We Tried It: Loess Spa Korean Body Scrub and Meridian Therapy

I’ve wanted to try a Korean body scrub ever since I saw Steven Yeun and Conan O’Brien visit a Korean bathhouse, or jjimjilbang 찜질방. So during the treat-yourself holiday season, I looked into the services offered at Loess Spa in Kalihi. Body scrub—check—plus a variety of others. Meridian therapy caught my eye too since it’s different. So I booked both for a Thursday.

Click to the section you want to explore:

• Korean Body Scrub
• Meridian Therapy

Loess Spa has its own parking lot and is easy to spot with its pastel orange exterior. The reception area opens up to a cute enclosed garden where customers can sit and eat. After checking in at the front desk, I’m given a locker room key, a cover-up gown and a pair of slippers.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Down the hall is the locker room. In this women-only communal area, clothes are optional, and it’s actually more normal to be naked here. I leave my clothes and belongings in a locker, then wear the gown and slippers to peek into other parts of the bathhouse, including a charcoal sauna, a red clay sauna and a massage room. At the very back is the actual bathhouse, where there are showers, two baths, a sauna and a curtained area for body scrubs.

Photo: Andrea Lee

I shower with soap before getting in the baths. The hot tub is 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cold plunge is minus 9.5 degrees. I soak in the hot tub for a bit to prepare for my body scrub; the heat helps soften the skin and open up pores. I dip into the cold tub too just to see how cold it is; it’s icy, especially after a hot soak, and I’m out of there in less than a minute. The sauna is as expected, a dry, hot room with an herbal smell and wooden boards for walls.

SEE ALSO: We Tried It: Taking the (Cold) Plunge

While waiting for my turn, I chat with another woman about the bathhouse services, telling her it’s my first time. She and her mom come every week to the bathhouse and sauna and get body scrubs periodically, which she assures me is not painful.

Even though it’s a Thursday, quite a few people are already here, and more come in. Many seem to be regulars. I imagine this is what it’s like going to a jjimjilbang in South Korea, where the women don’t bat an eye at each other’s nakedness and are just there to relax.

Photos: Courtesy of Loess Spa

Korean Body Scrub

When called for my body scrub, I head to the curtained back area. My therapist is Moon, and she directs me to lie down on a brown waterproof cot. Other women are being scrubbed at nearby cots, but once Moon puts a towel over my eyes, they don’t exist anymore. Another towel is laid over my lap.

There are six body scrub options of varying periods, from 40 minutes for $90 to two hours and 10 minutes for $190 that includes extra treatments like an oil massage and a cucumber face mask. I opt for the one-hour body scrub ($100), Loess Spa’s most popular service that includes shampooing and a face mask.

Maybe Steven Yeun and Conan O’Brien are big babies or their body scrub therapist was especially rough on them, but I find the treatment relaxing. Moon uses an exfoliating glove and a floral sugar scrub to scour every surface of my body—this lady is thorough. She flips me over and gets all sides, and even though I can’t see it, I can feel the dead skin coming off and piling up. It must look gross, but it’s so satisfying when she rinses me off.

I especially enjoy the face and scalp massage she gives me, with the face mask and shampoo. By the time she’s done, I feel the cleanest I’ve ever been in my life. And later, after telling people about the treatment and extending my arm for a feel, I’m told that, yes, my skin is exceptionally soft.

Loess Spa says the benefits of Korean body scrubs include cleaner pores and less acne, and the treatment stimulates blood circulation and promotes skin health. Honestly, I would do it again just for the fresh feeling.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Tips

• You need to be nude in the bathhouse; you can’t wear a bathing suit or underwear. But that’s part of the experience, and it’s really not weird when everyone else around you is nude too and not paying attention to you. Also, the body scrub therapists are in their underwear. It’s just what’s comfortable for them.
• Don’t do a body scrub if you have any open sores or wounds. If you have a skin condition, like eczema, consult your doctor first before trying it.
• You can come to the bathhouse on your period as long as you use a tampon or menstrual cup.
• Best to leave your jewelry at home so it doesn’t fall off while you’re in the bath or getting scrubbed.
• Bring face moisturizer and maybe body lotion too to apply after the scrub since your skin will be quite dry after.
• Leave your phone in your locker. To protect everyone’s privacy, you’re not allowed to take photos while in the bathhouse.
• A body scrub is recommended as often as once a week to twice a month.
• This would be a nice bonding experience with your girlfriends or mom and aunties if you’re not shy. Bookmark this for Galentine’s or Mother’s Day.
• You can walk in to use the spa facilities (sauna and baths) for $40. The spa facilities are for women only, though men can book dry massages.
• Book services like the body scrub ahead of time. Saturday is typically the busiest day for Loess Spa.

SEE ALSO: Wellness Practices Once Deemed Fringe Are Now Mainstream

Photo: Andrea Lee

Meridian Therapy

Moon leads me to a massage room for meridian therapy. Since I just had a body scrub, I go in naked for this too, though you can wear underwear for this treatment. Once I lie on the massage bed, Moon places another towel over me and asks what level of pressure I want. We agree to try medium since it’s my first time.

Loess Spa offers two options for meridian therapy: one hour for $100 and two hours for $200. Meridian therapy is a form of traditional Asian medicine, like acupuncture, and aims to balance the flow of energy in the body. According to practitioners, there are 12 meridians, or energy pathways, in the body associated with different organs. When one meridian declines, energy must be directed from the others to help it recover, they say. The techniques to do so vary, from massage to tool manipulation.

Disclaimer: Loess Spa does not make any medical claims, nor are the people who work there doctors. Visitors are asked to sign a waiver before undergoing meridian therapy because it’s similar to a medical treatment. Additionally, I was warned that the therapy can hurt.

It’s a fair warning. Moon’s meridian therapy involves a combination of deep tissue massage with hands and tools. Kneading my butt and calves hurts the most, but otherwise, it’s mostly steady pressure. Other parts are ticklish. Still, I’m glad I said medium pressure and not hard because, as with the body scrub, this lady is thorough and gets in deep.

Moon also gives me cupping therapy, another type of traditional medicine that entails placing suction cups on my back. The initial suction stings quite a bit, but it fades quickly. After setting the cups for five minutes, the deep suction leaves some gnarly round bruises on my back.

Though lying down and being massaged sounds chill, meridian therapy is different. It’s like the old Chinese saying, “Good medicine tastes bitter.” The experience isn’t exactly pleasant, but afterward, I feel extremely relaxed and worn out, like after a hard workout.

Tips

• Just like when getting a massage, speak up if the treatment becomes too painful.
• Meridian therapy is said to boost energy and circulation, so it can help when you’re feeling fatigued. But it’s not recommended for pregnant women or after major surgery.
• Best to schedule this for a day when you can rest. It was very hard for me to stay awake afterward.

SEE ALSO: What’s Up, Doc? Health Care Trends Toward Progress in Hawai‘i

Photo: Andrea Lee

The spa experience doesn’t end with your service; afterward, head out to the garden to rest and refuel. Loess Spa has a small menu of Korean food and coffee, smoothies and juices. I order the bibim kooksoo ($15). The spicy cold noodles are garnished with cucumbers, onions and half a boiled egg, and the refreshing spiciness helps to wake me up.

That night, I slept like a rock, and the day after, I was still tired, but after that, I was back to normal. Plus, I bruise easily, and my bruises tend to last a long time, so I was surprised to see the cupping marks fade in a week. Anecdotal evidence of improved blood circulation? I like to think so. In the name of self-care, I say give these treatments a shot.

Spa facilities currently only available to women, open Wednesday through Monday 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., 1361 Mo‘okaula St., loessspahi.com, @loess_spa_hawaii