Inside South Korean Spa Culture

A daytime view of within Spa Land at Centum City in Busan.
In certain countries, spas are a rare indulgence. In Korean culture, though, they’re necessary to the social scene.

And there’s lots of variety. Some South Korean spas - or jim jil bang - are tranquil and soothing, like Spa Land at Centum City in Busan (the architecture addititionally there is stunning). Other spas really are a displaced section of a Vegas casino that’s collided with a World Wrestling Entertainment-style road show. You’ll find common themes and etiquette expectations wherever you wind up, though. Something else cool: It’s simple to find cheap spa breaks, as little as $15 U.S., to lounge around for some hours.

Let’s run through what a South Korean spa is much like:

The Entry

There’s typically a front desk area. You’ll pay your fee and obtain a key, some slippers along with a robe/pullover sort of thing. If you’re having a person of the opposite gender, this is when you head to separate locker rooms. Keep that key along with you at all times: You also use it to purchase food and drink. It tallies your purchases electronically, and also you settle up at the end. It beats toting your bank account around with you, too. Yes, Korean culture could be pretty hi-tech!


Another nice look at the interior of Spa Land.
The Locker Rooms

This is when a lot of Americans might have trouble - the nudity here's pretty explicit … typical for Korean culture, however, many travelers might find it odd. Firstly you shower, then head (still naked) in to the steam room, the hot tubs and also the saunas. Westerners like me might also scratch their heads over a few of the local showering customs: Apparently, lots of Koreans prefer to shower seated. That explains the reduced shower heads in the hotels!

The most popular Area

Done with the saunas? Placed on the spa garb the front desk people issued during check-in. Meet your opposite-gender friend(s), striking the many relaxing rooms. Like what?

There are many rooms common to South Korean spas, because both versions have a different flavor and purpose. This informative article sums up the characteristics of the jim jil bang pretty nicely. Probably the most interesting rooms was pyramid shaped, that we associate more with Egyptian culture than Korean culture.

Conclusions

Do your homework when choosing a South Korean spa. Some frown upon children, while some welcome them. Korean culture could be pretty sedate, but sometimes it embraces the noise. The adults-only establishments, though, is going to be quieter. Whichever you prefer, there’s something for everybody. But know what you’re getting into.

Stress Management Spa Treatments In The Age Of Stress

We are now running around inside a fast-paced world that still filled with weary, confused individuals who seem to have missed out on the benefits of science, technology and also the million and one gadgets that promised to create easy living.

It has become very common to hear of people complaining about feign harassed or really stressed out because of the challenges everyday life. Stress
affects people all walks of life. From the plain housewife whose is attempting to balance household chores, taking care of the kids and being a
loving wife to her husband...towards the Sales Manager overseeing a group of sales representatives while trying to meet the daily sales quota...towards the ever-busy executive who burns the midnight oil simply to finish the product presentation prior to the deadline...to the student cramming up for that
exams and tons of other schoolwork.

There are plenty of other reasons why all of us come under stress. The Age of E-mails, Cell phones, and Microwave has not, therefore it seems, ushered a new duration of relaxation. Like our forebears, we Twenty-first century homo spines still grapple with the problems with death in the family, marital separation,
lingering illness, a loss of revenue of a job, financial troubles, conceiving a child, even divorce, and a whole lot of other human woes.

Anxiety and stress has been a constant companion of virtually every ordinary executive, laborer or employee who meets pressures and demands all sides. Being at work and staying at home equally pose different
examples of challenges that try the most patient of persons. The truly hassled people often lose sleep and their appetite by using it. Trying to meet office and family obligations is becoming like a juggling act using
razor-sharp knives. Fixing an active, full schedule is now a contemporary tale of failure for many urban professionals and managers. The entire business of living is becoming like a roller coaster ride where situations become so overwhelming that we're left with no choice apart from to accept that we
are not in charge.

Events that provoke stress are known as stresses. Stress and anxiety results in the volume of dizzying interactions we have to make with different people each day. The demanding work and residential environments have pushed many to find many ways and means to control anxiety and stress.

It is no wonder that stress management has become an everyday, household word. But increasing numbers of people are not just using the term like a catchy phrase. It is, for most people, a mantra for self-help and health. Increasingly more people are turning to alternative ways to deal with the stress and number
have discovered rest and solace within the spa. Spa treatments are no more the same as the saunas of yesteryear. Present-day spas tend to be more hip and trendy, catering to the tired executive and hurried employee's longing for serenity and a little love and attention.

Stress management involves going for a spa and getting a massage. But rather of just relying on the great old mint-scented liniment and the massage, consumers demand excellent facilities that contain the calming
designs of Zen and also the soothing scents of chamomile along with a host of other aromatic scents. A 2006 survey produced by the International Spa Association (ISPA) reveal that most Americans, or about 57 million people, have experienced at least one trip to the spa to relax frayed nerves and get a much-needed therapeutic touch.

Nowadays, a trip to the spa is no longer an extravagance but a necessity to maintain one's health. Pampering yourself is a means to release tension. Obtaining a full body massage is a method to help the body and the mind to relax. A tired soul can invariably go for the traditional body massage, the Swedish variant, or even the Japanese shiatsu method --- to get those muscles, joints and spine all rubbed and arranged for health. Spas aren't just places to break up a sweat. These health salons are actually the fastest growing businesses that promote stress management, offering an array of services from foot spas, body scrubs, to vegetarian diets. Recently, another innovation in stress management was introduced using the opening of the so-called hydrotherapy centers, where water is used as a massage tool.

Whatever method or technique, as long as people find life to be a supply of stress, the business of massage, spa, along with other health-promoting regimen will continue to be good businesses and viable alternative treatments.