Internet Detox & Healing At Healience Seonmaeul Near Seoul
Living in Seoul, Korea can be amazing, fun, and there’s a ton to see but it can also be overwhelming, stressful, and busy. For those times when the city is a bit too much, there are healing and wellness hotels and resorts around Korea and Healience Seonmaeul is one of the best.
A big trend in Korea right now is refocusing the ‘self’ and more healing and wellness-centered hotels and resorts are popping up to help people living the fast-paced life rekindle and replant their roots in nature and take a breath. This year I’m in a Wellness Tourism group that is sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organization so I’m visiting a number of chosen Wellness Travel Destinations around Korea including Donghae Mureung Health Forest among others.
This was the first one and if it’s any indicator, I’m in for a healthy and holistic year of experiences. My kind of jam. Is it yours?
Healience Soeonmaeul is quite large and offers quite a bit for guests so here is a complete guide to the place. Feel free to skip around and learn more about this wellness destination here in Korea.
- What Does Healience Mean?
- Book A Stay
- How To Get There
- The Rooms
- Internet Detox… Really
- Things To Do At Healience Seonmaeul
- Visit The Natural Healing Spa
- Eat at the Bichae Restaurant
- Get a drink at the Garden Music Hall & Cafe
- Go Trekking With The Healience Dogs
- Rest In The Forest
- Visit The Cave Of The Mind
- Visit The Yurts Or The Yoga Room
- Let The Kids Play In The Sandbox
- Check Out The Mini Zoo
- Play In The Indoor Play Place
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What Does Healience Mean?
Healience is a name that comes from the words ‘healing’ and ‘science’. Guests can partake in nature’s blessings and learn about the four vital habits: exercise, life rhythm, eating, and mental stability. Healience works under three key words: Humble, Simple, and Natural. Healience maintains humbleness in their guestrooms that are built with wood and offer the simplest of living comforts.
It’s comfortable to be sure though. I LOVED my bed. Healience maintains simplicity by building the place free of modern architectural techniques and focused on functionality. And Healience maintains their natural function easily by accepting and becoming one with the surrounding natural surroundings. Every building seems to feature floor to ceiling windows perfect for staring out and taking in the mountains and the trees that cover them.
Book A Stay
Healience Seonmaeul Website: We used the website to figure out our stay, but I would say the easiest would have been using the much more foreigner friendly Booking.com option. I had Koreans on my team who took over and sent money from their Korean accounts this trip, but were I doing it, I most likely would have just done it with my credit card to get points and Booking.com would have been much easier for that.
How To Get There
Address: 122 Jongjasan-gil, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do (๊ฐ์๋ ํ์ฒ๊ตฐ ์๋ฉด ์ข ์์ฐ๊ธธ 122)
By Car: Healience is just outside of Seoul in Hongcheon, Gangwon-do province. It took me just under two hours to drive myself from the west side of Seoul.
By Healience Shuttle: They also have a super easy to use and free shuttle bus that picks up in Jamsil. Make sure to reserve a seat and you’ll be on your way! You can reserve a seat on the shuttle after you book your stay.
The Rooms
Forest Villas
The Forest Villas are definitely the more chic upgraded choice when it comes to the villa options. The Forest Villas are a bit newer than the Garden Villas and feature larger terraces to rest on and maybe even better views. Is that just me? The aesthetic of these was a bit chicer though it had all of the same amenities as the Garden Villas. The rooms feature a living room and a bedroom and is a great space for families.
Garden Villas
The first time I visited, we stayed in the Garden Villas. Having stayed twice, I can say that these seem a bit older and are maybe not so chic but still very comfortable. They feature floor to ceiling windows to look out over the forested mountains and a small terrace to sit on and breathe the fresh air blowing through the trees. They also have a separate bedroom and living room space to stay in which suits couples and families too.
Internet Detox… Really
One of the first things that most people find out about this getaway is that it is an Internet detox (there aren’t any TVs either). Upon the drive up the long driveway to the gated entrance, at some point the phone just stops working. No texts, no calls, no Internet. Continue up the narrow driveway through a forest of trees to find the beautiful wood, glass, and cement buildings that house the wellness and healing opportunities.
Should you want to make a call, there is a landline in the Welcome Center which guests can use and there is ONE room on the third floor that has Wifi because even though an Internet detox is a welcome respite, Healience understands the need for connection.
While no one monitors the Wifi room or limits how long you can stay there, I can tell you that being in a place with such nature and various programs available meant I wasn’t yearning for the Internet except to FaceTime my daughter before bed and to tell my husband I’d made it safely.
The second time I visited was with my family and once they got over that initial shock, it was really a great opportunity to bond away from the screens and Internet.
After the shock of the Internet detox wears off, check in and find out what programs are available as they do change and then get the lay of the mountainous land. While the location on the side of a mountain provides ample opportunity for great views and trekking trails, it also means that if you aren’t good with steep inclines, this may not be the best place for you.
From the Welcome Center to the furthest point up, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes of huffing. This IS a child-friendly healing retreat, but if you have really little ones, just know you will likely be carrying them. It’s not overwhelming but I do want to point it out.
The brochure explains that they have purposefully kept it a bit steep and force people to walk up to the highest point for yoga and back down again for food. This is done in order to push people out of their comfort zones just a bit while still allowing them the opportunity to find further comfort in themselves.
Things To Do At Healience Seonmaeul
Get the map as soon as you arrive and don’t be afraid to check out all of the different spaces that are open to guests. This is a closed area which means you MUST have a reservation to even enter. There is a gate at the foot of the mountain where you give your name and information before coming in so there are no visitors though there are also DAY programs available if you can’t or don’t want to spend the night.
Visit the Natural Healing Spa
The spa has two different heated pools to soak in as well as two different saunas. Now, don’t be confused, the Rock Sauna is in a separate building and co-ed, while the other three are in the same spa area and men and women are separate. The Rock Sauna is hot hot hot!
Head in and change into shorts and a shirt to sweat it out in. Lay on the floor and enhance your metabolism by warming up the body on the natural red clay marble. You can lay down for some time, but try to stay for at least thirty minutes before heading to the spa area just next door.
The red clay sauna is effective for anti-aging, skin care, relief of neuralgia, backaches, stress, and chronic fatigue, and stimulates blood circulation. I went here first and then into the other building for the pools.
The Palseon Sauna is not co-ed and is after you enter the dressing room. There are also shorts and a shirt to change into for this zone. This room is hot as well and you’re meant to lay down or sit on the bench with a view and take advantage of the anion emitting red clay marble and stones with seven gems.
Since I’d just done the other sauna I bypassed this and went straight into the pool area though this room looked very accommodating and comfortable especially if you’re not interested in the co-ed experience.
Undress and head into the pool space. Shower and then jump into the pools. If you haven’t been to a Korean sauna before and want some pointers on what to expect and what to do when you get inside, check out this post with all of the info you’d need. I got into the thermal pool first which is PRETTY warm and meant to maintain your body temperature and enhance both your metabolism and immunity.
After being in the sauna for thirty minutes, I only lasted about 10 minutes before switching over to the carbonic acid pool which is just a bit cooler and since I was already hot hot hot, was more comfortable for me. I sat in this pool and for about 15 minutes couldn’t figure out where the “jets” were but I was sure I was sitting on one because I kept getting bubbles all around me. BUT, then I realized what the water was. The pool recharges your energy in a short time and the bubbles form all around your body on your skin.
- Hours: Visit from 5:00am to 12:00am* (Cleaned from 9:00am to 10:30am)
Can’t get out of Seoul but want to pamper yourself a bit? Here are two very popular Korean spa experiences I would recommend looking into:
- Sulwhasoo Spa:This high-end label is one of the most famous in Korea and their skincare and makeup is beyond compare. Their gorgeous flagship store in Gangnam also houses a spa that is widely known for an array of anti-aging treatments that utilize the brandโs products as well as jade, amber, and white porcelain. Choose from massages, brightening, and anti-aging programs. This is an amazing company that provides relaxation, calmness, and rejuvenation. Make your reservation online before you go because they are very popular.
- Spa 1899: This spa in the Gangnam area is known for their signature red ginseng treatments and the treatments can focus on various parts of the body. Some of their must-try treatments include the slow-aging, balancing, and full care options that use red ginseng to rejuvenate the body from the inside and out. Be sure to book online before youโre hoping to go.
Eat at the Bichae Restaurant
This is the only restaurant on the premises and it serves GREAT food. The food is free of artificial seasoning and contains almost no sodium which I thought was great, but my husband who is from Busan and loves salty foods found a little distasteful. To that end though, the kimchi is great and when the food is eaten with the kimchi, I think it spices it up just enough.
The restaurant serves a variety of nutritious meals that include meat, fish, and lots of vegetables. The meat is lean and takes advantage of the real flavors of ingredients without deep frying or grilling. All of the meals are Korean so don’t expect western options though there was quite a bit of salad which I found a bit different from the standard Korean fare usually on offer.
When you head into the restaurant space, check out the three different spaces to dine in. The food is in the first space, but walk through and there’s a mini greenhouse like area as well as a back room that has a more woodsy forest-like feeling which also features outdoor seating just under the leaves of the trees. Sit in a different space for each meal to get the whole effect of the various spaces.
Get a drink at the Garden Music Hall & Cafe
Head to the top floor of the welcome center to find a beautiful terrace with hammock seats that look out into the mountains. Step inside to get some tea or coffee and listen to music and relax in the awesome space and then step back outside and check out the water garden with a waterfall that drops down from the top floor down to the next floor.
To be honest, the ONLY thing I thought could have been better was the coffee. There is just machine coffee available so if you need good coffee, bring your own. Other than the coffee, there were plenty of herbal tea options, vinegar apple ciders and other drinks to promote digestion. There were healthy snacks and ice creams to purchase as well so if you need a little snack between meal times, head up to the cafe.
- Hours: 8:00am – 8:00pm
Go Trekking With The Healience Dogs
I didn’t do this the first time I visited but the second time found out that there are two gorgeous and friendly labs that guests can take for a trek in the nearby forest. The labs are actually near the restaurant waiting in a little shaded area and at two times a day, upon reservation, two guests or two families/groups can take the dogs out. We decided to take the dog out and it was so fun.
Do note that the dogs do this every day so they know the trails inside and out and will take you with them and not the other way around. They are super strong and really just get at it so since we had Ava with us, one parent was basically with the dog while the other was with our nature loving child who was finding bugs and kept wanting to stop to explore.
The dogs are great companions to take for an adventure into the forests and the trails are all well marked, but if you’ve got kids, just know that if they’re younger, you’ll need someone to be with them while you’re with the dog.
There are five hiking courses and easy to follow the paths out into the forest and then back to the villas. The dogs tend to the take the easiest trail, but feel free to trek without them and try the other trails to get that heart pumping. Throughout the forests are also various ponds and relaxation areas to find too.
Rest In The Forest
There are so many places and spaces to find in the mountains that surround the villas at Healience. No matter where you’re staying, you will end up on some sort of trail because the entire place is set on the side of a mountain. While you’re walking on the trails though, keep your eyes peeled for the various relaxation spots. The first time I visited, we stayed at the Garden Villas but I really liked the walk to the Forest Villas especially with our little lady.
There is a small foot bath with tadpoles and frogs and nearby is a foot massage course, you know those areas with the red pebbles you’re supposed to walk barefoot on? Once Ava found the frogs, it was over for us and we walked on this trail at least five times while we were there. Worth it though.
Whichever trail you find and subsequently the resting area afterward, you’ll be happy to take a seat and enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest that surrounds you.
Visit The Cave Of The Mind
The first time I visited, we didn’t have time to go to the meditation cave and I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to enter when there isn’t a class happening but actually, you can enter anytime. Join a class if there is one or enter on your own, take a seat, and meditate. It’s a really calming space with pillows to sit on and sounding bowls. Definitely a good spot to check out for some peace and quiet and finding zen.
Visit The Yurts Or The Yoga Room
After trekking, visit the two yurts on the premises for various classes or find the Cave of the Mind. From yoga classes to meditation and more, there are various programs going on. Be sure to check updated schedules when you check in and see what you can partake in. We took a mindfulness yoga and meditation course in one of the yurts and it was fantastic. There are also writing meditations and more art based classes as well. When the weather is nice, there are forest meditations as well.
Like our clothes? When you register and reserve your spot, staff will ask you what size you are so you can adorn comfy modern Korean Hanbok like clothes. The sizes are Korean sizes so whatever you think you are, get one size up. Maintain the comfort. Once everyone gets into their clothes and begins the various programs and is traipsing up and down the mountain it feels a bit like the summer camps you may have attended as a kid. Everyone is enjoying their time and their space and since we all look the same, it’s just a nice connection to experience.
Let The Kids Play In The Sandbox
Healience is perfect whether you’re a solo traveler or taking the kids. A pretty epic spot is the sandbox on the rooftop near the cafe. It’s not only a little fun spot for the kids, but the parents can sit back on colorful beanbag chairs and take in gorgeous mountainous views.
It’s pretty amazing how Healience has been able to provide spaces for both kids and adults that allows them both to get something out of the space, meditate if you want, and enjoy nature.
Check Out The Mini Zoo
It’s not large, but if you’ve got a kid like mine that loves animals, while you’re out checking, head toward the mini zoo. The dogs that you can take trekking stay here for the night, but throughout the day, you can find pigs, rabbits, chickens, and sheep here.
Play In The Indoor Play Place
It can definitely heat up in the summer and if you need an indoor place to cool off in the afternoon heat, let the little ones check out the indoor play place. This zone is great for little ones and is just upstairs in the restaurant on the premises.
Final Thoughts
I went with a group of other ladies for my first visit and with my family for my second and it was great both times. There are programs that suit the solo or couple and some that suit families too. Programs change depending on the day of the week, season, and other factors so check out their website and get in touch to learn more. I thought this was a great experience and I appreciated the opportunity to just breathe in the clean air around me and reconnect with myself and the earth.
If you haven’t taken a break from the city, definitely do! Whether it be here or to one of the awesome beaches on the coast this summer or just to a local park like my favorite one in the city, find a natural space, take off your shoes and ground yourself. You won’t be sorry when you do.
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