Korean Spa Essentials：韓國小編跟你說關於汗蒸幕的事
Recently, a video of The Walking Dead’s star Steven Yeun and talk show host Conan O’Brien’s visit to a Korean spa went viral, racking up 75 million views. In the video, the duo experiences the A to Z on an authentic Korean spa as they go through the various spa services, including painful body scrubs, not to mention the hilarious conversations with local spa-goers. From a Korean’s point of view, I would say this is quite accurate, but I would like to add some more to it by providing you a list of essential items you need or things that you need to expect at your historical visit to a Korean spa. Are you ready?
美國電視劇《陰屍路》的韓裔男星Steven Yeun和talk show主持人 Conan O’Brien早前到訪韓國汗蒸幕的影片在網上瘋傳，達七百多萬人次觀看。在影片中，兩人嘗試了不同形式的傳統韓式水療，包括非常疼痛的身體磨砂，而兩人跟本地人的對話亦同樣爆笑。雖然兩人在片中嘗試了不同的水療服務，但仍有很多是你還未看到的，你知道是什麼嗎？
Photo via google
SPA HAS FASHION
You might have seen this a lot in Korean dramas, but it’s quite common to see people in Korean spas with a head towel resembling Princess Leia. In Korea, these are called yangmori(양머리) and it directly translates to ‘sheep’s head,’ with its roots from the Korean drama My Lovely Sam Soon (2005). Head over here to watch a tutorial on how to make lamb head towels.
有看過韓劇的，都不難留意到，韓國人到汗蒸幕時會將毛巾摺成羊角形狀戴在頭上，就像「莉亞公主」一樣。韓國人稱之為양머리，意思就是羊角頭。看看這款毛巾摺法的教學吧。
SPA HAS FOOD
Photo via koalasplayground.com
Most modern Korean spas operate restaurants or at least convenience stores. You’ll most likely find spa-goers sitting around eating boiled eggs with sikhye (a sweetened rice drink) in the resting area. Reasons? Some say it’s to make up for the loss of water in your body, but it became a thing now for Koreans to eat boiled eggs and sikhye at a spa. Also, a banana milk is most definitely needed right before you head out from the spa. Don’t ask me why. We just do.
很多韓國汗蒸幕內都有經營餐廳或是便利店，所以你會看到很多韓國人完成療程後便會坐下來吃烚蛋、飲sikhye（一種甜甜的米類飲品）。有人指這可以補充身體在療程中所失去的水分，但其實在汗蒸幕吃烚蛋飲sikhye漸漸已變成一種潮流。而韓國人喜歡的香蕉奶更是spa後的必需品。
SPA HIGHLIGHTS
In case you haven’t watched the video above, Korean spas offer body scrub services where they have masseuses rubbing off your body’s dead skin cells while you lie down on a plastic bed. If you haven’t done it before, you might find it a little bit painful, but Koreans do that all the time when they’re going to a spa, either from a masseuse or by themselves. In fact, to Koreans, going to a spa automatically means scrubbing off our dead skin. If you want to go local, bring a green scrub towel or get a body scrub. Without a doubt, I would strongly argue that body scrubs are the epitome of a Korean spa.
上文提過，韓國汗蒸幕是有身體磨砂服務的，按摩師會讓你先躺在塑膠床上，然後幫你揉掉身上的死皮。第一次可能會感到些少痛楚，但韓國人通常到汗蒸幕都會找按摩師做，又或是自己做。事實上，很多韓國人到汗蒸幕的唯一目的就是做磨砂。想地道一點的話，下次到汗蒸幕時也試試這種身體磨砂，又或是戴一條綠色的磨砂毛巾吧。
Having provided these, do you feel more than ready to make your way to a Korean spa? Let us know in the comments below of your experiences with a Korean spa, we’d love to hear.
準備好到韓國汗蒸幕了嗎？將你的韓式spa體驗寫下來，留言跟我們分享吧。
