Appearing initially in the 15th century, the Korean sauna (or hanjeungmak) was most commonly used for medicinal and religious practices during the Song dynasty. With Japanese colonization of the 19th century, bathhouses known as mogyotang experienced rapid expansion as more foreigners visited the country and skin-scrubbing became quite the trend and word spread about the invigorating experience and virtues of a deep exfoliation.

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A quick time travel to the early 20th century, we find Korean immigrants trickling into downtown Los Angeles, especially around Bunker Hill. With immigration continuing into the 1930s, Korean residents settled into the area between Western and Vermont, evolving into Koreatown’s official borders and formal recognition in 1982.

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As the neighborhood became more populous, traditional bathhouses made their appearance and evolved into what is commonly called a jimjilbang. While many remain small, female-only operations tucked away in nondescript mini malls, co-ed bath houses with hot and cold pools, steam rooms, dry saunas, showers, relaxation areas, and multiple therapy rooms to assist in detoxification, immunity, circulation, muscle and joint relief are now the standard.

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Now one of the city’s most robust and energetic neighborhoods, it’s no surprise that Korean spas have become one of LA’s not-so-well-kept secrets, attracting not only neighborhood and city locals, but visitors from all over who revel in not only the health and relaxation benefits, but a unique cultural experience a world away from a typical day spa.

Plus, those “in the know” are acutely aware that one can spend the night at any of the 24-hour spas for a fraction of the cost of a hotel or an Airbnb.

What to Expect

First, expect to spend a few hours. Korean spas are not a place to be in a rush or pop in for a lunchtime facial. Rather, it is a time-honored ritual intended to cleanse, detoxify, and restore balance to your mind and body. While you are welcome to go solo, Korean spas are a communal experience where everyone can decide their own pace.

While your bestie is getting a body scrub, you can sweat it out in a steam or clay sauna. When it’s time for your treatment, your companion may be fast asleep in a leather lounge chair or sipping tea before heading for another round in the plunge pools.

Clothing Not Optional

This can be daunting for a newbie. But if you’re wondering if you can wear a swimsuit, the answer is “no.” Not in the wet area and not during a paid body or massage service. You will see every age and every type of body and no one cares what yours looks like. If the spa has a co-ed section, you will receive a set of unflattering shorts and a T-shirt upon check-in.

A Scrub Like No Other

If you have never had one, you have likely heard about it. It may seem a bit intimidating and even scary. The famous Korean body scrub, called seshin or akasuri, is the vigorous scrub for which Korean spas are legendary. Performed in a wet room on a vinyl top table by therapists in black underclothes, they accomplish this shamelessly thorough scrub with a special mitt of viscose fabric.

Expect to be doused with warm water, flipped over numerous times, and have every inch of your body scrubbed in a not-so-relaxing (but not painful) protocol. Remember, you are getting clean, not pampered. These treatments often include a hair wash and rapid neck massage. If you haven’t tried it, do it. Your skin will never be the same—in the best way possible.

What to Bring

When you check in, you are equipped with a bath towel and one smaller towel, a robe, and a locker key. Keep the key around your wrist. If you book a service, you will be called by your locker number when it’s your turn. There will be no carafes of cucumber and mint water, assorted granola snacks, or ambient candles. There is always a water station inside with plastic cups—help yourself.

Many of the spas have a restaurant when the munchies make an appearance (they are usually quite good). The receptionist may or may not speak English, but things manage to be understood. Savor the cultural immersion!

All Korean spas will have an ample supply of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, hair spray, and hair dryers. Some also have disposable toothbrushes, deodorant, mouthwash, hair tools, and facial cleanser. This varies from spa to spa. To get the most out of your visit, we recommend bringing a portable plastic shower caddy with the following items:

• Flip-flops or slippers

• Intensive hair treatment

• Sheet mask

• Toothpaste and toothbrush

• Facial care products

• A sport or yoga bra for underneath the shorts and t-shirt

• A hair clip

• Body scrub and loofah if you are not purchasing a body scrub treatment

• Any other beauty treatment you never seem to have time for at home

While quite an exhaustive list, we have highlighted our favorite Korean spas in LA’s Koreatown, plus a couple that are outside of the K-town boundaries. Please note that not all spas update their website regularly, so please call ahead to verify prices and hours of operation.

Descanso Garden Spa

7226 Foothill Boulevard, Tujunga, CA 91042; (818) 352-2500

Great K-spas are not only in Koreatown proper. Tucked away in the foothills above Glendale, Descanso Garden Spa remains a hidden treasure to seek refuge and stress relief from the hectic day to day.

Comprising two floors, Descanso Garden Spa is compact yet complete. Gender-segregated wet rooms on the first floor include all the fixings of pools, steam and dry saunas, while the co-ed jiimjilbang on the second boasts a cedar oxygen room, a yellow soil charcoal room, and a cold room that is not unbearably cold. Guests love the restaurant with an outdoor patio and rest area with heated floor and mats.

A full range of body scrub, skin care, and massage services await for men and women, including a 1-hour and 40-minute skin youth-boosting stem cell facial. The real perk is the cost for treatments is below that of many K-town spas.

Admission is $30. Waived with the purchase of a service of $100 or more.

Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Grand Spa

2999 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90020; (213) 380-8889

This 24-hour spa does not receive much press attention. Located a little closer to downtown, Grand Spa features segregated male and female wet areas, but no co-ed area. The women’s sauna includes the expected hot and cold pools, plus steam and dry sauna.

The only additional feature is a red light therapy room that is not scorching hot, so you can spend a good amount of time getting some anti-aging action. There is no food service, but there are places within walking distance. Face and body treatment offerings include scrubs, massage, and facials.

So what makes this spa noteworthy? We love the large lounge area with oversized leather recliners, blankets, and a big-screen TV blaring Korean telenovelas. But the real fun comes behind some inconspicuous doors behind which you will find several sleeping rooms.

One is rather large with two long rows of cushioned mats on a heated floor. The others are smaller with four to six mats each, just enough for a spa girl slumber party. Grand Spa remains a sweet little escape where you can enjoy an overnight getaway at a fraction of the cost of anywhere else.

Daily Admission $30. Overnight Admission $35. Waived with a service of $100 or more.

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

Olympic Spa

3915 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90019; (323) 857-0666

This female-only spa is a popular sanctuary for many K-spa aficionados and trendy types, including some secret celeb clientele. With a recent upgrade to the public areas, guests can enjoy more luxurious environs without sacrificing authenticity.

Guests can awaken their senses in the warm salt water and cold plunge pool before opening up those pores in a steam room infused with fresh herbs and the red clay dry sauna. Finish the circuit by unwinding in the oxygen and halo-therapy salt rooms before cooling off in the ice room. Top it off with a snooze in the lounge area enjoy the sunshine in the delightful veranda to catch up on some well-deserved “me time.”

The real fuss over Olympic Spa is their opulent body treatments using luxury brands such as Darfin. The unanimous winner for unhinged decadence is The Goddess. Starting with a full akasuri scrub, they then pamper you head to toe with seaweed body polish and an aromatherapy body and scalp massage.

Your face is then treated to a lymphatic massage and anti-aging mask. Your heavenly bliss concludes with a fragrant shampoo and rinse and application of emollient body butter.

The purchase of a treatment is required for admission. No day passes are sold.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Riviera Health Spa

3601 Lomita Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90505; (310) 375-5600

Located just south of LAX in the city of Torrance, Riviera is another off K-town spa option that is packed with amenities making it ideal for a daylong outing. The male and female wet room areas are augmented by a co-ed jiimjilbang complete with clay, salt, and jade saunas plus an ice room. The vast rest area features warm wood floors and plenty of sleeping mats.

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In addition to a full restaurant with an outdoor patio, Riviera Spa boasts a smoothie and coffee bar, exercise area with treadmills, and a small computer room. A menu of scrub and massage services are available, or you can just buy a day pass and detox the day away.

Admission is $28 or waived with the purchase of a service of $75 or more.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Spa LA

3442 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90010; (213) 302-2681

Spa LA is a Koreatown gem. Bright and spacious, the female-only spa features a spacious wet area with herbal steam and hinoki dry saunas. The single-gender jimjilbang is outfitted with a charcoal mud clay room, infrared healing room, a Himalayan salt room, jade room, and a negative ion balancing room.

For an extra fee you can experience the V-steam, an ancient women’s intimate cleansing. This unique yet increasingly popular service uses curated herbs to balance and purify the pelvic region, helping to regulate menstruation and ease cramps and bloating.

After you complete the requisite therapy room rounds and feel like you're floating on a cloud, the Mother of Pearl relaxation room is where you need to be. Furnished with intricately carved mother-of-peal tables and plush sofas, it’s an intimate spot to sip tea and unwind.

Speaking of which, if you're in the mood for something truly sumptuous, book the Precious Pear which includes a pearl and collagen body wrap—for yourself or someone special. There is even a special floral wallpapered photo zone with studio lights for some spa selfies to share on social media.

Admission is $40 on weekdays and $50 on weekends. Waived with a service of $80 or more.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (weekdays) and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (weekends)

Spa Palace

620 S. Union Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90017; (213) 637-0000

Spa Palace is a spacious spa that feature male and female wet areas with steam and dry saunas and pools, an extensive co-ed jiimjilbang, a restaurant and juice bar, and a co-ed swimming pool.

The jiimjilbang features assorted treatment rooms with specific healing properties. The Evan Stone room which helps to even hyper-pigmentation and blotchy skin. It is also said to relieve burden on the kidneys and liver.

Another room features the special Loess soil—known to calm and de-stress, as well as promote circulation while emitting a very pleasant aroma. A novel gold room promotes anti-aging while boosting immunity, concentration, detoxification, and stress reduction. Once you emerge from the ice room, chill out in one of the cozy lounges or on the heated wood floor with a mat and head rest.

A range of body and massage services are offered including the Palace Signature Ritual, which features an aromatic lavender salt scrub and vitamin C facial.

Admission is $30 with an 11 p.m. check-out or $45 overnight. Waived with a service of $120 or more.

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

V Spa

1130 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena, CA 91030; (626) 799-0118

South Pasadena’s first Korean spa (and the first Korean spa in San Gabriel Valley), V Spa opened in October 2019 and was inspired by the Korean spas in LA’s Koreatown. Owner Mei Vieth wanted to open a Korean spa that was closer to home without the hassle of driving across town.

V Spa’s modern amenities include a steam sauna, Himalayan salt room, red clay detox room, and cold and hot baths. The treatment menu features a variety of affordable and relaxing services ranging from Korean body scrubs and reflexology to massage and hair services in the salon.

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While the spa is primarily for women, V Spa does offer a special private experience (2-hour limit) for couples or friends that want to reserve the spa for themselves. It costs $130 per person and includes a body scrub, hair wash, oil massage, and cucumber mask. Vieth also owns Happy Feet Massage, which is located a few doors down and caters to both men and women.

For those with limited time or that don’t want a full spa service, V Spa charges a $25 admission fee for unlimited access to the spa’s amenities for the day. Walks-ins are accepted, but appointments are always recommended.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Wi Spa

2700 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90057; (213) 487-2700

The granddaddy of Korean spas, Wi Spa attracts visitors far and wide. A 24/7, multi-level haven of well-being for men, women, and families. Wi Spa features expansive men’s and women’s wet area with steam and dry saunas, hot, temperate, and cold plunge pools, rest areas furnished with lounge chairs and sofas, as well as a heated floor with bamboo mats.

One of the most enticing features of the women’s spa is the extensive vanity area. A long row of personal vanity stations with leather chairs and lighted mirrors make post-spa grooming comfortable and convenient. You will also find hair dryers, body lotions, and grooming products.

Perhaps the biggest buzz about Wi Spa is the lively co-ed jimjilbang. Here you will find a circuit of a salt and a clay sauna, a jade room with joint healing properties, an ice sauna to bring your body temperature back to normal, and a special sauna called a bugama. Made out of oakwood, this intense therapy room can hit up to 230 degrees. If you’re slightly masochistic and can withstand the intense heat, you are rewarded with a thorough and sweaty detox and reduced blood pressure.

The mildly heated floors of the jiimjilbang are lined with sleeping mats and blankets. People do sleep here overnight. There is a computer area with computers for use if you did not bring your laptop, a restaurant, leather lounge chairs, and a furnished outdoor terrace if you prefer to kick back al fresco style. There is also a complete gym on the first floor, so bring sneakers.

A full range of body, skin, and nail services are available including the Wi Spa Special—a decadent 120-minute slimming ritual that includes a pure gold powder and serum-infused body wrap and collagen facial mask.

Admission is $30. An additional $20 is charged for check-out after 4 a.m. Waived with a service of $160 or more.

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

[Photos courtesy of spas]

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Los Angeles Koreatown Spa Guide: Everything You Need to Know about the Best Korean Spas in LA

What to Expect

Clothing Not Optional

A Scrub Like No Other

What to Bring