These Budget-Friendly Spas Are A Genius Hack For Surviving A Long Layover

If you're someone who travels often, you'll probably have to endure a long layover at some point. If you have more than a few hours to kill in between flights, a Korean spa might be the perfect place to relax and get some rest. Some savvy travelers have discovered that Korean spas are an excellent, budget-friendly alternative to booking a hotel near the airport.

Although layovers can be annoying (especially the really long ones) and extend the overall travel time to your destination, they're often a necessary part of the overall travel experience. If your layover is longer than 12 hours, you should probably consider splurging on a hotel room where you can get some rest, enjoy a meal, and get cleaned up. But if your layover is less than 12 hours, or if you're traveling on a tight budget, you may want to consider visiting a Korean Spa instead.

Korean spas are affordable and relaxing, and you can find them near several major international airports around the world. After a long day or night spent traveling, all most of us want is a hot shower and a long nap. Next time you're thinking about finding an empty gate where you can curl up on the floor to survive a long layover, try the genius hack that travelers are raving about and visit a Korean spa instead.

Hotels aren't always a feasible option for travelers who just need to rest for a few hours on a long layover. Korean spas — which are essentially communal baths combined with other amenities like saunas, meditation or relaxation rooms, and maybe even a restaurant — provide the perfect substitute. In Korean these spas called jjimjilbangs, which translates to "heated rooms."

After checking into a Korean spa, visitors place their belongings into lockers and then head to a communal bath. After soaking in the hot water, they can go relax in the sauna(s) or purchase additional wellness treatments. Many Korean spas are open 24 hours and have relaxation rooms with thin mattresses where you can take a nap. They're the perfect place to chill out and recoup on a long layover, and many travelers love taking advantage of them when on the road. One decided to share the Korean spa hack on Reddit's popular r/LifeProTips forum. A user called jammerpammerslammer got the conversation started by mentioning they're great places to sleep during layovers and delays, and plenty of other users agreed in the comments. "We did that once in Florida. We had flown in on a redeye and needed some rest, but we couldn't check into our hotel until afternoon. We went to a Korean spa and got a body scrub and shower, then took a nap in one of the quiet rooms. It was very refreshing," castaway9 commented. 

The Korean spas can also provide a great alternative to a hotel if you're on a very short trip. A Reddit user called djfc mentioned that they utilized one while traveling to a funeral in New York City. After driving through the night, they checked into a Korean spa early in the morning and slept there for most of the day until it was time to wake up and head to the funeral. Afterwards, they were rested enough to travel back home the same night.

Korean spas are growing more popular across the United States, and you find some near a few of the country's busiest airports. For example, Los Angeles has several popular Korean spas where you can spend your layover. Most of these are located in Koreatown, which is about 13 miles from LAX. Admission fees range from $15 to $30.

Instead of spending hours wandering through the labyrinth that is Chicago's O'Hare airport, head to King Spa. "King spa is less than 10 miles from O'hare – it's frequently mentioned for travelers with overnight stays at O'hare. The first floor is the baths, hot rooms, and a restaurant – upstairs has sleeping mats," a user called postoperativepain wrote on Reddit. They suggested using Groupon to get the cheapest rate and reminded travelers that there is an extra fee to stay at the spa overnight. The regular price to enter is $75, and if you're staying overnight, it costs an additional $20. King Spa also has a location in Virginia that is just 11 miles from Washington Dulles International Airport, and it stays open late (10 p.m. to midnight depending on the day) but not overnight. There is even a third location in Dallas about 11 miles from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which closes at 9:30 p.m.

At Incheon Airport in South Korea there's a spa located right inside the airport. Visitors can relax for up to 12 hours, even in the middle of the night according to a traveler named Erin Donahue, who described her experience visiting the spa on her blog: "What started as a strategic plan to kill time during a layover turned into one of my most memorable airport experiences. As I dozed off on the surprisingly comfortable floor mat, I realized how much more relaxing this was than battling the waitlists and crowded seating in even the fanciest credit card lounges."