whoospa

last week, I was invited by eastasy.com to do a review on the Japanese-dominant spa: Whoo Spa, which is formerly known as OHui Spa. this spa is known to be popular even amongst celebrities and it uses only the finest Korean products available in the market! if you’re planning a relaxing trip to Seoul, why not consider getting yourself a pampering session at a local spa?

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this is how it looks like from the outside. the spa is located at a quaint housing area easily accessible to Sinsa’s famous Garosu-gil and it gives a very homey and comfortable vibe. I was told that 80% of their foreign customers are from Japan with an increasing number of people from Hong Kong and Taiwan. you may print the map beforehand or just simply cab there!

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the interior of the spa is a little like a Korean drama set as it is very Korean-ish with beautiful furniture and also employees!

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the spa has a certificate of entrustment hence you can rest assure of this spa’s quality!

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upon arrival, I was greeted by a beautiful Japanese employee whom speaks in fluent Korean. I was then served a cup of refreshing cold tea and given a form to fill in where it mostly asks about my skin condition and on where I would like to improve, my allergies etc.

Whoo Spa uses Korea’s very own luxury products from O HUI, The History of Fo and S:UM37 (all owned by LG!) and the products are carefully hand-picked to suit your skin-type. I have been to many facials where prices are different for different skin-types and it was always a bummer because I wouldn’t want certain things from the facial. but at Whoo Spa, they will customize their products to perfectly fit you!

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also, all customers are entitled to purchase any OHUI, History of Fo and S:UM37 products at a 25% discount! it is a bargain as these products are only 10-15% cheaper even if you get it off duty free.

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I selected the Aroma Refresh Care package which lasts for 100minutes! this package is generally a combination of both a aroma therapy massage and a facial course! the spa package first starts with a aroma therapy massage which includes the back and shoulder using products from the Gongjinhyang line that contains premium ingredients such as ginseng & Cordyceps (luxury Asian ingredients), then it proceeds to the facial course which includes facial cleansing, exfoliating, deep cleansing, face slimming massage, facial ampoule, facial mask pack, and lastly, revitalizing care. ALSO! they have a leg massage device which they put on you while you receive your facial! how cool is that?

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this was the room which I was guided to receive my spa. the massage beds were comfortable and also HEATED. I never been on a heated bed before mainly because in my country, there’s only one season: summer. I am not very tolerant to heat hence I asked for it to be turned off in the end.

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as you can see, they only use products from the three luxury lines for the facial. if you are not familiar with Korean luxury products, I can tell you that these are like the SK-II of Korea.

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and so my spa begins! for those whom are shy about revealing their naked (only the top) bodies, maybe it may feel a little awkward, but in Korea, girls see each other naked anyways so it wasn’t very uncomfortable for me. there is actually a column on the form where you can fill in the your preference on massage pressure from light to strong. I selected medium, but I think it was leaning against strong more. but again, you can always ask them to reduce their strength!

what I notice about Korean massages is that it is much faster in contrast to Swedish and Malaysian massages which I’ve previously received. the strokes are much faster and they really do focus on your muscles. I have very tensed neck muscles since I study and write a lot; spending hours curling up on the chair looking down at books. it was especially painful for my neck and shoulders and it continued to hurt the next day but I felt much better the day after. I knew for a fact that those tensed up muscles needs to be relieved and only by a licensed masseur can perform a deep tissue massage on me.

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I especially liked how she massaged my hands and lower back as it was a very nice and refreshing. she then proceeded to cleansing.. deep cleansing.. scrub.. I couldn’t even count the amount of steps as I was just too comfortable. the bubble (or oxygen) mask felt really special though. although the picture looks really scary, it was a very nice tingling sensation. the facial slimming massage though was definitely something new. it wasn’t the most relaxing as again, I think Korean massages have very swift strokes. perhaps it is from the Korean culture where everything needs to be done quickly. although the massages were long, the strokes were definitely fast.

the last face mask was my absolute favourite as it was cold, smells great and it covers my ENTIRE FACE. like including my eyes and lips. I could feel my entire face absorbing all that goodness from that thick face mask and I almost fell asleep because it was just so relaxing. although the package stated that it is 100minutes long, I think it was 2 hours later when my whole procedure was completed.

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and outside, I was greeted with a delicious cup of plum tea (my absolute favourite Korean drink) with a slab of ddeok (rice cake) from Bizuen (the most famous rice cake chain in Korea). what took me by surprise was the vitamin pill beside. they really push their boundaries when it comes to customer service!

I was born with very light eyebrows and I NEVER walk out in public without them so I asked if there’s a place where I can put my make-up on. and thankfully..

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this spa is of course equipped with a very complete powder room with a shower behind too! they have everything from perfume, bb cream, lipstick, mascara to deodorant. so even if you left your make up pouch at home, no problem because they got you covered!

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all guests are also given a pack of mask with packs of essence! they are recommended to use a few days after the facial for the best results!

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if you have met me before, you will know that although my skin looks great in pictures, it is actually very dry and oily at the same time. (I am having lip allergy reactions to the last yellow dust attack so please don’t mind it. the attentive esthetician even put a generous amount of eye cream on my lips several times to help sooth it! never knew we could use eye cream on our lips!) I guess people would call it combination. but I would flake all over on my chin and nose while my T-zone and cheeks would consume at least 2 pieces of blotting paper. my skin was left so moisturized even after my night routine, I can feel it being all moisturized and elastic! I have probably the lightest amount of BB cream in the picture and I definitely felt like my skin-tone became slightly more balanced.

VERDICT: all in all, I enjoyed my experience although I still prefer the slow and relaxing massages (where I tend to fall asleep) more. however, my shoulder muscles are definitely much more tender now and that’s something that had never happened in other massages I’ve received before. I especially loved how attentive the estheticians here were and also I absolutely enjoyed that super relaxing facial course. I met up with my best friend right after and she asked me why am I more beautiful today hahahah. in fact, I barely had much make up on compared to normal days and I could really feel myself glowing after the spa session.

for more information about the spa and its packages, please visit http://www.eastasy.com/deal/south-korea/seoul/whoo-spa-ohui-spa-exclusive-beauty-package 

they offer discounts on the site so take your chances! remember, you must book at least 1 week in advance to make sure you get a spot during your next visit ^^.

Whoo Spa (formerly known as OHUI Spa)
2F, 27-2 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
서울시 강남구 논현동 27-2번지 2층
Daily, 10:00-22:00 (Last admission 20:00)
+82-2-3446-5157

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