Korean Job Discussion Forums

[StAxX SOuL]

I'd like to join up to a Gym / Health Club when I head over to Korea... I'm a member back home and train a couple of times a week to keep myself in good shape...

Can anyone advise me on the amount of gyms / health clubs in Korea and also the monthly fees I can be expecting to pay...

Also, I was wondering on whether or not sun beds / solariums are available in Korea... given the difference between western skin type and Korean I figured that they might be rendered obsolete...


Thanks!

[jessiaka]

Tanning beds are a rare occurance, and if you do find one at your gym make sure to check it out cause it's either
a) old
b) not cleaned properly
c) not maintained



at least, in my experience so far. Hence my horrid white skin... gah!

I know there's one in Itaewon, but I don't want to make the hour and a half trip there lol

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Gyms are plentiful and usually fairly cheap. Once you get used to guys spitting and snotting in the showers and blow-drying their balls, and having an audience when you work out with lots of ajoshis to offer you free advice. and people just sitting on equipment you'd like to use for five or ten minutes, and the same repetative, obnoxious music every day, they're all right.

[joe_doufu]

There are gyms all over the place. They're usually called the Konglish word "Hel-seu" (health). I would just look for the one closest to your home or to work. The big brand names that you find in shopping malls are too expensive and inconvenient. I've found a fantastic gym right next to work. But like most Korean businesses, it wasn't there before, now it is, and who knows how long it'll last?

[RachaelRoo]

They generally cost about 50,000w per month

[IwalkAlone]

If you're a consistent trainer, it would be wiser to buy a longer membership. The gym I'm at only costs $20 or 20,000 won per month but I paid for half a year. Paying month by month is the worse way to go.
Gyms are actually good places to meet people outside of ESLers and students and foreigners who frequent pubs too often.

[Big Mac]

I paid 150,000 Won for a 3-month membership. They're everywhere. If there's one thing to be said about Koreans, they're very health-conscious.

Judging by how afraid most Koreans are of the sun (they use umbrellas and ugly visors to block it), I doubt they have caught on to the idea of indoor tanning. I've heard that the paler you are the better...because it gives you the look of royalty or indicates you aren't a labourer. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

I think I saw one or two tanning places in Itaewon, probably only because a lot of foreigners frequent that area.

[riley]

Some of the poster's price quotes are a little low. The price depends on where you live. It also depends on what you want to do. I lived in two different parts of Seoul and paid 150,000 for 3 months and in another part of Seoul (Gangnam) paid 100,000 or more a month at each of the 3 gyms I had gone to at different times.
I found swimming to be very expensive here, if that's what you want.

[doublejeopardy]

I am pretty sure I saw a tanning place in Apgujeong, in the Rodeo area. But, I don't tan so I didn't pay much attention to it.

[jessiaka]

[lostinseoul77777]

I belong to a gym with a swimming pool and a very nice spa. And like riley said, it's pretty pricey - 200,000W a month. But I think somewhere between 50,000W - 150,000W is a good price range. It all depends on what part of Seoul you're in.

[hogwonguy1979]

if you are in Seoul go to California fitness, you'll shell out more money up front (I got 2 years for 1.3) but its worth it, first rate facillities sized for westerners, no shower room (individ shower stalls) and its where all the beautiful people go. Also you can use your membership at 24 fitness in the states, they have locations all over the place.

You can also use them in HK, BKK and a few other places.

locations are apu (near the hakdong intersection), kangnam (near kangnam station) and myeon-dong. I think they are planning to open some more locations soon