At The Spa

Only in Korea would someone name a water park a spa. Ok ok, it wasn't just a water park. Sunday after my Buddhist adventure, I went with my boyfriend to Termeden about an hour outside of Seoul in Ichon (not Incheon). This place had lots of pools to play in, indoor and out. There was also lots of saunas, and even one sauna outside (you had to go in to feel the heat, but it was actually like walking into a big outdoor baking oven). Outside, they had some jjimjilbang (public bath) style baths with scented water too.

It was a very hot day, so we had fun playing in the water (around all the screaming children). They had some little water slides that we had fun on, and they had lots of massage jets everywhere in all the pools.

The highlight of the day was the doctor fish. Doctor fish is a phenomenon that started in Turkey, but has become popular in many countries. Basically, you can put your feet (or your body) in with a special kind of fish that will feast on all the dead skin on your body. It sounds a bit gross, but after 30 minutes with my feet in the pool, my feet felt significantly nicer. It was a bit weird having my feet nibbled on and it felt like someone was tickling me... I couldn't stop laughing... but once I got used to it, the feeling wasn't bad at all.

I guess Doctor Fish are being baned in the US because of health concerns. They can probably spread skin diseases quite well. But, It's been a week and I haven't noticed any weird growth on my feet, so I think I came out ok. :-)

After a few hours of playing in the pool, I went and showered and then went into the real jjimjilbang. The jjimjilbang is always a bit intimidating, since you have to go in naked. But all the nice pools of water and saunas make it worth the uncomfortable feeling. I sat around in the pools for about 20 minutes, but it's just not that fun when you're alone. Besides, it was closing time anyway. I got dressed and we went home. What a nice day!