I Came Back to Seoul for a Bathhouse and I Have No Regrets
Vieve
2 days ago
I'm not saying ONA is the reason I came back to Seoul. But I'm not not saying that either.
I visited this women's only bathhouse on my last trip and it was nothing short of life changing. I realise how dramatic that sounds. I don't think it's dramatic enough. So coming back was never really a question.
This time I went for the Seaweed Course followed by a 90 minute Aroma Full Body Massage, and I want to walk you through exactly what happens from start to finish, because I know this kind of experience can feel daunting if you've never done anything like it. Consider me your big sister holding your hand.
🚪 Arriving
The staff at ONA are so, so lovely. Some of the women who do the treatments speak limited English, others speak it brilliantly, but there is always someone at the front desk who speaks excellent English and the whole thing is far more accessible than you might expect.
You're taken to a locker room where you undress completely. And I mean completely, knickers off and everything. You're given a hair tie, a robe and slippers, and from that moment on you are in extremely good hands.
I want to say something about the women only element because I think it matters more than it might seem on paper. There is something about being in an entirely female space, being cared for by women, that makes the whole experience feel incredibly safe. If you are someone who feels nervous about being seen or touched, I won't pretend this is a completely comfortable experience from the very first second. It is intimate. It is vulnerable. But it is also one of the most nurturing things I have ever done for myself, and the environment makes that possible. You are never once made to feel anything other than completely at ease.
🛁 The Seaweed Course
You know that feeling of being looked after by your grandma? Where the care is completely unconditional but also absolutely no nonsense? She is not here to mess around, you will not be leaving with a single dead skin cell on your body, but every single thing she does is done with such warmth and intention. That is exactly what this feels like. Firm, thorough, loving.
Before getting into the bath you're given products to wash your face and rinse yourself down. Then you climb in. The bath is scented and you choose your scent when you arrive. I went for lemon this time and it was gorgeous. They also have lavender, tropical and a couple of others. You soak for around ten minutes and honestly this part alone is worth it. There is something incredibly restorative about just lying there in warm scented water while she brings you a complimentary drink and leaves you completely alone with your thoughts for a few minutes. Get the barley tea, iced. Trust me on this one.
Then she helps you out (it gets slippy!) and you lie down on the table. This is where the scrub happens, and I want to be very clear: she scrubs every single part of your body. Soles of your feet to the top of your head. Every crevice. She is thorough in the most caring, intentional way imaginable. It is intimate, yes, but it never once feels anything other than completely safe and nurturing. The dead skin that comes off is honestly astounding. You will not believe it has been living on you.
She also applies a seaweed gel to your face, cleans your ears, washes your hair and finishes with a little moisturising massage. She dries you, puts your robe back on you and sends you on your way like you are the most precious thing in the world.
💆 The 90 Minute Aroma Full Body Massage
My massage therapist spoke great English which was a lovely bonus, and oh my goodness, this massage. I want to give you some context here. A couple of days before I had been for a Korean medicine session which involved Chuna therapy, a traditional manipulation treatment that does incredible things to your body but also leaves you genuinely sore the next day. The good kind of sore, but sore nonetheless. I arrived at ONA still carrying that. The warmth of the bath had already started to work through it, and then this massage finished the job completely. Head to toe, every single part of me, 90 minutes of the most thorough and considered bodywork I have ever experienced. By the end I felt entirely ironed out. Like a completely different person walking out to the one who walked in.
Afterwards you're brought to a vanity area with hair dryers, moisturisers, everything you could possibly need to put yourself back together before heading out into the world. It's a lovely little landing moment before reality kicks back in.
✨ Final Thoughts
I have recommended ONA to every single person I've spoken to since my first visit and I will keep doing it. There is something about this place that I genuinely cannot imagine being replicated anywhere else. Whether it's the warmth of the women who work there, the sheer thoroughness of the treatments, or just the feeling of being completely looked after from the moment you walk in, it is outstanding.
If you're visiting Seoul and you do one thing, make it this.
