Cheongna Sparex

You have to travel all the way out to Cheongna, but the reward is there. First of all, it is spacious: wide pools, wide rest areas. After three rounds of hot-cold alternation the body feels looser. The rest area mats are surprisingly good, and I lay there for about an hour and nearly fell asleep. The address is 15 Cheongna Canal-ro 260beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, and it runs 24 hours, year-round. Admission is 8,000 KRW during the day and 10,000 KRW at night. It sits about 30 minutes by car from Incheon Airport, so it can be worked into an arrival or departure day. Cash and credit cards are accepted, and children and couples are welcome. The bathing area has a warm pool, a cold pool and an outdoor pool, while the sauna side covers dry and steam rooms plus a yellow clay hanjeungmak (traditional Korean kiln room). Added are a bulgama (traditional fire kiln heated with wood), a Himalayan salt kiln, a hinoki cypress forest bathing room and an indoor camping zone. A rooftop outdoor pool opens in summer with free life jacket rental, so it is worth checking whether the season has started. Full-body and foot massage are also available. Guests report that the jjimjilbang (Korean sauna lounge) zone can be noisy, so the bath section is the calmer choice, and weekdays tend to be quiet.

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