my phone, so, well why don't you Google that while I move on to the next room.
Speaker 1 21:07 So the salt room was really cool. It was really beautiful. Um, I totally broke a rule on a took pictures cause it was too cool and I had to, um, but then moving right along to the next room, the next room was the clay room. So it had, um, a whole bunch of terracotta elements to it. Um, in terracotta is very moisture absorbing. Right. Um, as well as it was heated and it was so much hotter than the salt room. Um, I, I felt like the clay room was more than what I could handle. I can't, I can't comment. It looks like it failed to go into what, uh, but in terms of the, the salt room, so a dry salt therapy or hallow therapy is a holistic drug free natural therapy using microparticles of salt to promote better breathing, healthier skin, sounder sleep, improved physical fitness and endurance and overall wellness.
Speaker 1 22:02 Interesting. There you have it. Who knew? Well, they did. Cool. Um, and it was just a cool room, but yeah, so the clay room was, I'm super duper hot. It kind of felt like I was in a kiln and um, again had the great, um, towels on the floor so you can just lay, um, it was not my favorite room though. Um, the next room in the Korean spa suite of therapy rooms was the jewel room in the jewel room. You know, like we said, that's, that was the initial reason that we went there was because we heard there's this room that is just covered in amethysts and it literally is a room where the walls are amethyst. It is amazing. So think about like going in a rock shop when you are on a vacation and you know, you're looking for fossils and stuff, and then you see those enormous geocodes that have, you know, purple crystals that are just enormous and amazing. So that's what this entire room was covered in was it was tile from the floor to about two feet up the wall and then just amethyst. And I didn't know what the purpose of that
Speaker 2 23:09 really was until I started to really think about it. And again, this was another hot room. Um, but I noticed after laying there for a couple of minutes that it was so quiet. So I think the, um, the acoustics, the amethyst, um, because they're just these jagged, jagged crystals everywhere, it just eats up the sound and creates this really remarkable, um, like sound buffer zone. It was, it was interesting. So yeah, I loved it. And it was super pretty. And I would love to do
Speaker 1 23:46 something like that here at our house. But Chris is just shaking his head no, that's not gonna happen. But um, and then the final room that is in the therapeutic area, um, it was kind of like the perfect end to our spotty and going from hot room to hot room to hot room was um, the ice room. So the ice room, um, it was very different and that it was a heavily air conditioned room. Yeah. Super cold, super cold, super chill. Like, um, but you're so hot and you're kind of sweating when you go into it that it feels amazing and they've got, um, polished granite stools for everybody to sit on. You know, rock maintains its coldness or its heat for a long time. So when you go, you sit on these granite stools and it just kind of sucks the heat out of you and brings you back to like a good functioning level.
Speaker 1 24:41 And I loved it. And the walls were covered in Rose quartz. So again, being cool with the rocks. Um, and there was a lovely canvas mural of polar bears, you know, you could just kind of zone out and think you're in it Arctic or something. It kind of felt a little bit like it, but I'm sure it was probably only like 30 degrees in there versus being like 30 below. But anyways, so yeah, that's how we ended our time at the Korean spa. Um, everything from the really awkward and kind of uncomfortable. And, um, like, like I said, for me, painful to the super duper relaxing, kind of dreamy, just amazingness that, yeah, it's the whole gamut. Yeah. We could survive the Korean spa. We did survive. Would you go back? Totally. What would you go back for? I would go back for a massage and I think maybe next time I might try the facial, um, in addition to the massage because the packages were like, you can do a body scrub and a massage or a facial and a massage.
Speaker 1 25:42 But I think facials are super relaxing. They'll put me to sleep. Um, and so I think I would do that. Um, and then maybe try some of the rooms that I didn't get to try. Interesting. I think I would go back to do some of the pool stuff and then definitely get another massage because that was really incredible and I love that technique. And then, um, I think it would also come with a little bit of a, um, yoga plan. And I would want to do, I know it sounds weird, but I would want to do just some very, very simple basic like, well yoga sequences. I heard the playroom, well I heard one of the guys too while you were getting a body scrub. And then I went to the sauna. One of the guys was talking about some class actually that he did there.
Speaker 1 26:27 That was some yoga type class. So I didn't ask more about it. Again. Everybody was like naked in the sauna, just having casual conversation. And I didn't insert myself in that, but I was listening. And so there, there is something, um, some type of exercise classes that they do. They're cool. I'd be into that. I love hot yoga, so, but cool. So that's that. Um, you know, I loved that experience and next time we go to another Korean spa, I'm sure we'll review it as well. Um, Oh, put some information in the show notes about where we went. Um, some of our tips for making sure that you're well prepared. We did not eat beforehand, which I think was a good idea. Well, yeah, because also an Asian massage, the like to rub your belly. Yeah. And yeah, if you aren't ready for that, all of a sudden you might feel this really aggressive massage along your digestive track that um, might make you fart or depending upon what time you go, it can be really uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 27:26 I did this when I was in Shanghai. I had like a massage, but it was after having like a couple of beers and then I was getting a massage and I had no idea that they're going to run my belly and it's super uncomfortable after drinking beer. So, you know, go in the morning, um, go on an empty stomach. Yeah. Fasting beforehand is a great way. But um, yeah, we'll leave some more tips that we think about as we kind of mind meld a little bit more. Um, I hope you enjoyed listening to us chat about this and um, yeah, leave a comment or a review on whatever podcast platform you are listening to you share your experience at a Korean spa. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog on um, two travel dads.com. You'll find the episode there. Leave a comment on the blog with your own experiments or recommendations to, um, cause I don't think this will be our last trip. Perfect. Cool. Thanks for hanging out with us and um, we'll talk to you later. All right. See you guys. Bye to Joel debts podcast is written by Rob and Chris Taylor and produced by Rob Taylor is Squamish Washington. If you would like to be on two trail dads podcast or sponsor it, please visit <inaudible> to traveled ads.com/work.
