Korean Spas

While in Belize, I sunburned a little and as a result, my skin looked like flaky fish food. When my aunt Terrie saw me rubbing away my dry skin, she drove me to a Korean skin scrub spa in LA. I had experienced something similar at a Turkish bath in Istanbul, but this was slightly different. My aunt dropped me off at a strip mall in Torrance in front of place called the Torrance Health Club. Inside, my aunt made sure to book me the larger Korean woman with the strong hands although, we had to enlist the help of my aunt Jae to work the Korean/English translation for us. The place didn't have much ambiance and focused more on getting the job done.

Unlike U.S. spas in which women usually wear bottoms in the hot tub, sauna, steam room area, all the Korean women walked freely about in the communal spa room completely naked. Therefore, I shed my U.S. based modesty and joined the women. I first took a shower in the communal room to rid my skin of any chemicals and oils. For the next hour, I then tried out every room and tub to the point that I fell asleep in the warm floor room and almost missed my appointment. I soon joined other women receiving similar treatment, and laid on one of the green plastic gurneys that stood in a line. A larger Korean woman wearing a black bra and underwear, traditional Korean spa work wear, donned exfoliating gloves and scrubbed me down. She spent a good 40 min exfoliating off all the fish food. She even commented that it must have been a while since I was last in since I think she must have peeled off 10 layers of skin and the remains sat next to me in balls on the gurney until she threw a bucket of water over me to wash it all away. Slightly disgusting to say the least, but proof that my baby skin underneath could be seen breathing. She exfoliated from between my toes to behind my ears and everywhere in between. Anything I might have brought back from Central America did not leave that spa. She then pounded my back with a shiatsu massage to the point that my body became jello. She literally jumped on top of the gurney so that she could put her entire weight into every muscle in my back with her knuckles, elbows and even knees. At one point, I had to cry out “mercy”. To finish me off, she smothered cucumber mesh on my face, washed my hair, and drizzled some sort of milky stuff all over my body. The entire spa treatment only cost $70. For LA and for the spa world, this is quite cheap. Overall, I quite enjoyed the experience and might need to make this a ritual every time I return to LA along with my usual In N Out run, sushi overdose with the fam, Pinkberry stop and English Breakfast Tea Latte at Coffee Bean driveby. My skin looks great and the knots in my back from carrying my heavy backpack are gone. Thanks Terrie! By the way, the Korean spas are becoming popular and trendy in SF. Look for them in Japantown.