Gangnam Spa

Gangnam Spa operates as Gangnam Spa LLC and is styled on the traditional Korean jjimjilbang. The space covers more than 30,000 square feet of specialty baths, sauna rooms and relaxation lounges, and guests move between heat rooms, baths and resting areas at their own pace. The spa says it aims to give every guest a high-quality experience.

Admission is required for every guest, including those who only book a service. Weekday admission is $48 from Monday through Thursday, and weekend and holiday admission is $58 from Friday through Sunday and on holidays. Admission gives all-day access with no reservation needed, and there is no time limit on a visit. On busy days a waitlist may be used, with guests admitted on a one out, one in basis. Shoes and personal socks are not allowed.

The spa is organized by gender. Men's and women's locker rooms have full-size lockers, showers, saunas and baths, and the bathing areas are nude, while the co-ed area sits outside the locker rooms and requires a uniform. Showers have shampoo and body wash, and locker rooms have hair dryers and basic toiletries. Photography, filming and phones in locker rooms and showers are not permitted. Outside food and drink are not allowed, and the spa does not accept bathing suits in the baths.

Among the heat rooms, the Bul-Ga-Ma rooms are heated with wood fire on modern equipment, and the spa describes them as the first and only Korean spa and sauna in the country to offer this feature. The New Illite Room has a base of illite stone from Korea, surrounded by Alven stone, over a heated floor. The co-ed area includes premium automated massage chairs.

Scrubs, massages and facials are sold separately and only by appointment, and a paid admission is required to use the spa. Plan to check in half an hour before a booked treatment, or a quarter hour ahead for early-morning bookings, such as the 9:15 am slot. Every sale is final. Late arrivals, missed appointments, late cancellations and guests who are unhappy with a treatment do not earn money back or store credit. A same-day cancellation may incur a charge of 50%. Treatments are not available to anyone who is pregnant. The spa adds that its services do not replace medical care.

The spa is built around the Korean bathhouse tradition of moving between heat, water and rest, with its services layered on top of an all-day admission.

A large multi-area bathhouse with heat rooms, specialty baths and quiet lounges.