Sparex — Local services in Seoul

If you’re up for a little adventure and a lot of steam, Sparex is worth the trip—once you find it. It’s tucked away on the 13th floor of a building with zero English in the lift, so just count your way up and hope for the best.

The spa itself is spotless and looks freshly renovated. There are four pools to choose from: a cozy 38°C soak, a toasty 43°C option, a refreshing 26°C pool with jets that sneak-attack your back, and a bracing 17°C cold plunge for the brave. A dry sauna rounds out the offerings.

It’s not a huge place, so I imagine it could get snug during peak hours. I went on a weekday around 6 PM and it was comfortably quiet. Entry was simple—KRW13,000 gets you a key that works for both shoe and clothes lockers. No English was spoken, but everything was pretty intuitive.

Massage and scrub services are available. You press a mysterious Korean button and an ajusshi appears like a spa genie. The massage was gentle enough to lull me to sleep. Slight confusion followed when he took my key and waved me off to the cashier… who didn’t ask for money. Turns out the massage is a separate cash-only operation inside the spa. Cue awkward moment when the ajusshi chased me down thinking I’d pulled a runner. All sorted in the end. Just bring cash and a sense of humor.

All in all, a great little gem for a post-shopping or post-theme park wind-down, as long as you’re okay with minimal English and maximum hot water.

PS: No shampoo and body wash. Just a beat up bar of soap, which probably has embraced multiple bodies, nooks and crannies. Just water for me because I’m not comfortable...

Nice affordable sauna experience. For about 20k won I had access to the nice, clean gym (gym clothes and towel provided, shower room available), the saunas, the baths, nap area, and food court (additional cost + very limited veg options). Everything was kept clean and nice. They have HOT HOT baths, warm comfortable bath, cool comfortable bath and COLD bath. One note is that the showers at the baths only had a bar of soap, so I recommend bringing your own soap and shampoo. The process of using the facilities is the same as any bathhouse: put your shoes in the first locker, clothes in the big locker deeper in the locker room, shower thoroughly before using the baths, change into the provided outfit before going (barefoot) to the sauna, food court and nap areas. The sleeping area has comfy reclining chairs and thin sleeping mats, no pillows or blankets so bring your own. Very nice place and I’ll return.

The huge building is mere steps away from subway Exit 6. Enter the building and take the elevator to...

Awful experience. I walked in, immediately one of the employees said, “you’re not korean are you” after I forgot to take off the slippers from the bathroom. I said no and they sighed! Then, I said that I was korean american, she said oh. Usually people are curious, so I slightly understand. Lack of amenities and the food was poor. The “cold” tub was 29.3C. Shouldn’t it be colder? Also, the employees were not respectful of the time. At 11pm, one employee was so loud while talking to someone it felt like I was watching an opera battle. they gave you nothing for free by the way- no shampoos, soap, conditioner, not even the hair dryer. You had to pay 200 won for 170 seconds. I was also awoken at 3 am by someone’s horrific alarm that went off for 30 minutes at max volume. No employees around, so we had to sit and wait for the people who were in a sauna...