* * Sakura Haruka | Singapore Parenting and Lifestyle Blog * *: Gym Review :: Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Dongdaemun, Korea

For our summer trip to Seoul this year, the boy booked us a room at Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Dongdaemun {formerly KY-Heritage Dongdaemun}.

We usually like to stay in Dongdaemun when we are in Seoul and this hotel is right smack in the middle of the shopping and food hub, and only a minute's walk away from Exit 9 of Dongdaemun Culture and History Park Subway Station {Line 2, 4 and 5}.

The lively Dongdaemun Fashion Street is just opposite, while the beautiful Cheonggyecheon Stream is a 10-minute walk away. Myeongdong shopping street and Namdaemun Market are both within a 10-minute subway ride on Line 4 and the historical Insadong culture street is about an 8-minute subway ride away on Line 5.

From Incheon Airport, we took KAL airport limousine bus 6702 and it stopped directly in front of Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Dongdaemun. So convenient! Traveling time is around 1.5-2hrs and it costs KRW16,000/adult {S$18.55} and KRW10,000/child {S$11.60}.

To head back to Incheon Airport, we took the bus from the same stop too.

Fantastic location, and the room was comfortable and spacious enough for all 3 of us. It has the usual free WiFi, satellite TV, fridge, bathrobes and free toiletries. Since we booked Superior Twin room, it also came with a Queen and a Twin bed. Niiiicceeee...

Note: If you're a family traveling with young kids, you might want to check out the service apartments in Somerset Palace Seoul at Insadong. We stayed there previously and the hotel even has a kids playroom with a ball pit!

Honestly speaking, one of the main reasons why we chose this hotel was because of its gym (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

The fully equipped hotel gym {or fitness center, as they call it} is located in the basement and open 6am - 10pm daily, although I don't think anyone will chase you out if you're late as the gym isn't staffed.

It has 1 Smith machine with a set of weight plates {5-20kg}, 2 exercise bikes, 2 treadmills, 2 benches, 1 Lats Pull-down machine, 1 Butterfly machine, 1 Leg Extension machine, and 1 Leg Curl machine.

The weight range for dumbbells is 2-18kg.

Also available inside are a weighing machine, clean hand towels, a cold water dispenser {you've to press the back panel for water to flow out if you're using the paper cups provided as it doesn't auto-detect} and that funny Power Belt machine I saw at the gym in Ibis Ambassador Dongdaemun Seoul for you to massage away your fats hehe.

Toilets {no shower} are located just outside on the same floor.

A unique addition to this gym is the Inversion Table. I don't see it often at gyms and gave it a go for the first time. Using "inversion therapy", when you hang upside down on the Inversion Table, it's supposed to take gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increase the space between vertebrae. Inversion therapy is one of the many ways to stretch the spine {spinal traction} to relieve back pain.

However, it's ineffective for long-term relief and I actually didn't think that the Inversion Table worked for me even briefly. All I felt was a great rush of blood and pressure to my head {which is why you should avoid inversion therapy if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma} and no back relief at all.

If anything, I prefer to do dead-hangs on a bar to "stretch" my spine. It also helps me to train my grip and stretch my lats too.

The Lats Pull-down machine was spoilt for our entire trip, which was a huge bummer as it was originally part of my travel program but I subbed that with the Butterfly machine.

I never used a Butterfly machine to train chest before so it took a while to adjust, but it was easy to use and feel my muscles with that.

For the Leg Extension and Leg Curl machines, I didn't feel comfortable using them as they didn't fit my body proportion so I couldn't get my full range of motion no matter how I adjusted the settings.

Maybe my legs are really too short hahaha.. the boy didn't seem to mind them.

The weight range for the machines is 10-100kg.

My travel programs are usually short, around 1hr max ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ

I like to go in early mornings before we start our days and the gym is usually empty then.

For this trip, Superman planned for me to do upper body one day, then lower body the next. I've some knee injuries at the moment {just went to see an orthopaedic last week} so am still not doing squats and the likes..

Holiday Workout A with the heaviest weights I lifted:
A1. DB Seated Shoulder Press {Neutral}, 5 sets, 12 reps - 10kg
A2. Pull-up on Smith Machine BB, 5 sets, 8 reps - 2R
B. One Arm Row {hand on rack}, 5 sets, 12 reps - 18kg
C. Butterfly Machine, 4 sets, 12 reps - 25kg
D1. Standing DB Bicep Curl, 5 sets, 9 reps - 9kg
D2. Unilateral Overhead Tricep Extension, 5 sets, 10 reps - 8kg
E. Inclined Treadmill Walk - 30 mins

Holiday Workout B with the heaviest weights I lifted:
A. DB RDL, 5 sets, 10 reps - 18kg
B. Single Seated Hamstring Curl, 5 sets, 5 sets, 12 reps - 10kg
C. Hip Thrust on Flat Benche, 5 sets, 15 reps - 16kg
D1 Unsupported Sit-ups, 3 sets, 30 reps
D2. Lying Leg Raise, 3 sets, 12 reps
E. Inclined Treadmill Walk - 30 mins

Even though the boy and I follow different programs, it was nice to have the boy there for company while training 🖤

Pop by {and follow hehe!} my Instagram and FB page for more of our trip updates and pictures (◕‿◕✿) Documented it on-the-go on my IG Story Highlights - look for Korea #2 and Korea #3 folders for this trip, and our 2018 winter holiday in Kimchi-land stories are in Korea #1 and Korea #2 folders.

P.S. This is why I began writing hotel gym reviews.

☆ Gym Star Rating for Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Dongdaemun, Korea Gym ☆

Overall satisfaction: 4/5

Equipment: 4/5

Atmosphere: 4/5

Cleanliness: 4/5

Accessibility: 5/5

Staff availability: Nil

Other Korea travel posts:

Mother-Daughter Holiday to Seoul, Korea 2018

What to buy in Seoul + My Shopping Haul

Somerset Palace Seoul {Jongno} - Serviced Apartment Hotel

Sakura Season in Seoul - Yeouido, Namsan Park, Cheonggyecheon, Gyeongbokgung etc.