Glow Time: VIP Treatment at Whoo Spa, Seoul with Eunogo

When I saw the phrase “Whoo Spa” I didn’t really pay much attention to the rest of the email. YES PLEASE EUNOGO.

Eunogo are a medical concierge company based out of Korea and Singapore. I’ve worked with them in the past, so when they got back in touch offering me another treatment to write about, I was definitely keen. They provide a fantastic beauty service to foreigners in Korea, and, like I said, who could say no to Whoo Spa?! Let’s get into my experience and tell you a little more…settle down, this is quite a long one!

(This service was provided courtesy Eunogo, in return for honest reviews)

Eunogo

So yeah, Eunogo are a company who provide a unique service to foreigners in Korea. It can be very difficult if you don’t speak or read to Korean to research places to get your beauty treatments, what exactly to get, reviews and more. Eunogo can organise everything you need for the perfect beauty/surgical treatments in Korea- from reservations and transport, to translation and aftercare. They have a strict screening process for the clinics they work with, are government-approved, and are affiliated with over 80 top surgeons and clinics in Korea. Most of their packages come with a Eunogo medical translator (they can provide translation in English, Mandarin and Bahasa, and are also fluent in Korean), and as far as I can tell the packages are no more expensive with the translation that they would be if you did it alone, whilst in some cases being significantly cheaper through Eunogo.

Eunogo really proved themselves to me last time when they arranged a facial for me at Grace Clinic, and provided a personal translator for the entire treatment. I was more than happy to work with them again. Having someone explain procedures in English is really important when you’re putting your face or body in someone else’s hands, as well as the other aspects of the service they organize.

Whoo Spa

We alllllll know History of Whoo (if you don’t where have you been). Whoo is the absolute epitome of Korean luxury beauty, with their hanbang ingredients and premium product packaging. I had very high expectations for their spa, and was beyond excited to visit. 

Whoo Spa, formerly O’Hui Spa, is located among the backstreets of Sinsa-dong, a wealthy district of Southern Seoul, and home to the rich and famous. The spa location is in a surprisingly quiet and residential area around Hakdong park, but this only added to the sense of exclusiveness.

VIP Treatment

Eunogo offered me the VIP Treatment- this is the second top package they offer, and includes 150 minutes of:

Full body aroma massage, scalp treatment, cleansing, soft peeling, 02 deep pore cleansing, custom care, premium ampoule treatment, regenerative mask, and regenerative essence.

Eunogo offer a total of 6 packages at Whoo Spa, ranging from $81 to $439. The VIP treatment comes in at $279 (cheaper than the $300 listed at the spa itself), and IMO a very decent price for such individualized and premium care in the Sinsa area, for 2.5 hours.

My Experience

Eunogo took care of all of the reservations as usual, asking when I’d like to go and arranging a suitable date and time. I arrived at the clinic and after changing to slippers, was shown through to the beautiful waiting area.

I was given some iced tea and details to fill in regarding my skin concerns, preferred massage pressure, and any allergies. The English speaking coordinator then discussed my preferences, and which ‘custom care’ I would receive to suit my skin. We decided on an ‘Aqua Peel’, which she explained would help with sebum and dead skin cell removal.

I was then led through to the VIP room (feelin’ fancy) and given some underwear to change into ready for my treatments to begin!

Massage

First up was the full body aroma massage. I was surprised to be laying on a plastic sheet…it wasn’t necessarily the most pleasant material to lay on, but understandable with the oil and array of products used in the treatments.

The massage therapist began with my upper body and really went to work on my painful knots! I had asked for ‘normal’ pressure, but I would say this is the most deep-pressure massage I’ve ever received. Although it was much harder than I expected, I stuck with it because I really felt like I could use some deep tissue massaging- I hold a lot of tension in my body. The coordinator did check in a couple of times to ask how the pressure was.

The scent of the massage oil was very light, only with the slight waft of a lavender/herbal scent now and then.

After the intense, but much needed, full upper body massage, the lady then began to use a machine across my back and upper arms. This seemed to suck on my skin, and I assumed it to be a slimming treatment. However the coordinator explained that it’s actually to help with blood circulation and flow, and muscle relaxation. I didn’t mind it but I preferred the hand massage.

The same treatments were then repeated on my legs and feet.

With all the use of elbows and knuckles, this massage definitely seemed to be deep tissue, confirmed by the bruising on my back the next day (I bruise easily from deep tissue work!). However I would highlight that I had numerous opportunities to change the pressure, and it was my choice.

By this point I was knot-free and completely relaxed…

Scalp Treatment

We moved on to a brief scalp treatment. I suffer horrendously from tension headaches, and this massage was exactly what I needed. She got all up in the base of my skull and neck, again with hard pressure. I reeeeally enjoyed this and definitely felt the benefits of tension release.

Facial

We were probably about 90 minutes in when we moved to the facial. It began with a cleanse, while my legs were fed into the wide plastic tubes of a massage-type machine. I’d experienced this machine before at Shangpree– with light squeezing of your leg muscles at intervals, it does help with relaxation, although the plastic material isn’t particularly luxurious.

The double cleanse settled me into the treatment nicely, followed by a very light facial scrub, with hot towel cleansing between each treatment. I LOVE HOT TOWELS. I don’t know what it is but they really set me into relaxation mode.

Then it was time for a bubble detox, a skincare step I’ve come to love! I believe they used the Su:m37 White Award Bubble-De Mask, and it was the most action I’ve felt from this type of bubbling product. The esthetician left me for about 10 minutes, and it really bubbled ferociously! I’m now pretty interested in purchasing the product…helllllp my wallet.

When the esthetician returned, she indulged me in a wonderful decolletage massage, before rinsing my face. It felt baby smooth.

Now to the slightly intimidating part for me…

Aqua Peeling

Ok so straight up, this treatment did not feel great. However, I give credit to this particular treatment for the cleanliness of my pores afterwards, as well as the fact that up to 4 days later they still looked much clearer than usual. Although Korean spa treatments are meant for relaxing, they also want you to see results. It’s very much a competitive, results-based market here in Seoul.

The lady used a small machine to work over my face. It felt like suckering on my skin, and really seemed to pull quite hard, whilst emitting an ‘aqua’ liquid. The liquid felt cool.

She did lots of work on my nose, sucking and pulling at the skin, and reported back to the coordinator that my nose area was quite oily with a build of sebum. I do try and address this with BHA, but I clearly need to up my game. I was grateful for the feedback! Afterwards a cooling, soothing lotion was applied.

Modelling Mask

First let’s just say, modelling masks are the absolute bomb for getting chok chok glow. This particular mask was VERY cold on application, but I felt like my skin really appreciated the cooling after the Aqua Peel. I requested that my mouth not be covered with the mask (it’s usually complete face application minus the nostrils), because I struggle to breathe easily through my nose. I was left to relax for about 15 minutes, and it felt amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed this relaxation, and almost fell asleep as I lay there. 

A soft gauze sheet is placed on your face before the mask to allow an easy removal afterward. 

Skincare

At this point I was ready for my full skincare routine- ampoule, essences, lotions and creams, majority of which were from the Whoo Cheongidan line. According to the Whoo website, this line “reinforces the skin’s strength to give the ever-youthful skin of an Empress”. The ingredients of the line all include ginseng and powdered jade mixture among a wealth of other traditionally luxurious ingredients. 

These final steps were thoroughly enjoyable, and each product, as well as the way in which they were expertly applied, felt so incredibly luxe.

The esthetician finally finished with another mini scalp massage, before patting out my back and stretching my arms, ready for me to change and head back to the seating area.

(Sadly) Time for Home

As I sat in the waiting area (with my hot plum tea and complimentary pastry), my face felt the most rejuvenated it has in a long time. It was still quite red from all the attention (not unusual for me and my skin type, I just touch my face and a red mark appears), but felt so soft, deeply nourished, and moisturized. My body also felt quite weak from all the released tension, and my shoulders and upper neck (normally rock hard and lumpy), felt soft to touch and relaxed. It wouldn’t be totally dramatic to say I felt transformed.

The English speaking coordinator went over the observations of the esthetician regarding my skin concerns, asked for any feedback, and answered my questions. She then very kindly led me all the way out onto the street as I left, carrying my bag and waving me off. Her service skills were impeccable, and I left truly satisfied.

After Thoughts

Overall, this was a wonderful experience. It felt truly luxurious, the attitudes and attention to detail of the staff at the spa were completely faultless and professional, and it was a fabulous few hours. My skin shone like a beacon of radiance for the next 5 days, with that translucent kinda inner glow that I’m always striving for. As I said earlier, my pores were also in great condition.

The only slight issue I had was with the English translation. Unfortunately the assigned Eunogo translator had a last minute schedule change, meaning she wasn’t present for my appointment. Eunogo were informed that Whoo Spa provided internal English translation, which I was provided with. Their own coordinator’s English was good, but when I asked for more in-depth information on the treatments, she struggled to give me comprehensive answers because of the language barrier. I don’t judge anyone’s English skills (I’m cringing when I think of my Korean abilities), but because I believed full English translation was included, I informed Eunogo. As I expected, they were incredibly grateful for my feedback, and responded assuring me they would take this into consideration for future clients. They actually informed me that a personal translator is not provided with the Whoo packages, as the price is very competitive (it is definitely a good deal!), but that any questions can be answered both before and after with mobile assistance. Again, they showed their professionalism and commitment to client comfort in the way they handled my feedback on this issue. 

As I said after my last experience with this company, I would use Eunogo again in a heartbeat, particularly if I was looking for more invasive cosmetic procedures. They’re professional, trustworthy, and are ever-adding to their awesome array of available packages. I actually have my eye on some of their other offers! Thanks to them for this royal experience. I’m already thinking about when I can return!

---

Would you like to visit the Whoo Spa?! Let me know in the comments. If you’d like to shop from Eunogo you can follow this link (non affiliate link btw). I’d love to hear about your experiences if you visit!