Warm up with seawater spa, deer meat

By Roger Dix

GAMPO, North Gyeongsang Provicne – Now that the weather is getting colder with the winds making people’s skin red and dry, many folks are heading for the saunas and health spas around the country.

Along the east coast beside route 31 about five kilometers south of the town of Gampo, a small town but with a large busy fishing port that lies between Ulsan and Pohang, is a new well-being business establishment right on the beach. That place, The Yangnam Sea & Spring Water Onchun Land, offers its windswept, wind-chilled customers an opportunity to get out of the cold and relax in its sauna/bath-house pools of seawater that is pumped in, filtered, heated, and mixed with spring water, and a chance to keep the body fit in order to fight the cold in the establishment’s physical fitness health center that maintains running machines, dumbbells as well as weight-lifting apparatus. Also in the establishment are a jjimjilbang, a light menu restaurant, coffee shop, ladies’ beauty salon, and a barber shop in the men’s sauna area. Along with all of that there’s a snack bar next to the entrance and check-in counter.

The establishment is fairly new and while the management is still working out some of the kinks in its early weeks of operation, it is still a comfortable place to visit. When I visited there recently everything seemed to be running smoothly, at least in the sauna area of the operation, which is not particularly large compared to some I have been to, but it has a uniqueness in that the entire sauna room looks out onto panoramic views of the East Sea, as each pool of different temperatures of water is backed by floor-to-ceiling windows that allow bathers to take in those scenic vistas while rejuvenating his or her body – a nice touch, indeed, not to mention the seawater that leaves the skin glistening and feeling smooth.

The men’s sauna is on the second floor of the building while the women’s sauna is on the fourth floor. There are elevators for the elderly and physically impaired or those who don’t like walking up stairs. To use the saunas only costs 5,000 won, and since the establishment is located just next to the sea, a quick walk along the beach before (or after) using the spa may not only prove to be invigorating but probably good for the health to boot.

After a relaxing, healthy visit to the spa and surrounding beach, travelers might like to go to the Namhae Saseum Nongjang Shikdong (Namhae Deer Farm Restaurant) about a five minute drive from the Yangnam Spa. From the spa on route 31, ride north on the 31 towards the town of Gampo and shortly you will see a countryside road marked Nasan-Gil 1. Turning left onto that road, travel about two kilometers west until you come to the farm restaurant. You cannot miss the place as it sits off on its own and the signage advertising the place runs the full length of the grounds around the restaurant/medicine shop and family house, which clustered together make up the bulk of the enterprise. The deer that are kept and raised on the grounds at the farm are corralled in a fenced-off area behind the house in a common cattle-keep – steel pipe and wire fence sides with a protective roof. The animals appear to be elk, as they are much bigger than the indigenous deer of Korea and have much larger racks of antlers. During my visit to the Namhae farm (after relaxing at the spa), I was informed that the deer are mainly raised for their velvety antlers, which after a certain period of growth are cut, ground and manufactured into various types of medicines.

Deer antler medicine has been drunk in tonic form in Asia for centuries. It is said, according to Oriental Medical Theory, the velvet antler medicine helps to build strong kidneys and helps to treat ailments such as anemia, arthritis and impotency among others. It is also good for protecting against stress, so I was told. The establishment at Namhae produces various types of medicinal tonics as well as powders for making health drink teas all of which can be purchased at the front of the restaurant.

As for the restaurant end of the business, a savory deer meat bulgogi was served. Saseum bulgogi, as the dish is called, is similar to han-woo bulgogi except for the texture and taste of the meat. The deer meat bulgogi I had was less sweet, I found, compared to traditional beef bulgogi, which is fine by my taste. I also found the deer meat to be just as tender as hanwoo and with considerably more flavor (a less gamey taste) than the European and North American deer meat I have eaten – maybe because the deer at Namhae farm are domesticated [to a degree] and are raised on special feed.

All-in-all the meal was quite tasty and supposedly very good for my health. The deer antler medicine (I drank a small cup of it) wasn’t particularly to my choice of drinks, but then again, most things that don’t taste so good are usually good for us.

So, if you are feeling the winter blahs and tired of being bashed around by cold winds, then I suggest a visit to the Yangsan Seawater Spa and the Namhae Saseum Farm Restaurant to build up your strength and health. Besides, you might just find that all that is good about Korea is not only in Seoul.