 |
| Suanbo Bus Station |
Suanbo
is a small town that can be reached by express bus from Seoul's East
Seoul Bus Terminal. It is known for its pheasant, rabbit, freshwater
snail and even deer restaurants, so be sure to try some when you are there.
Buses run all day, every hour, and the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours.
The bus station in Suanbo is just a small mart on the main road through
town, but the
town is so small that it is easy to find. I went with
my 13 year old daughter. I didn't notice much, if any, English other
than at the Suanbo Park Hotel, so that may be a problem - you may want to
visit with a Korean-speaking friend. Also, be sure to visit the tourist
information center on the main street - they have discount coupons for
many of the hot springs and hotels. The town itself is kind of "stuck in
time," you can tell it was a big tourist draw back in the 70s-80s, but
not anymore. We went on a Saturday and Sunday, prime tourist time, but
most places were virtually empty. Still, its an interesting place to
visit, both for the water and the interesting food.
Suanbo Hi Spa:
We
got off the bus and this spa is on the first floor of a building
directly across the street. The locker room is small but very clean, and
has some large lockers that fit backpacks. Downstairs is the hot
springs, just one large cement tub with a warm side and hot side. The
hot side
is really, really hot- I didn't see anyone dip more than a foot in the
whole time we were there. In the back is a small cold tub, a wet sauna
and a dry sauna, and one table for skin scrubbing. No other services are
offered. There are many showers, both sitting and standing, and most
people seem to use this spa as a place to get clean, rather a place to
hang out and relax. The water in Suanbo is very strange- I thought at
first I was imagining it, but my skin seemed to swell up! Then my
daughter pointed out that she didn't get "pruny", even after 30 minutes
in the water.* I don't know what is in the water to make that happen, but
it is cool! Admission was 4-5000 won. There is no food or drink, and on
a Saturday morning it was very crowded, so we didn't stay too long.
 |
| Hi Spa |
The
internet lists the Suanbo Hi-spa as capable of hosting 500 people, but I
can't imagine how!? It is mentioned in many internet reviews, but I
have to wonder if they are written by anyone who actually went here.
Maybe there are 2 Hi-spas in Suanbo?
* Fun Fact Science Lesson from the editor: Mineral spring water will do that. The balance of water to salts is closer to that of our skin/body so there is little movement of water across the skin's surface. (Typically, plain water diffuses into our skin via osmosis, which causes our skin to expand, take up more space, and wrinkle!
Suanbo RI Hotel Jjimjjilbang:
After
lunch, my daughter was very tired from getting up at 5 am, so we went
to the only Jjimjjilbang in town. I am not sure of the name, but it is
in a hotel and says on the side clearly "Jjimjilbang." If you walk from
the main street towards the river, you will pass it. Admission was
around 8,000 w, with clothes provided, and the front desk held our
backpacks for us since they wouldn't fit in the lockers. The staff here
are very, very nice and accommodating!
The
locker room is quite tiny, and the hot springs is just one pool ringed
with a few showers. Very small, but the same nice water as other places.
The one thing I disliked in the locker room though was the bathroom- it
is tiny, no windows, and it doubles as the smoking room. Yuck! (This is not uncommon... :/ )
Upstairs
is a small one-floor jjimjjilbang. It has a few caves in the back, a
TV, a small snack bar, a small
salt room, a very small ice room, and a small charcoal room. The key
word here is "small." But, it was quiet and not crowded, even on a
Saturday afternoon, and there are mats for sleeping and a warm floor. My
daughter slept peacefully for 2 hours while I wandered in and out of
the salt room and ice room, ate and watched TV. It was very relaxing!
This would be a good, cheap place to sleep, but there are no dedicated
sleeping rooms. The mats are quite comfy though!
Suanbo Park Hotel:
This
sauna is up a large hill, in the Suanbo Park Hotel. My daughter was not
thrilled with the hike up the hill, and to be honest, I am not sure it
was worth the hike. The hotel is quite old and dated. I looked into
staying here but it was expensive, and after seeing it I'm sure it would
not be worth the price! The sauna is well marked, towards the back of
the hotel. It has a small locker room, and a large shower area. There is
a cave-like sauna, which is nice, a large warm pool, a hot pool, a cold
pool, and a hot bath outside. The outdoor bath is the big draw, and it
does have a pretty view of the valley and town, but on the whole the
place is pretty run down and the same nice water can be found
at any sauna in Suanbo.
Suanbo Spa Hotel:
 |
| Suanbo Spa Hotel |
The next morning we wanted one last soak, so we tried a new hotel
with a sign advertising a Nokchantong (outdoor bath) next to the RI Jjimjilbang Hotel.
They
are still constructing the spa, so there is no outdoor bath as of
February, not sure when it opens. But- the admission is only 5,000 w,
and we liked this place the very best in Suanbo even if there is no
outdoor bath. It is brand new, and very clean. And quiet- it was almost
empty on a Sunday morning. They have many showers, a warm, hot and cold
tub, and a massage tub- something none of the other saunas in Suanbo
seem to have is working jets, so that was great! Same great water, and 2
saunas, wet and dry. Once they get the spa complete with outdoor baths,
I want to go back! There are snacks in the locker room, too, which is
nice because for some reason
soaking always makes us hungry, and no other saunas seem to have
anything to eat or drink except maybe a vending machine. We spent about 4
hours here and were sad to leave!
Wikimapia of Suanbo area
Thanks again Cami!
