A Look Into The Ancient Korean Practices At Wi Spa
Cities such as Los Angeles benefit from the melting pot that allows experiences from far off places to be found nearby. Wi Spa offers unique ways to relax where time seems to stop. Here’s a view at the culturally original ways that Wi Spa provides to unwind. In case you can’t make it to Los Angeles, we created a mini spa session you can do at home, incorporating elements of Korean spas. If you’re ever traveling through Los Angeles, keep in mind Wi Spa is open 24 hours/ 7 days a week and includes a kids zone. It would be the most rejuvenating pit stop you could make.
In the Flesh:
Wi Spa is divided into women’s and men’s floors for treatment services; it’s here that you fully disrobe and leave you modesty just outside the double doors that allow entrance into the pools, showers and treatment rooms. There are no bathing suits permitted, but you do take a towel along with you. The restriction of clothing is rooted in Korean history, when bathhouses were the only places to shower. The tradition was always to bring the whole family, and it created a social setting for women to primp, recharge and take their time.
Hot as Fire, Cold as Ice:
On the treatment floor of the spa, women will find private lockers, vanities and lounges. There are two large Jacuzzi pools. One is steaming hot water and the other is a warm bath temperature. Soaking is required prior to a body scrub, because the women who perform the treatments are going to exfoliate your skin rigorously. A 15 minute deep soak prepares the skin for the next step.
The cold tub takes some real motivation to enter, but if you do it at the end of your treatment, after showering, it’s the perfect skin tonic. Cold water aids to decrease puffiness, refine your pores and tone the skin.
Baby, Buff:
Head to toe, exfoliating treatments have been practiced in Korea for generations. Wi Spa offers body scrubs with brown sugar and precious oils, milk body scrubs and basic salt scrubs. Many of the packaged services include a body scrub, massage, facial mask and hair shampoo.
Shiatsu Massage:
Wi Spa also offers Shiatsu, one of the oldest forms of massage. The treatment is performed through clothing or over a sheet. Through the application of pressure and stretching techniques, Shiatsu relieves muscle tension, eases joint stiffness and realigns the structure of the body. Other massages in the buff include a Seaweed Massage, Aroma Massage, Mineral Salt Massage, as well as basic massages.
The Jimjilbang:
After departing the women’s floor, you can change into a cotton t-shirt and loose khaki shorts provided by the Spa and escape into the Signature Saunas. On this floor, under the roof-top terrace, there are five saunas that are incredibly original. You enjoy them in your tee and shorts. Also on this floor is a full-service restaurant, and the jimjilbang, which is a Korean area to simply relax. It’s a place outside the Signature Saunas with vinyl mats to watch television, read, work on a laptop and even sleep.
Signature Saunas:
These might be the coolest part of the spa, because these saunas can’t be found many places.THE BULGAMA, made mostly out of oakwood, is heated to an impressive 231 degrees for intense thermotherapy. As you lie on the floor, heat helps to loosen muscles, remove toxins and bacteria in the body, and reduce blood pressure, for an overall cleansing effect.
The SALT SAUNA, with the help of thousand-year-old minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium and selenium, improves the physical, chemical and hydrodynamic conditions of the body. The respiratory system is purified, circulation improves, the immune system is strengthened, and muscles are relaxed. In addition, halotherapy (salt therapy) is healing for skin conditions.
The CLAY SAUNA features clay specially imported from Korea. This natural mud stimulates the lymphatic system and assists in the heavy metal detoxification process. Slipping under the thousands of small clay balls warms the body and creates a deeply relaxing effect.
The JADE ROOM eases muscle tension, helps with arthritis, and is known to lower the cerebral temperature with the use of heat. The sodium and minerals within the walls of Jade Room also help in the balancing of hormones.
In Asian culture, Jade has long been revered for its healing properties and in aiding stress relief.
The ICE ROOM is the final stop after a day at the spa. This room helps bring the core body temperature down, closes the pores, and tightens the skin. Picture entering into a big freezer and finishing the day with improved circulation and well-being restored.
Recreate A Korean Spa Experience At Home
Here are ways that can help you incorporate Korean spa touches at home.
Shower: Like all great treatments at Wi Spa, start with a shower to rinse away the day’s impurities. Luke warm water is the perfect beginning for the skin to renew.
Soak: Taking a note from the hot tubs, Salt Sauna and the positive effects of halotherapy, heal the skin by adding sea salt to a hot bath. A favorite is Pursoma Minerals de Mer Detox Bath Soak. The french grey sea salt, green algae, and wild harvested sea kelp hydrate and destress.
Scrub: Empty the bath but don’t dry off your skin. Remain in your tub/shower or switch to your shower, no shower water yet though. With the skin damp from the bath, use a body scrub to really exfoliate from the waist down. Work the knees and feet well. Our favorite is the Pretty Public Clean Body Polish. It contains brown sugar like the scrubs used at Wi Spa. It's also chemical-free and has an amazing texture to really lift and remove dead skin cells.
Rinse the scrub off with warm shower water, and turn the water off. Again exfoliate damp skin, this time from the waist up. Really work the elbows and any other rough areas. Rinse again with shower water. Now exfoliate your face. We like the Joanna Vargas Exfoliating Mask, it makes a true difference after only one use. Apply and rinse. *Make sure not to use a body scrub on your face, the graduals are too rough for the delicate skin of the face.
Cleanse & Purify: Next, time to shampoo and condition your hair. After rinsing, use the elements of the Cold Tub and the Ice Sauna – take a deep breath and switch to ice cold water. Get a head rush and rinse completely. After drying off, on slightly damp skin, apply a clay mask to your face. The Innisfree Pore Clearing Clay Mask, a Korean brand, lives up to its name with volcanic clusters in the formula to deeply cleanse the skin. Another good clarifying mask is the Cauldie Vinopure Purifying Clay Mask, which draws out impurities much like the effects of Clay Sauna.
Seal: After about 15 to 20 minutes, rinse away the clay mask and finish with cold water. Moisturize with Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Moisturizing Cream, a Korean brand with a cult following and many well-deserved beauty awards. 
Wi Spa offers ultimate relaxation and restoration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to their vast amenities, they offer accupressure, massage, body treatments, skin care and nail services. Wi Spa located in Los Angeles at 2700 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90057. For more information visit www.wispausa.com.