Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. – Cecil Beaton
Thursday, November 14, 2013 (DAY 619)
If you haven’t heard already, Incheon International Airport (ICN) has been ranked the World’s Best Airport for, count it, 7 years in a row! From 2005- 2012, the Airports Council International has given it the highest honors. I know my friends that are in aviation find this very interesting, but for any traveler passing through or visiting Seoul be sure to spend a little time exploring this incredible airport that has a medical facility, movie theater, ice skating rink, golf course, casino, museum of Korean culture, and boasts the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport outlet store, as well as incredible sleeping accommodations. I was hoping to spend an entire day at Spa on Air to give it a proper review, but since plans change constantly while traveling, I was limited to about 7 hours at this incredible high-end jimjilbang (찜질방) facility. The typical jimjilbang is a gender-segregated public bathhouse and is derived from the word Jjimjil, which is translated as heated bath, and the facility generally has several unisex rooms for lounging or sleeping rooms, which consists of thin mats on the floor. If you want to experience a jimjilbang, the most popular one in Seoul is Yongsan Dragon Hill Spa and is open 24 hours a day.
If you haven’t heard already, Incheon International Airport (ICN) has been ranked the World’s Best Airport for, count it, 7 years in a row! From 2005- 2012, the Airports Council International has given it the highest honors. I know my friends that are in aviation find this very interesting, but for any traveler passing through or visiting Seoul be sure to spend a little time exploring this incredible airport that has a medical facility, movie theater, ice skating rink, golf course, casino, museum of Korean culture, and boasts the world’s first Louis Vuitton airport outlet store, as well as incredible sleeping accommodations. I was hoping to spend an entire day at Spa on Air to give it a proper review, but since plans change constantly while traveling, I was limited to about 7 hours at this incredible high-end jimjilbang (찜질방) facility. The typical jimjilbang is a gender-segregated public bathhouse and is derived from the word Jjimjil, which is translated as heated bath, and the facility generally has several unisex rooms for lounging or sleeping rooms, which consists of thin mats on the floor. If you want to experience a jimjilbang, the most popular one in Seoul is Yongsan Dragon Hill Spa and is open 24 hours a day.
| |  When planning a visit to Spa on Air, first of all, make a reservation for a private room if you can, as they tend to fill up rather quickly and the cost is only 32,000 ($30.17). Since I knew I had a long 24 plus hour travel day I was prepared to spend the little extra money for a good night’s sleep. The private room is very small (closet size) and includes a rudimentary vinyl-covered stiff pillow just larger than Paris Hilton’s dog and an oversized towel for a blanket. I ended up using my neck pillow to sleep on, which has been a lifesaver when it comes to sleep. You are also provided with a pair of swim shorts and a t-shirt, even though most of the locals discard these items for use. Since the genders are separated you will see plenty of man nudity so be prepared, the same goes for the women’s side from what I hear. Yeah, I wasn’t prepared to pull a Porky’s to confirm this just for a blog entry. At the time of check in you are given two keys; one is for the room and the other is for the locker to place your shoes in or other valuables. What I enjoyed about my brief stay was the steam sauna, the dry sauna, as well as the two large pools. Since Koreans don’t use full size towels there are plenty of hang towels for drying off, showers with soap and shampoos, shaving lotions, and other simple toiletries. The common area is situated between the separated gender facilities and has about 20 lounge chairs and a television for relaxing. There are also a few of the communal sleeping rooms that are mixed gender and leave little privacy, as the surrounding walls are glass. Some of the negatives of Spa on Air is the lack of information you receive upon check in, WiFi was not available in the private rooms, no wake up call service, and the location can be a bit difficult to find if you haven’t looked at an overview of the airport, which is located in the B1 on the Eastside, which is the basement area of Incheon. I was hoping to take more photos but realized I would have had to blur about every single photo from the massive amount of nudity that was present. It’s certainly like going to a local rec center and being in the locker room and there’s always those few people that are completely comfortable being naked walking around that really should not be. Overall, if you have a long layover or an early morning flight and need to be well rested, spend some time at Spa on Air and enjoy all of the amenities that are included in the cost as well as the additional paid services such as, massages, facial treatments, etc. |
MY RTW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
Sleeping in for the first time in Korea was glorious. I climbed out of bed just after 10:30am and after getting ready for the day I’ve decided I should tackle my only chore outside the guesthouse–the post office. Luckily there is a post office just down the street and around the corner, but since we aren’t in a tourist area there is much confusion as to the paperwork that I needed to fill out and after a frustrating 90-minutes I believe and hope that the information is correct. Whew, again another reason mailing gifts back to family or friends in the States is certainly not like just going to a local post office especially when you can’t only read the language but even verbally communicate. Frustrations abound as I’m standing waiting as the woman across the counter is literally on her cell phone, the land line, and then is called to another phone call further down the counter. I suppose postal service workers are just as rude and possibly incompetent the world over. Yikes!
After this fiasco, I return to the guesthouse and finish up jamming everything into my backpack while charging all of my various devices (iPhone, iPod, hair clippers, and my laptop). I can’t tell you how annoying it is at times dealing with electronics. If it weren’t for the fact that I use these items daily, with the exception of the hair clippers, I would ditch them in a heartbeat and switch to the mode of an ultralight backpacker.
Sleeping in for the first time in Korea was glorious. I climbed out of bed just after 10:30am and after getting ready for the day I’ve decided I should tackle my only chore outside the guesthouse–the post office. Luckily there is a post office just down the street and around the corner, but since we aren’t in a tourist area there is much confusion as to the paperwork that I needed to fill out and after a frustrating 90-minutes I believe and hope that the information is correct. Whew, again another reason mailing gifts back to family or friends in the States is certainly not like just going to a local post office especially when you can’t only read the language but even verbally communicate. Frustrations abound as I’m standing waiting as the woman across the counter is literally on her cell phone, the land line, and then is called to another phone call further down the counter. I suppose postal service workers are just as rude and possibly incompetent the world over. Yikes!
After this fiasco, I return to the guesthouse and finish up jamming everything into my backpack while charging all of my various devices (iPhone, iPod, hair clippers, and my laptop). I can’t tell you how annoying it is at times dealing with electronics. If it weren’t for the fact that I use these items daily, with the exception of the hair clippers, I would ditch them in a heartbeat and switch to the mode of an ultralight backpacker.
Once all of my gear is packed up and ready for the haul to the airport it is just before 6pm, and I think I have a nice 30-minute window to relax, but the next thing I hear is the doorbell and my sister has arrived early, or on time, because you never can tell if there is a miscommunication through our translator Crystal. As we climb in the car I ask how long the drive will be and she tells me 30-40 minutes, but I already know this is a lie because we are leaving Seoul at the peak of rush hour traffic. In no rush, I sit back and enjoy the fact that I didn’t have to carry close to 100lbs through crowded subways and enjoy the additional time I get to have with my sister. Our communication level is very novice, but we manage and later she decides to put on some music. Hop-hop anonymous yo! Yes, my sister is gangster and I can’t stop laughing when she calls herself a gangsta driver, mimicking rappers and rollin dirty. She is a complete practical joker and this reminds me again of my sisters back in Colorado and Texas. Sitting in complete gridlock, we notice from the GPS that it has taken us an hour to drive 2km of our 18km destination. Soon I begin to see her frustration as she flips to fast and furious mode behind the wheel, don’t judge the stereotype of Asian drivers, ok maybe a little. One Korean driving etiquette I found to be interesting is that when you allow a driver to cut in front of you when it’s turtle paced traffic, the courteous action is to flash your hazard lights several times as a form of thanking the driver behind you, while in the States we tend to do the customary hand wave in the air. I also found it interesting as I was looking over the various travel stats I have kept from the beginning of my journey, that it would be fitting that the car ride with my sister would be exactly the 200th car I’ve been in and during our extended commute I had also reached 600 hours of being in or on various forms of transportation. Maybe that is just interesting to me, but I found it quite exciting, like when you show up to Thanksgiving dinner and they are serving Stove Top instead of some Frankenstein stuffing. After another hour we reach the restaurant, which is a stone’s throw from where her apartment is and we valet park at a fancy Italian steak restaurant.
The meal comes in waves, first with a large fresh baked pita bread with humus, followed by pizza, pasta, and lastly an incredibly juice steak. I know you’re thinking that my last meal in Korea was nothing close to being authentic, but I didn’t want to say anything because I know my sister specifically wanted to take me to this high-end restaurant where we even indulged in a glass of red wine. In traditional fashion, I am stuffed to the point that I am barely able to move. Since the time is getting later and I have an appointment for a private room at Spa on Air for 11:30pm and if I am not there before this time I am in jeopardy of losing this valuable piece of real estate, we get back in the car and take the 38km drive towards Incheon. I can tell as we approach the airport my sister begins to become saddened by the reality of my departure and as we pull up and both get out we embrace in several hugs and I tell her that we will certainly keep in touch and that I do have plans to return to Korea and this will not be my only visit, but the beginning of several, and this causes her to smile at this as I walk towards the airport entrance.
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