The wellness consultant was born and raised in South Korea / Photo: Seth Powers
Although K-Pop and K-Beauty have hit the mainstream, much of Korean culture is still under-represented, including Korean wellness, says native Leekyung Han who specialises in hospitality real estate and development projects.
As founder and managing director of Seoul-based Polaris Advisor, she’s worked across the globe and was instrumental in realising China’s iconic wellness community Sangha by Octave Living. Han also has a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in architecture and real estate development from the US.
Having been born and raised in South Korea, she passionately believes the peninsula is the next up-and-coming destination for wellness investors and operators.
She spoke with Spa Business to shed light on the market and why her home country has so much potential to take off as an exciting new destination for spas.
Untapped potential “Wellness has existed in Korea for more than 5,000 years,” Han explains. “With a strong influence from shamanism, it’s typically known as traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and is similar to traditional Chinese medicine.”
She believes South Korea is ready for wellness development and investment because of its distinctive natural attributes and traditions that lend themselves to the creation of innovative wellness customer journeys.
In addition to TKM, significant draws include an abundance of natural hot springs, salt farms, a history of healthy cuisine and a high concentration of sacred sites claimed to possess natural healing powers and a strong presence of chi energy.
“South Korea has many beautiful myths associated with the landscape and is known as a country with great chi. This lays an excellent foundation for brand storytelling which can be translated into every detail of a retreat.
“Creating a sense of place can lead to a much more impactful experience because it’s clear guests are being immersed in a healing landscape as soon as they arrive,” she says.
Social soaking The country’s culture of public bathing already runs deep in its DNA. In the mid-20th century, bathhouses were extremely popular and could be found in most neighbourhoods, used as a social space for people to relax together.
“In the early 90s, this public bath concept was transformed into a new form called jjimjilbang,” says Han. “This introduced a range of saunas with varying temperatures, as well as sleeping areas and F&B outlets. Part of the facilities also became segregated by sex.”
A well-known modern-day example is Spa Land Centum City in Busan located in a department store. Here, guests have access to an impressive 18 thermal and wet experiences including hot springs, saunas, an outdoor foot spa, a host of relaxation rooms, food outlets and more. Each of Spa Land’s pools is fed by two hot springs found 100m underground.
On that note, Han labels hot springs centres as another major wellness activity loved by South Koreans. These facilities typically also offer spacious communal areas for people to sleep and rest on a heated floor after bathing.
Who and what? In terms of demographics, there’s a healthy spread of interest in wellness across South Korean age groups, she explains. When jjimjilbangs first launched, seniors formed the majority of the customer base but young people are now flocking to facilities and are particularly fond of the western spa model which mainly offers massages. Han says that in Seoul, getting a massage in a good spa requires booking at least a couple of weeks in advance as demand is so high.
Han adds that on top of this “South Koreans tend to gravitate towards wellness offerings backed by medicine, whether this is TKM or western medicine. However, acupuncture, cupping and boyak (a customised herb medicine to balance energy) are also very popular activities.” Clinics providing these services are easily found in urban areas so workers can get treatments during work breaks.
Sound healing, yoga, IV therapy, ayurveda and immunity-focused experiences, in particular involving crystals, are also favourites.
Investor interest Most wellness investment is funded by domestic companies to create more jjimjilbangs and hotel spas in urban areas, but Han feels there’s a growing demand for rural retreats as people look to de-stress further afield from their busy daily lives.
“If investors branch into more rural areas, the development costs will be lower in comparison to city space and ROI could be just as good.
“The most important thing for the South Korean wellness market to take off is a change in mindset,” she says. “Developers need to break away from their comfort zone and look at the country’s natural assets to harness its full potential as a wellness destination.
“Furthermore, if the country can blend its beautiful traditional healing rituals with its natural healing assets, it will attract both domestic and international tourists by offering distinctively Korean wellness experiences that can only be felt authentically in the country.”
South Korea’s international tourist base is mainly made up of visitors from China, followed by Japan and the USA, she says.
“Investors should focus on creating a destination wellness offering which offers the usual aspects of wellness programming but also provides something that can only be found or experienced in South Korea. For example, a full-moon meditation and halotherapy ritual on a salt farm, body scrub rituals at jjimjilbangs, a customised TKM tea ceremony or a culinary experience of Korean Buddhist food.
“These unique offerings will attract adventurous travellers who are curious about Korean wellness. If there’s a buzz from domestic consumers, this will then catch the attention of the international market too.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Write to reply: Letters
Zulal's Sandie Johannessen shares her passion for medical wellness and Kloodos' Julie Cichocki says wellness protocols should start with the vagus nerve
Spa People: Leekyung Han
The South Korean-born spa consultant on why her home country should be on the radar of all wellness developers
Sponsored: Art of Cryo: Working well
Spa operators and corporate offices can now offer a comprehensive, six-part wellness journey designed by Art of Cryo to elevate health
Research: Wellness Travel Consumer Survey
A general reboot and nature/outdoor activities are key considerations for wellness tourists according to a new study by WTA. Anne Dimon reports
First person: Doctor’s orders
Can a partnership with an international hospital elevate a wellness retreat? Neena Dhillon visits RAKxa in Bangkok, Thailand to find out
Interview: Justin Musgrove
We talk to the CEO of Core Life, the exclusive lifestyle brand which has ambitions to expand to the world's most affluent cities
Sponsored: Starpool: Zerobody Cryo
The new Zerobody Cryo will deliver comfortable cold therapy for spa, wellness and sports says Starpool CEO, Riccardo Turri
The wellness consultant was born and raised in South Korea / Photo: Seth Powers
Although K-Pop and K-Beauty have hit the mainstream, much of Korean culture is still under-represented, including Korean wellness, says native Leekyung Han who specialises in hospitality real estate and development projects.
As founder and managing director of Seoul-based Polaris Advisor, she’s worked across the globe and was instrumental in realising China’s iconic wellness community Sangha by Octave Living. Han also has a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees in architecture and real estate development from the US.
Having been born and raised in South Korea, she passionately believes the peninsula is the next up-and-coming destination for wellness investors and operators.
She spoke with Spa Business to shed light on the market and why her home country has so much potential to take off as an exciting new destination for spas.
Untapped potential “Wellness has existed in Korea for more than 5,000 years,” Han explains. “With a strong influence from shamanism, it’s typically known as traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and is similar to traditional Chinese medicine.”
She believes South Korea is ready for wellness development and investment because of its distinctive natural attributes and traditions that lend themselves to the creation of innovative wellness customer journeys.
In addition to TKM, significant draws include an abundance of natural hot springs, salt farms, a history of healthy cuisine and a high concentration of sacred sites claimed to possess natural healing powers and a strong presence of chi energy.
“South Korea has many beautiful myths associated with the landscape and is known as a country with great chi. This lays an excellent foundation for brand storytelling which can be translated into every detail of a retreat.
“Creating a sense of place can lead to a much more impactful experience because it’s clear guests are being immersed in a healing landscape as soon as they arrive,” she says.
Social soaking The country’s culture of public bathing already runs deep in its DNA. In the mid-20th century, bathhouses were extremely popular and could be found in most neighbourhoods, used as a social space for people to relax together.
“In the early 90s, this public bath concept was transformed into a new form called jjimjilbang,” says Han. “This introduced a range of saunas with varying temperatures, as well as sleeping areas and F&B outlets. Part of the facilities also became segregated by sex.”
A well-known modern-day example is Spa Land Centum City in Busan located in a department store. Here, guests have access to an impressive 18 thermal and wet experiences including hot springs, saunas, an outdoor foot spa, a host of relaxation rooms, food outlets and more. Each of Spa Land’s pools is fed by two hot springs found 100m underground.
On that note, Han labels hot springs centres as another major wellness activity loved by South Koreans. These facilities typically also offer spacious communal areas for people to sleep and rest on a heated floor after bathing.
Who and what? In terms of demographics, there’s a healthy spread of interest in wellness across South Korean age groups, she explains. When jjimjilbangs first launched, seniors formed the majority of the customer base but young people are now flocking to facilities and are particularly fond of the western spa model which mainly offers massages. Han says that in Seoul, getting a massage in a good spa requires booking at least a couple of weeks in advance as demand is so high.
Han adds that on top of this “South Koreans tend to gravitate towards wellness offerings backed by medicine, whether this is TKM or western medicine. However, acupuncture, cupping and boyak (a customised herb medicine to balance energy) are also very popular activities.” Clinics providing these services are easily found in urban areas so workers can get treatments during work breaks.
Sound healing, yoga, IV therapy, ayurveda and immunity-focused experiences, in particular involving crystals, are also favourites.
Investor interest Most wellness investment is funded by domestic companies to create more jjimjilbangs and hotel spas in urban areas, but Han feels there’s a growing demand for rural retreats as people look to de-stress further afield from their busy daily lives.
“If investors branch into more rural areas, the development costs will be lower in comparison to city space and ROI could be just as good.
“The most important thing for the South Korean wellness market to take off is a change in mindset,” she says. “Developers need to break away from their comfort zone and look at the country’s natural assets to harness its full potential as a wellness destination.
“Furthermore, if the country can blend its beautiful traditional healing rituals with its natural healing assets, it will attract both domestic and international tourists by offering distinctively Korean wellness experiences that can only be felt authentically in the country.”
South Korea’s international tourist base is mainly made up of visitors from China, followed by Japan and the USA, she says.
“Investors should focus on creating a destination wellness offering which offers the usual aspects of wellness programming but also provides something that can only be found or experienced in South Korea. For example, a full-moon meditation and halotherapy ritual on a salt farm, body scrub rituals at jjimjilbangs, a customised TKM tea ceremony or a culinary experience of Korean Buddhist food.
“These unique offerings will attract adventurous travellers who are curious about Korean wellness. If there’s a buzz from domestic consumers, this will then catch the attention of the international market too.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Write to reply: Letters
Zulal's Sandie Johannessen shares her passion for medical wellness and Kloodos' Julie Cichocki says wellness protocols should start with the vagus nerve
Spa People: Leekyung Han
The South Korean-born spa consultant on why her home country should be on the radar of all wellness developers
Sponsored: Art of Cryo: Working well
Spa operators and corporate offices can now offer a comprehensive, six-part wellness journey designed by Art of Cryo to elevate health
Research: Wellness Travel Consumer Survey
A general reboot and nature/outdoor activities are key considerations for wellness tourists according to a new study by WTA. Anne Dimon reports
First person: Doctor’s orders
Can a partnership with an international hospital elevate a wellness retreat? Neena Dhillon visits RAKxa in Bangkok, Thailand to find out
Interview: Justin Musgrove
We talk to the CEO of Core Life, the exclusive lifestyle brand which has ambitions to expand to the world's most affluent cities
Sponsored: Starpool: Zerobody Cryo
The new Zerobody Cryo will deliver comfortable cold therapy for spa, wellness and sports says Starpool CEO, Riccardo Turri
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
