10 Reasons To Join A Korean Gym

Everyone thinks their gym is 'the best gym ever', but until you have experienced the magic of a gym in South Korea, you will never know the real truth.

1. Storage baskets for your toiletries

TheGlamNomad / Via theglamnomad.wordpress.com

Korean gyms are totally different to gyms anywhere else. Everyone gets a big locker for their gym bag and a small locker with a plastic basket to store toiletries in. It’s a nice idea and means that never again will you get “the fear” that you have indeed forgotten your deodorant!

2. K-Pop Dance Classes

ThatFanGirlThingy / Via thatfangirlingthingy.blogspot.ie

The owners of Korean gyms seem to be able to talk you into signing up for the craziest of things. The day I joined the gym, I was persuaded to join a twice-weekly K-Pop dance class. After a few weeks of bopping up and down to cheesy Korean pop music, my friend and I were the the envy of every teenage girl in South Korea.

3. Personal TV Screens

Artur Marciniec / Getty Images / Via wordpress.com

No longer will you be able to say, “Oh, I can’t go to the gym tonight, my favourite TV show is on!” as almost all Korean gyms are fitted with the best technology, including flat screen TVs on every treadmill. It’s a pretty good motivator to go to the gym when the TV on your treadmill is larger than the TV in your apartment!

4. They have machines like this...

Journalist On the Run / Via wordpress.com

I actually don’t know what this is. But as I see everyone else sitting on a bench at the gym and then putting their legs on it after a long run on the treadmill, I have started doing the same. Adds to the fun of the gym.

5. They have fat-jiggling belts

AtomicToasters / Via atomictoasters.com

I believe these bizarre machines disappeared from Western gyms in the 60’s or 70’s, when people realized that a machine that wiggles and giggles your fatty bits is, in fact, not helping you to lose weight. I’m not sure what Koreans use this machine for, but I think it’s more of a massager to loosen up your muscles than anything else.

6. Huge Saunas where you can take a nap

Journalist On The Run / Via wordpress.com

Korean saunas are not really like western saunas. First of all, you are not sit in a burning hot wooden. Korean saunas are much more relaxing and convenient. You go in wearing matching gym clothes (provided by the gym) and lie on a clay floor covered in mats. The room is hot, but not so hot that’s it’s unbearable. It’s more like a ‘relaxation room’ than a sauna, but it's definitely another reason to love Korean gyms.

7. No more smelly gym clothes

femmedorient / Via femmedorient.com

This could well be the BEST thing about Korean gyms. Say farewell to carrying home a gym bag full of sweaty clothes after each gym session. Korean gyms provide gym clothes and towels for you every day and do all the washing and cleaning. Sure, orange might not be your color, and you may feel silly looking like EVERYONE else, but boy does it make life easier.

8. You can play screen golf

Busan Haps / Via busanhaps.com

This one is a bit random, I know. But never in my life have I seen a gym where you can go for a workout, chill in a sauna and THEN practice your swing! Many gyms in Korea have a screen golf facility where members can practice their swing in a small, enclosed and heated environment. A real bonus for any keen golfers out there.

9. People of ALL shapes and sizes

College Candy / Via collegecandy.com

Yes, it’s TRUE! Not all Koreans are the small, skinny beauties you imagined. Spending a lot of time in a Korean gym you will quickly discover that Korean women (and men) really do come in all shapes and sizes.

10. Friendly trainers

spotaleopard / Via spotaleopard.com

In my experience of Korean gyms, the trainers are unbelievable friendly and motivating. While they may not speak much English, they know the basics and are always willing to help you figure out how to use those awkward weight lifting machines, encourage you to run faster on the treadmill or just chat with you about why you are in Korea.