You’ve heard of terms like K-Culture and K-Food, but have you heard of K-Wellness? Wellness is a huge part of Korean tourism and the Wando Marine Healing Center is living proof of K-Wellness.
Located in the city of Wando, the relatively new facility makes use of seawater, seaweed, and mudflats and boasts over 16 facility rooms along with a training room.
How to Get to Wando Marine Healing Center
Wando is located towards the Southernmost part of the Peninsula and might seem difficult to get to, but with Korea’s transport system – it’s pretty straightforward. If you head to any express bus terminal, a bus ticket to Wando will do the trick.
The good news is, there’s a free shuttle bus from Wando Bus Terminal to the Wando Marine Healing Center daily at 9:40am, 11:40am, 2:40pm and 4:40pm. It’s pretty easy to spot the bus as it’s plastered with photos of the healing center.
Do note that the shuttle bus does not operate on the first Monday of the month.
From the healing center, there’s also a shuttle bus back to the Wando Bus Terminal at 9:55am, 11:55am, 2:55pm and 4:55pm.
This means a day trip to Wando to experience the Marine Healing Center is doable, even from Seoul.
A Guide To The Wando Marine Healing Center
The Wando Marine Healing Center is split into 2 floors. The first floor is for the Basic Program, while the second floor is for the Premium Program. No matter which program you choose, you’ll have to take a shower first before entering.
Do note that this area is split into two genders, and you do have to get naked in front of other people. Kind of like the way a jjimjilbang works.
There are two separate lockers, a small one for your shoes, and another one for your clothes and personal belongings. This area also comes with items like towels, hair dryers, and even amenities like shower gel etc.
Basic Program
The basic program lasts for 2 hours and costs 36,000won for adults and 26,000won for children. During your two hours here, you’re allowed to move freely on the first floor and use the facilities according to your preference.
There are a total of 5 facilities on the first floor:
- Thalasso Pool
- Seawater Mist Room
- Meditation Pool (only can use once)
- Mud Therapy Room (only can use once)
- Bubble Therapy Room
The Thalasso Pool takes up the most space on the first floor, with several areas to lounge. The pool is meant to improve circulation and joint pain through the various massage jets planted in the pool. There were even some places for you to lie down while receiving the massage jet. The height of the pool is around 1.2m, so even if you can’t swim – you can still enjoy this.
The Seawater Mist Pool is where you’ll get to sit and literally, have seawater mist sprayed onto your entire body, while the Meditation Pool is where you’ll meditate while floating through the assistance of neck floats.
One of the most fun facilities here is the Bubble Therapy Room which comes with a fountain in the middle of the room shooting out seaweed foam! Apparently, this is really good for your skin, so you can just cover your whole body with it. There are showers right next to this for you to quickly rinse down, so no worries, just enjoy!
The last facility is the Mud Therapy Room where you’ll receive a small bowl of mud to apply on your body. One thing to remember is to not apply the mud on your face!
Premium Program
The premium program lets you use both levels 1 & 2 for a total of 4 hours. For this program, you’ll receive a wristband which comes with four treatments. You can choose from six different wristband combinations, such as:
- De-Stress: Vichy Shower Therapy, Low-Frequency Therapy, Seaweed Color Therapy, Mud Wrapping Therapy
- Metabolism: Seaweed Spa Therapy, Low-Frequency Therapy, Mud Wrapping Therapy, Fragrance Therapy
Other themes include one for Detox, Muscle Pain, Skin and Rehab
As long you opt for the premium program, you are allowed to enjoy one additional facility, either Bath Therapy or Music Therapy.
The premium program is priced at 125,000won for adults and 80,000won for children.
After enjoying the facilities on the second floor, you can also head down to the first floor to use the 5 facilities mentioned in the basic program.
We tried the Low-Frequency Therapy, where our lower body got exposed to low frequencies while we soaked in water. From what we heard; even Olympic athletes come all the way here for this treatment!
Another one we tried was the Mud Wrapping Therapy, where they slathered a layer of mud over our limbs and stomachs. There was a slight burning sensation, and it even warmed our bodies so we started sweating. Might be a great way to detox!
Restaurant at Wando Marine Healing Center
On the first floor of Wando Marine Healing Center, there’s also a restaurant with an ocean view. The restaurant sells a few items that highlight Wando’s specialty – abalone!
Here you’ll find items like a Wando Abalone Porridge (13,000won), Wando Abalone Ramyeon (10,000won), and Wando Haecho Bibimbap (15,000won).
After a relaxing time here, you can take a short walk to Sinji Myeongsasimni Beach, located right in front of the center before taking the shuttle bus back to Wando Bus Terminal or head back to your accommodation.
Experience K-Wellness in Korea
This is definitely a unique experience we’d recommend to anyone visiting Korea. It’s slightly more elevated than your usual jjimjilbang, and the element of mud, seawater, and seaweed brings in that extra factor.
While the location is slightly out of the way, the shuttle buses make the journey easier, plus, the experience at the healing center makes up for it.
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Wando Marine Healing Center
전남 완도군 명사십리61번길 94
94 Myeongsasim-ri 61-beongil, Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do
Mon-Sun, 10am-7pm
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*This article was done in collaboration with Korea Tourism Organization (Singapore) and Jeollanam-do
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