Spatacular is an exhilarating and relaxing journey that happens inside a Korean spa. The Korean spa, unlike Western spas, isn’t about getting an individual, private, luxurious spa service. It’s not a passive experience where you let a masseuse or masseur provides you with all the services and body treatments. First of all, going to a Korean spa is an affordable, everyday-experience for everyone. In a Korean spa, you’ll be the one actively doing things from soaking in different tubs, washing up, getting food, scrubbing, chilling in a co-ed area, napping, to picking which saunas you want to go into. There’s also a community atmosphere where you will be going into saunas and spa baths with other naked strangers.
Just like any spa experience, the Korean spa experience gives you the time to indulge in various senses. It’s a place where you can slow down and enjoy all the physical sensations around you inside the spa. It gives you the time to really cleanse, detoxify and relax your body. You can experience everything from entering hot tubs, outdoor tubs, meeting a professional scrubber to exploring a salt room, jewels room, ice room and other exciting sauna rooms. Also, food is a big part of the Korean spa experience. After a long bathing time and sweating out in the saunas, you’ll probably get hungry. Then, you can enjoy a bowl of ramen and other Korean snacks with your close friends, family, drink a cold banana milk, crack stone-plate cooked eggs on your friend’s head and just lie down and chill on a heated floor. It’s such a good place to spend your entire day soaking and leaving all your troubles away. I feel like I’m treating my body and skin whenever I visit a K-spa.
So, my project, Spatacular, consists of a book and posters. The book is accompanied by the story I wrote based on my experience and thoughts on the things and space inside a Korean spa. The book invites the readers to join my visual journey of exploring different senses and various spots inside a Korean spa. There’re five chapters in the book and they are presented in chronological order, so that the readers can explore and understand the whole process of experiencing a Korean spa according to the right order. Each chapter of the book happens at a different part of the spa. There are also five main posters and one poster about the entire project. Each poster corresponds to each chapter of the book.
My goal for the project is to provide an immersive sequence of visuals and texts to help the audience to really feel like they’re inside a Korean spa. Since the spa is such a sensual experience, I tried to capture how one’s senses interact with different things inside a Korean spa–different temperatures of the water, aroma of the sauna, different food and drinks, things you can hear, how the water feels on your body and translate these sensory experiences into the right visuals. Photos are arranged with texts in a way that evoke different sensations and reflect the atmosphere of the spa.
A B O U T S PATA C U L A R
pack my favorite bathing products
receive a locker key
enter the korean spa
take all my clothes off
things i brought
W H AT I S I N MY BAG
1. cleansing products 2. small bottles of shampoo and conditioner 3. facial masks (for me, my sister, dad & mom) 4. a hair clip 5. water bottle 6. a waterproof bag to put all the items in
L O B B Y O F T H E KO R E A N S PA
DID I FORGET TO BRING ANYTHING?
i’m standing in the lobby of the korean spa, carrying my waterproof bag packed with my bath products. i brought some cleansing products to remove my makeup, small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, a few facial masks for my family and a hair clip to keep my hair tightly up and clean inside the bathing area.
4 TICKETS + 4 TOWELS + SAUNA CLOTHES + LOCKER KEYS
my family walks up to the lady at the counter and asks for 4 tickets. she hands us the towels, pink sauna clothes for me, mom and sister and blue ones for dad, and also four electronic keys for the lockers. the lady explains to us that we can use this key to also pay for food and massages inside the spa.
L O B B Y O F T H E KO R E A N S PA
dad asks us when we should meet up at the common area. hmm... it’ll take around two hours to wash up, so let’s meet up at around 7:30pm? how’s that sound?
what time should we meet at the common area?
DECIDING WHERE AND WHEN TO MEET AFTER WASHING UP
we need about two hours to wash up, so how about we meet at 7:30pm?
dad walks into the men’s changing room first. we also walk into the women’s changing room.
L O B B Y O F T H E KO R E A N S PA
oh. here it is!
i slip the shoes inside.
let’s go find our lockers now.
FINDING MY LOCKER
a wall of small lockers
get the shoe locker key exchanged for the locker key.
go through another door.
enter the changing room.
go find my locker.
THE LOCKERS
I see around three women are sitting on a big wooden bench with facial masks on, chatting.
walking some are drying their hair in front of the big mirror.
ENCOUNTER THE NAKED STRANGERS
around inside the changing room.
some people are removing their clothes in front of their lockers
a small girl is drinking a Korean banana milk next to her mom.
THE CHANGING ROOM
is anyone looking at me?
shirts
underwear
socks
pants
jacket
P L E A S E D O N ’ T LO O K AT M E
i look around to see if anybody is looking at me. i slowly take off my clothes starting from the bottom, since my shirt is long enough to cover my butt. then i put all my clothes and some things in the locker, including the sauna clothes.
IN FRONT OF MY LOCKER
enter the bathing area
open the frosted glass door
READY TO GO WASH UP
rows of washing stations piles of plastic stools grab a stool pick a faucet
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N I N S I D E T H E BAT H I N G A R E A
i turned on the shower tap. then wash a plastic stool with soap and water.
sitting on a wet, slippery plastic stool.
then sit down. i look into the mirror.
WASHING A PLASTIC STOOL AND A BASIN
i put a clean plastic basin on the counter in front of me, under the tap. i put my bag next to me and take out my body wash and other things and put them in front of me. i use the handshower and spray it over my body. i see a steamed up mirror in front of me. i wipe it with my hands.
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
I wonder who was sitting on this stool before me...
A RANDOM THOUGHT
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
hands neck shoulder chest back face thighs calves feet
L I G H T LY W A S H
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
shampoo
RINSING MY HAIR
rinse it
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
massage pool
find my favorite pool
enter the bathing pools
outdoor pool
explore the different bathing pools
before scrubbing, we walk around the pool area to see what kinds of pools there are. we read the names of each pool and also check out the temperatures.
C H EC K I N G O U T T H E T E M P E R AT U R ES O F T H E WAT E R
w h a t ’s t h e temperature of this pool?
this one’s way too hot for me...
BAT H I N G P O O L A R E A
start with the “not-so-hot” pool to warm up the body, then move onto the warmer pools.
this one’s way too cold for me...
C H EC K I N G O U T T H E T E M P E R AT U R ES O F T H E WAT E R
this one’s perfect!!!
BAT H I N G P O O L A R E A
the heat climbs up from the tips of my toes all the way up
we decide to start with a warm pool.
to my entire body
then put my other foot into the tub.
it quickly raises my body temperature
SOAKING TIME
i put one foot up on the cold stone step
it feels like my body is melting down with the warm water. i just sit and contemplate in the water for awhile. the young girl brought in two plastic basins and uses them as floating toys.
there are already three old ladies and a young girl inside the tub. my body feels so relaxed.
INSIDE THE WARM POOL
feeling of weightlessness
close my eyes
SOAKING TIME
hot water
feeling the water up to my neck
gentle
relaxing
INSIDE THE WARM POOL
S N I F F I N G A L L T H E H E R B S F R OM T H E A R OM AT I C P O O L S
herbs
INSIDE THE HERB POOL
fresh
cold air
OPEN THE DOOR AND WALK OUTSIDE
we walk through the door that leads to the outside pool.
it feels weird to be walking outside naked. the cold air is hitting my body. we walk fast towards the hot bathing pool. then i soak my entire body in the water.
O U T D O O R BAT H I N G A R E A
steam coming up from the bathing pool now, the cold air is only hitting my face while my body is soaking in the hot water. this is what i love about doing open-air baths on a cold day.
E N J O Y S I T T I N G I N H O T WAT E R O N A C O L D D AY
T H E O U T D O O R BAT H I N G P O O L
the way
the water
feels
on
E N J O Y S I T T I N G I N H O T WAT E R O N A C O L D D AY
my
skin
T H E O U T D O O R BAT H I N G P O O L
E N J O Y S I T T I N G I N H O T WAT E R O N A C O L D D AY
T H E O U T D O O R BAT H I N G P O O L
we walk out of the tub. then we walk back into the indoor bathing area.
leave the pool L E AV E T H E O U T D O O R H O T T U B B E H I N D
T H E I N D O O R BAT H I N G A R E A
GETTING A BUBBLE MASSAGE
cooling ourselves off inside a cold pool
bubbles are now hitting my back.
jets inside the massage pool are pumping out lots of bubbles, hitting all the spots where my muscles ache.
THE MASSAGE POOL
a waterfall shower
it takes awhile to get into the pool, because it’s way too cold. i take my time until my body adjusts to the temperature of the pool.
T H E WAT E R I S TO O CO L D
THE COLD POOL
meet a professional scrubber
treat your skin
scrub & shower
help scrubbing mom’s back
in the corner of the bathing area, there are several pink plastic tables. next to the tables, there’re some korean aunties in black underwear who are professional scrubbers.
there are some women lying down on the tables and the aunties are mercilessly scrubbing their bodies with scrubbing mittens on their hands.
PROFESSIONAL SCRUBBING SERVICE VS. SELF-SCRUBBING
i’m still a little too scared to let another person scrub my body. i remember having it done once when i was younger and how merciless those aunties were when it came to scrubbing.
it’s a completely different kind of naked
intimacy. you need to let the scrubbing
lady scrub every corner of your body.
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
long hearty scrubs
everybody has to soak in warm water for at least 20 minutes before scrubbing, so that the warm water loosens the skin.
SELF-SCRUBBING TIME
since we had soaked ourselves in warm and hot water for long enough time, we decided to go straight into scrubbing.
we go to the shower booth and get a plastic stool and pick a place and sit down.
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
i leave the tap running. until it fills up some warm water inside a plastic basin.
i take out my scrubbing mitten and soak it in warm water.
GETTING MY SCRUBBING ITEMS READY
wear the mitten and put a tiny bit of soap on it
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
it’s a little painful to use a scrubbing mitten, but it’s oddly satisfying to see all the dead skin coming off my body.
rolls of dark, gray skin fall off from my body as i scrub my legs SCRUBBING MY BODY
my skin turns a little red as i rub the same
spot a few times.
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
me whenever we came to the korean spa together.
i remember when i was a young girl, mom used to scrub
we help scrubbing
i help my sister with scrubbing her back. she asked me to do it instead of mom, since i scrub a lot more gently than mom.
HELP SCRUBBING EACH OTHER
after i finish helping my sister, she helps mom with her back.
each other’s backs
we’ve never had smoother skin before.
T H E WA S H I N G S TAT I O N
after i’m done scrubbing, i wash my body thoroughly with water and bodywash.
WASH OFF
walk through the door that leads to the common area.
we all leave the bathing area. use a clean towel to dry my body. walk back to the changing room. go to my locker and open it. take out my pink baggy sauna clothes. then get changed.
THE CHANGING ROOM
nap on the heated stone floor
chill with my family
enjoy the spa food
enter the common area
when we enter the common area, we see dad sitting down on the floor with a mat, waiting for us.
O R D E R I N G S N AC KS & D R I N KS AT T H E S N AC K BA R
how many stone-plate cooked eggs should we get? brown roasted color so chewy the yolk is really good put a little bit of salt on it
cracks hers on my forehead.
eggs on my sister’s forehead. then she
back to our spot. i try cracking one of the
we get 4 cooked eggs. then bring them
and take another bite
THE COMMON AREA
chew all the rice grains from the drink
sweet
eat the rice
get a sweet rice drink & a persimmon punch tastes so good with the stone-plate cooked eggs.
O R D E R I N G S N AC KS & D R I N KS AT T H E S N AC K BA R
i miss my aunt’s persimmon punch. i loved all the things she put inside to garnish. like some good pine nuts and a big dried persimmon.
pine nuts
eat all the pine nuts from the drink
refreshing
cinnamon-y
love all these traditional korean drinks
THE COMMON AREA
NAP TIME
i lie down.
feel the heat on my back.
wake up after about an hour.
O N T H E H E AT E D S TO N E F LO O R
we order some korean seaweed soup and bowls of ramen for dinner. we all got hungry after soaking in the tubs for a long time.
DINNER TIME
there’s nothing better than eating a bowl of korean ramen or eating a seaweed soup after having a nice long bath.
THE CAFETERIA
explore the saunas
sweat
wash off
leave the spa
it’s time to explore the saunas
EXPLORING DIFFERENT SAUNAS
mom and dad want to go the red clay sauna. me and my sister decide to go to a different sauna, since the red clay sauna is really hot. i’ve been there once and i couldn’t stay even for 5 minutes.
we all fold a towel to make the korean lamb towel hat. i already see a lot of people wearing it on their heads. i like how it looks cute and also protects my hair from the heat inside the saunas. i go to refill my waterbottle. THE SAUNA AREA
it’s way too hot for me... P E E K I N G I N TO C H EC K O U T T H E T E M P E R AT U R E
red clay scents
mom and dad go into the red clay room. i open the door for them and put my head inside the room to check out the temperature. the heat from the room makes it difficult for me to breathe. i close back the door and walk outside.
T H E R E D C L AY R O O M
me and my sister go into the amethyst room. there’re already a few people sitting or lying down. we sit beside one of the amethyst walls.
CHILLING WITH ALL THE COLORFUL AMETHYSTS IN THE ROOM
i touch one of the amethyst stones on the wall.
there’s several pieces dropped on the floor.
THE AMETHYST ROOM
two women are talking about how the jade sauna stimulates the circulation of the blood.
jade G E T T I N G U S E D TO T H E H E AT I N S I D E T H E SAU N A
it’s nice hearing other people talking about their lives.
let’s stay for 5 more minutes! there’s a kid whining about the heat in the sauna. his mom takes him out of the sauna.
THE JADE ROOM
hydrating myself by sipping some water from my water bottle.
COLORFUL JEWELS
moderate temperature
THE JEWEL ROOM
wipe the sweat with a towel
D R I N K I N G LOT S O F WAT E R
we decide to stay for 3 more minutes then go to an ice room to cool down our bodies.
THE JEWEL ROOM
the ice room really helps to cool down my heated muscles and skin. we take out our facial masks and wear them inside the room to cool down our faces too. we sit there for another few minutes then leave.
COOLING DOWN OUR BODIES
THE ICE ROOM
salt room
hot salt
HOT SALT MASSAGE
the floor’s covered with salt. there’re some big towels laid on the salt. it would hurt to sit on a bed of hot, coarse salt without having a towel underneath me. we grab a place in the corner and sit on the towel. then we cover our legs with hot salt and rub it over our bodies and massage our legs.
rubbing salt all over my legs
THE SALT ROOM
we go back into the changing room. take off our sauna clothes. go back into the bathing area. go to the shower station. then lightly wash off our bodies.
W A S H L I G H T LY
BAT H I N G A R E A
my skin has never felt so soft and smooth
refreshed
L E AV E T H E S PA
clean
fresh
relaxed
recharged
BAC K AT T H E LO B BY