Restaurant: ToSokChon 토속촌

Korea is all about the "well-being" of body and health. The people here claim that most of their traditional dishes all have some kind of health value that can prevent cancer, diseases, or even relieve stress.

Samgyetang is a traditional Korean soup served all year round, but most popular during the summer time. The name literally means ginseng chicken soup, which you can probably guess the two main ingredients. The chicken is stuffed with some sticky sweet rice and cooked whole in broth. It is served in an earthenware bowl with a whole piece of ginseng and a jujube.

I heard people like to eat this soup during the summer because not only does it replenish your body with nutrients, but also that eating hot things during the hot season supposedly keeps you cool.

Tosokchon is a restaurant in north Seoul famous for this soup. I heard about this restaurant from many tourists. They claim that the soup is so good that everyday there is a line of people wrapped around the restaurant waiting to get a taste of the soup. I had to check it out.

I arrived just before lunch time, so I was able to get a seat pretty easily. The building is designed to look like a traditional Korean home, before all the fancy apartments took over. There is a little courtyard in the middle with a nice garden that you can look at when you're eating your soup. I don't know if they have tables with chairs, but all the seating in the rooms I passed by were floor seating.

The soup itself was really good. The meat falls off the bones and the kimchee is perfectly ripe. It was a bit hard to eat because I kept having to pick through the soup to fish out the bones.

The one thing that I wasn't very satisfied with was the seating arrangements and the service. The tables are lined up in rows and placed very close to each other. I sat right in the middle of a row and had to get up every time to let people pass by me. As far as the service, the staff didn't speak any English and they were pretty much nowhere to be found. This place is swamped by tourists from all over the world, and I was pretty surprised that the staff couldn't understand a lady asking for water.

Should you check it out? Definitely. Like I mentioned before, the food is good. Don't expect 5 Star service, but do go there to taste the soup Koreans swear makes you healthy.

Tosokchon (토속촌) is located near exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung on line 3. Walk straight out and turn left when you see a GS convenience store.

Dragon Hill Spa

If there is one thing that Korea is famous for other than kimchee, I would say it is the "jjimjilbang."

Jjjimjilbangs are difficult to describe because 'bath house' doesn't really bring a picture to your head, especially if you are from America. The main part of any good jjimjilbang is the sauna which usually has a variety of hot and cold tubs at different temperatures that say they are 'energy' or 'medicine'. But there is so much more to it than just sweating out all the bad stuff.

After you pay the entrance fee you'll get a key attached to a wristband with a number for your locker and a change of clothes (loose-fitting shirt and shorts) to change into after you bathe and to wear in the co-ed areas. Once you're clean, then it's time to explore or find the perfect place to sleep for the night.

One of the most popular jjimjilbangs in Korea amongst foreigners is Dragon Hill Spa located in Yongsan. Don't be fooled by the appearance of the entrance. It's way bigger than it seems. 

 

The walkway into the spa is really serene as you enter through a narrow passageway surrounded by bamboo trees and green Christmas lights. 

 

Here is the floor plan of the spa. As you can see, each floor is filled with different features including screen golf, arcade, fitness club, rooftop terrace, cinema, PC room, and restaurant.

 

Here is the open space where you can sleep. The floors are heated so if you get hot easily, I suggest going down to the cinema when there's no movie on. It's cooler and no one really goes in there! 

On a weekend, these places get so packed it can be difficult to find a place to sleep as Koreans make it a family event, or kids use it as a way to escape the home. So if you don't like crowds, try to explore during the week, but if you want to see one in full effect then make your stay on a Friday or Saturday!

Although I was appalled by the thought of being naked in front of other women, it was an experience that made me feel closer to the culture. If anything, no one really looks at you as they don't want to be looked at either. I hope you try out different saunas and jjimjilbangs in Korea. It's cheaper than a hotel and you get a free luxury bath out of it!