Hi guys! Greetings from a Trazy crew member! :)Recently, I went to ‘Dragon Hill Spa‘ and I want to share this experience to all of you who’ve never been to “jjimjilbang (찜질방)“, or a Korean sauna. For more details on Dragon Hill Spa, click here.Located near Yongsan Station Exit 3, you can easily spot Dragon Hill Spa on the right! For directions, click here.By the way, this place is really famous because it was a filming location of ‘Running Man’, a popular Korean comedy program, and other famous TV programs and videos on Youtube as well.So, anyways, the entrance of the Dragon Hill Spa is on the left. On the right side is a restaurant, so don’t get mixed up and enter the wrong building by mistake. ;)This is how the entrance looks, decorated with bamboos. Looks very oriental and exotic.
On the right, there’s an entrance door, and you’ll find a front desk and two staffs (who seemed very, very busy because of so many visitors).

Once you pay or show your Trazy’s voucher, you will receive clothes for a change and a bracelet-like key.

Never ever lose the key!!!! This key opens all of your lockers (shoe and clothes) and you can use this key to make a payment when you buy food and snacks at the cafeteria inside the building. If you lose the key, better run up to the front desk and ask for help to the staffs!

So, this is the elevator. For ladies, you should take the elevator and men should enter the passage on the left.Too bad I couldn’t take photos of men’s sauna, but it’ll probably be similar to women’s sauna. Follow the sign and enter!Once you enter, find the locker according to the number written on your key. Change into the clothes that you received from the front (you don’t have to take of your underwear! ;)). Put all your belongings and anything valuable inside the locker!Now, let’s see what kind of facilities there are in Dragon Hill Spa. A cafeteria! Yes! Here, you can purchase delicious food and snacks including eggs!

These eggs are very, very popular and tasty! In other Korean saunas (jjimjilbang), you can usually find just two kinds, boiled eggs and roasted eggs, which Koreans call it as “Maek-ban-seok (Stone-plate Cooked Egg)”. But, in Dragon Hill Spa, you can find 3 kinds! Even I haven’t tried the smoked and charcoal eggs either!Here’s what the eggs look like! Well, I’m not a gourmet…So, they all tasted very similar haha. ;)Koreans usually order “Sikhye (Sweet Rice Drink)” together with the eggs. It is traditional Korean beverage made with rice and has some grains of cooked rice in it. Try a glass of ice cold rice juice after sweating out in the saunas! 100% satisfaction is guaranteed! :DAt the entrance of the public resting zone, you can find the rectangular cushion or pillow. So, grab one of these and lie down, watch TV and enjoy maekbanseok eggs and sikhye with your friends and family.

Anyways, it was kind of surprising to see so many numbers of people at the sauna during the weekday. I guess because Dragon Hill Spa is really famous, there were lots of visitors who were relaxing and enjoying the sauna even though I went at late hours.There are several types of sauna rooms and zones, such as Pyramid Meditation Room, Nephrite Jade Energy Room, and Hinoki Woodland Room, so just choose the right place according to your preference (I would say, the temperature you can withstand)!

Here’s the Crystal Sun Salt Room, and you should watch out for little pebbles (ouch!) on the floor when walking around.
As you can see, there are white pebbles everywhere and they are actually salt!
These salt pebbles are heated up, so watch out! The room was not as hot in temperature wise, but I could feel that my body is perspiring in few minutes. I tried another sauna room, which looks like an igloo. First, I went inside the low-temp room, and it was not that steamy or hot, so I moved to the mid-temp sauna. Man, it was soooo hot! After around 10 mins of sitting, I had to rush outside to get some cool air. Dare you to try sitting inside this room for 20 mins! Don’t like the heat? Then, try this freezing cold ice room! A perfect spot after sweating out in the hot sauna, but you’ll be happy only about 2 mins (I bet) and probably want to get out of this room.

Here and there, you’ll see these massage chairs. Just put your key and you’ll be accessed to use the massage chair and receive a great leg and body massage :)Dragon Hill Spa is a 7-story building by the way, so it means there are plenty other stuffs than sauna to explore and enjoy! On the 7th floor, there’s a Sky Garden and Garden Cinema (but it was too cold outside, so I went back inside ASAP).

Plus, I could see a snack bar and a little karaoke room as well. ;)Then, I headed down to explore the basement floor, which has Cinema Hall, PC room (internet cafe), Game zone, and a toilet. There’s a little smoking room on the right from this pic, FYI.

There’s even an outdoor hot spring pool, too! And different kinds of spas you can enjoy with your friends or family.

Anyways, there are all sorts of entertainment and facilities inside this building that I think I can spend the whole day if I visited on the weekend.
After all the wandering, I finally headed back to women’s sauna zone. Now, it’s time to take the clothes off! You’ll be like OMG or may feel embarrassed to get naked in front of so many people (but seriously, it’s totally fine~nobody really cares). And of course, the public bath is completely separated for men and women!If you’ve forgotten to bring your toiletries , don’t worry. There’s a little store (well actually a counter with a lady) where you can buy all kinds of toiletries (mostly single-use) that you’ll need for a shower or bath (like shampoo, conditioner, cleansing foam, etc).Carry the key and a towel and head downstairs to the ‘real’ public bath where you can take a shower and enjoy a warm refreshing bath!There are also various kinds of bath waters, so try each one! Oh, and don’t forget to take a shower in advance before you step inside the tub, it’s an etiquette. ;)

After sweating out at the sauna, and a cool shower and bath afterward, get prepared to go home! You can freely use complimentary hair dryers, toner and lotion, cotton swab, and etc prepared at the powder section. ;)

Conclusion

Of all the jjimjilbangs that I’ve been to, Dragon Hill Spa was probably one of the best (I can guarantee). So, I highly recommend this place for those who are looking for a new kind of cultural experience and chill-out zone in Seoul. Though taking off clothes and getting to used to a public bath might be awkward at first, you guys will totally enjoy it once you experience the sauna culture in Korea! Plus, this place has great facilities, pleasant atmosphere, and all sorts of entertainments to enjoy! Ticket for Dragon Hill Spa is available here.

HOW TO BOOK

1. Complete your booking.
Select option, date, time, number of participants and checkout to complete your pay.
2. Check your email.
Upon successful booking, a confirmation email with directions and details will be sent to you.
3. Redeem your voucher.
Show the mobile voucher on your phone to the staff & enjoy your trip!

And of course, never forget to visit Trazy.com to find out the latest, newest, trendiest things to do in South Korea! :)