Back to Korea 2018: Siloam Sauna

With the previous section primarily on my 2nd home Busan (lol), it is now time to focus on one other highlight during my trip:

Siloam Sauna

This is very popular for locals and tourists alike, maybe due to the fact that it is very near Seoul Station. Due to the convenience, we stayed in Siloam Sauna for 1 night before going off to Elysian Ski Resort the next morning.

Do u know? Koreans actually don't wrap the towel around their head like what we did. This is totally a tourist thing. We only did it for the photos and took it off immediately after that. 

Grabbed this image from their website. The whole Siloam Sauna has 6 levels, with the meeting lounge that all males and females can access at level 2. B1 and 1F are strictly split into male and female sections. The steps I went through was as follows:

Level 1F

1. Pay at the reception, the recep will give u the jjimjilbang "uniform" and key
2. Proceed to the shoe lockers and remove your shoes at the shoe locker
3. Pass your shoe locker key to the counter inside and they will pass u a key and towel for your clothes locker
4. Proceed to the clothes locker and remove all your clothes and prep for bath (yep the part where u get shy and see a lot of naked people around)

Level B1

1. Proceed to the bath area below and start bathing (uhhuh it is an open bathing area)
2. Soak in the hot springs, then cleanse off and dry yourself before going back to wear your uniform at the clothes locker at 1F 

Afterwards, it was really just exploring the whole building. We went from 2F to 3F to 4F. I couldn't take the hot rooms (50 and 60 degreeC)  and went into a charcoal room with a comfortable 22 degreeC for a bit.

When it was time for bed, we went to 5F for the sleeping rooms. 

There are various types of rooms:

1. Mixed rooms
2. Strictly male or female sleeping rooms
3. Snorer's room
4. Red Clay cave (mixed)

So being the traditional shy women that we are, of course we chose the female sleeping rooms! hahaha. Another thing to note, was that, u can really hear snoring sounds once u step into the sleeping rooms. HAHAHA. Can't imagine what goes on in snorer's room when it is already very loud in the other normal rooms.

As seen from my photo, there is a cubicle with a pillow and blanket for the sleeping room; I chose the top cubicle, crawled in, and closed the curtain. Do note that during the whole process, I kept a towel with me at all times, so that whenever I lie down, I will place the towel on the pillows first (OCD me).

When it is morning, just go back to level 1F/B1 to wash up/bathe before wearing your clothes at the clothes locker. It really is a nice therapeutic place since we don't have this culture in Singapore. The rate for going in at night for bath and sleeping is at KRW 17,000. Super cheap if u want to save on hotels!

I am also quite particular about cleanliness, and Siloam Sauna is not bad, so it is perfectly fine to replace one night of hotel stay with this.

http://www.silloamsauna.com/

49, Jungnim-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

Nearest station: Seoul station exit 1

Please click below for
Korea VLOG
Everland
Dynamic Busan
Elysian Ski Resort
Seoul Food So Good

Back to Korea 2018: Dynamic Busan

I am back to my 2nd home!

This time, however, I will just touch on the attractions that I visited:

Nampo-dong

Jagalchi Market

Gamcheon Culture Village

PNU Shopping Street

Nampo-dong

The whole stretch of Nampo-dong shopping street and BIFF are famous. The hotteok from here is a definite must-try. There are 2 stalls though, and it really depends on whether you prefer sweeter or savoury. My advice: get both!

And alas, there is also the Style Nanda Pink Hotel at Nampo-dong. No need to squeeze with so many people at the Myeongdong branch.

There are also a lot of cafes and good food lining the whole stretch. 

And my favourite is to come to this small alley for super cheap street food.

Nearest station: Nampo or Jagalchi Station

This pancake costs 3000 won and I always like to share this with a friend for dinner. Which means u only spend 1500 won and can get so FULL. The street food from the small alleys are all delicious by the way. And with one of the weakest stomachs, I can attest the street food here is very clean.

Jagalchi Market

Jagalchi Market is the biggest fish market in Korea, and I will definitely come here for seafood whenever I am in Busan. Seafood is not cheap, but the food here is definitely fresh and worth every cent. Also, I bought the packet seaweed and anchovies back for my mum from here, and she can attest that the ingredients are very different from what we can get in SG. The anchovies are especially sweet! 

Nearest station: Jagalchi Station

Gamcheon Culture Village

Gamcheon Culture Village wasn't even famous in 2011 when I was doing my school exchange (it rose to fame in 2012!), so this is my first time here. It is a beautiful place for taking pictures, and just chilling around the numerous cafes in the area. Take a picture with the famous little prince and fox, and also many street art and mural in every alley and corner.

Directions: a bit complicated as the place is only accessible by bus.

Goejeong Station (Busan Subway Line 1), Exit 6. 

- Take local bus Sakha 1 or Sakha 1-1 to Gamcheon Elementary School Bus Stop. 

Toseong Station (Busan Subway Line 1), Exit 6.

- Take local bus Saha 1-1, Seogu 2 or Seogu 2-2 to Gamcheon Elementary School Bus Stop.

PNU Shopping Street

I just needed to revisit the street I was so familiar with, and go back to the school gate to take a photo. Alas, almost everything changed and I couldn't even find the salon and bibimbap that I frequented last time. Instead I went to another bibimbap store 곁집 and another salon!

Another thing about the shopping in Busan. The shops in PNU Shopping Street don't do immediate tax refund. So I would recommend u guys to just buy everything in Nampo-dong, or better still, buy all in Seoul instead. The clothes in Busan are cheaper, but if u are thinking of cosmetics and contact lens, just buy them in Seoul. Besides, there are sales people who can speak Mandarin and English well in Seoul. The ones at PNU Shopping Street.... can't make it.

Nearest station: Pusan National University Station

Click below for

Korea VLOG
Everland
Siloam Sauna
Elysian Ski Resort
Seoul Food So Good