Dragon Hill Spa.

Today is Chuseok!! Happy Korean Thanksgiving! :) From what I understand, the Korean tradition is to go to the grandparents' house and share a big meal together. Nothing special; just every kind of Korean food there is. (With the amount of sides we typically eat at one meal, I can't even IMAGINE how much Chuseok food there is!) That's what I'd call a feast! Then, they make food and leave it for their ancestors, along with some gifts.

I talked to one of my Korean co-workers, Iris, on Thursday, and we were comparing Thanksgivings. They are very different. She told me that once you reach a certain age, you can choose whether or not you want to visit family during Chuseok. You can choose to spend time with your friends instead and take a short vacation if you want to. I told her that while it wasn't REQUIRED to spend time with family at Thanksgiving, it's pretty much expected. And if you have friends in college who can't make it home, you typically invite them to come home with you. No one is alone on Thanksgiving. :)

Since most restaurants and establishments are closed on Chuseok, Shannon and I decided to spend the day at a spa. Dragon Hill Spa. This isn't a normal spa that you would find in the States. It's called a "jjimjilbang."They are very popular in Korea, and very common. There's one big difference: There are separate floors for men and women. Why? Because there are many different saunas and hot or cold pools to soak in...and you don't wear clothes. WHAT?! Yes, this was a completely new experience for Shannon and I, but something that a foreigner should experience while in Korea. It's really wonderful for your skin, and just relaxing in general. After you get over the initial shock, you can really enjoy yourself.

After you're done in the pools, they give you shorts and a t-shirt (very stylish!) to wear on all the other floors. There are restaurants to eat in, co-ed saunas to sit in, an arcade, a movie theater, massage chairs, a garden, a terrace on the roof to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, napping rooms, a swimming pool. So many wonderful things. Jjimjilbangs are very family-friendly, and we saw a lot of kids running around.

After we spent an ample amount of time in the "women only" side, we put on our sweet matching outfits and wandered upstairs. We sat on the terrace and read our books for awhile. We got tired, so we went to the napping room to rest. I fell asleep while Shannon read some more. After that, we went to one of the restaurants and got some dinner. It was really yummy. We sat in a few of the saunas before heading back upstairs to change clothes and head home.

When you first arrive, you pay 10,000 won (under $10!!) to get into the spa, and they give you a bracelet to wear. It has a key attached which is your locker key, and also has a barcode on it. You have a locker downstairs for your shoes, and a locker in the women's locker room upstairs to keep your bag and clothes. Every time you buy anything, you just scan your bracelet, and they charge it. The bracelets are waterproof, so you wear them with you everywhere you go. When you leave, they scan your bracelet at the front desk, and you pay the extra money you owe. Really easy.

Today was the perfect day to go the spa. It wasn't very busy, and a lot of places were closed anyway. Shannon and I had the BEST time and definitely want to go back! And for only $10 for a trip to the spa, why not take advantage of that, right? :)