How to Seoul Like a Korean: The Winter Wellness Edition at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

The best way to experience Seoul in winter? Embrace the season as the locals do. Stay active with winter sports. Eat seasonally: think yellowtail sashimi, roasted sweet potatoes and oysters. Turn up the heat with Korean sauna culture and nourish body and mind with K-beauty rituals, meditation and temple visits. Located right in Seoul’s geographic heart, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is an ideal base to explore a distinctly Korean approach to winter wellness. From feasting on street food like bungeoppang to soaking in the city’s jjimjilbang, here are five ways to find the perfect winter balance of movement, recovery and rest – just like a Korean:

1. Stay Active: From Slopes to Sauna

Getting outside in the fresh air in winter has multiple health benefits. One of the perks of staying in Seoul is combining an urban getaway with a day or half-day at ski resorts in nearby Gyeonggi or Gangwon Province. Elysian Gangchon (1.5 hours’ drive from the hotel) is great for both skiing and snowboarding, with beginner and intermediate slopes and accessible transport making it a magical Seoul day trip. In the mountains of Icheon, the winter sports at Jisan Forest Resort (40 to 60 minutes’ drive) are loved by locals, while Vivaldi Park offers more of a resort experience, with an indoor swimming pool, spa, water park and live music. After a day of active wellness in crisp mountain air, the hotel’s Korean Sauna is the natural way to recover. Once aching muscles feel soothed, a restorative meal awaits in one of the hotel’s five restaurants.

2. Warm Up the Korean Way

On cold winter days, Koreans know how to turn up the heat. The jjimjilbang is a quintessential Korean ritual, combining sauna, hot baths and communal relaxation spaces. The invitation is to slow down, gradually warm the body and savour a few unhurried hours of heat, rest and recovery. Traditional jjimjilbang rituals include drinking sweet sikhye and eating baked eggs after the sauna. For a modern take on jjimjilbang, try AQUAFIELD Goyang or Hanam (30 to 40 minutes’ drive from the hotel). Or throw on your bathrobe and head to the hotel’s ninth floor – an entire floor dedicated to wellness. Here, a luxurious Korean Sauna awaits, with outsized hot and cold baths and dry and wet saunas to improve circulation, ease muscles, and reduce stress. Add an optional 30-minute sesinh (KRW 60,000) – a traditional body scrub using an exfoliating mitt to remove dead skin cells and leave skin smooth and renewed. Post-sauna relaxation comes in the form of a tranquil reading lounge and dedicated nap beds.

3. Eat the Season, Drink the Season

Korean foodie culture is defined by ‘season-core’: a culinary homage to the country’s four distinct seasons. Winter brings its own much-anticipated delicacies, including yellowtail (bang-eo) sashimi - a fish that develops a higher fat content and richer flavour in the colder months. Oysters are another favourite, enjoyed raw or in dishes such as bossam, pancakes and soups. Days spent exploring the city are rewarded with Seoul’s legendary street food, with the contrast of the icy air and warming dishes adding to the experience. Inhale the steam rising from hot broth, bite into a deliciously sweet bungeoppang or hotteok, and toast your hands around a roasted sweet potato. Back at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, local ingredients are elevated in refined dishes, from Cantonese artistry at Michelin-starred Yu Yuan to nourishing international fare at The Market Kitchen. For a cosy nightcap, those in the know head down to H. Bar, the hotel’s secret speakeasy, where seasonal cocktails showcase warmth and spice with signature flair.

4. Reset with K-Beauty

While many visit Seoul for its renowned skincare boutiques, locals know that K-beauty is much more than a shopping trip. Meaningful beauty rituals and daily self-care are intrinsic to Korean wellness, while Seoul’s cold, dry winter air calls for extra skin hydration and scalp care. Guests can embrace K-beauty without leaving the hotel with restorative facial therapies, reverent full-body treatments, seaweed detoxes and a Turkish hammam. The K-Personal Colour Program provides tailored guidance on fashion, accessories, make-up and hair, while the on-site Nail Bar completes the experience with top-to-toe care. For those keen to explore Seoul’s local beauty scene, our Concierges recommend – and can book without a deposit – Eco Jardin Gyeongbokgung (5 minutes’ drive) for head spa treatments. Contemporary skincare rituals combine with ondol (underfloor heating) and Korean-inspired surroundings at Laurel Studio in Hongdae (10 minutes). For a slower kind of self-care, some of the historic hanok houses of Bukchon Village offer beauty treatments, quiet time and soothing tea.

5. Make Space for Stillness: See Less, Feel More

Seoul moves fast. But beyond the cafés, shops, restaurants and pop-ups, there are places where the city seems to exhale. Locals know that winter is an ideal time to find them. 20 minutes from the hotel, the Geumsunsa Temple is a beautiful spot for a winter walk at the foot of Bukhansan Mountain. Slow your pace, enjoy a digital detox and soak up the calming combination of nature, silence and crisp air. A short subway ride away, Bongeunsa Temple is a sanctuary of tranquillity, a space to switch off even in the midst of Gangnam’s skyscrapers. No special meditation skills are required. Sometimes, slow travel means simply walking, sitting quietly and savouring a warm cup of tea. This is Quiet Seoul: the soft, slow places sought out by locals to reset and return to their beloved city renewed.