Har_gung

Off to the Philippines, Arriving at Dawn!

Added 2025-08-31 14:59:25 +0000 UTC

Around 3:31 in the morning, I landed at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino Airport. Welcome to the Philippines!

Don’t forget to fill this out first—just like in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Super easy and quick!

After finishing all the immigration steps and picking up my luggage, I booked a Grab car to head to my accommodation. I couldn’t check in yet, but luckily they let me drop off my big suitcase first. I rang the hostel bell around 4:15 in the morning. Here’s what the hostel looks like—I took the photo during the day so it’s brighter. The place has a closed-gate concept, so every time you go in or out, you need to ring the bell.

Around 4:30, I headed out to the onsen—it’s open 24 hours! That’s exactly why I chose this hostel, since it’s just a short walk to the spa.

The place is called Lasema Spa Jjimjilbang. They’ve got several package options you can check out here! I went for the onsen-only pass, which costs 1,050 pesos (about 19 USD) for a full 12-hour access. After paying, they give you an access wristband along with a set of special spa clothes.

Here, the entrances are already separated for men and women. Before going in, you’ll need to take off your footwear and use the plastic bags provided to store your shoes or sandals from outside.

When you first enter, you’ll head straight to the locker room, which also has a grooming area with mirrors, tissues, cotton pads, hairdryers, cotton buds, lotion, and more. Using your phone is strictly prohibited here since people are walking around naked. From the locker room, there are three doors: one is the main entrance/exit, one leads to the onsen, and the other takes you to the jjimjilbang area.

Let’s head into the onsen area first. I actually got this photo from someone’s Google review—I didn’t dare take one myself since there were lots of people around and staff keeping an eye on things.

Here, there are six different pools—five of them are hot, averaging around 40–41°C, and one is cold at about 23°C.

The onsen area has five hot pools and one cold pool, each with its own unique vibe:

Ginseng Pool: The water has a distinct Korean herbal aroma. Ginseng is believed to boost stamina, calm the nerves, and help your body feel re-energized after a long day.
Green Tea / Jasmine Pool: (I forgot which one this was—the water looked a bit greenish-blue.) Green tea is packed with antioxidants that are great for the skin, helping reduce irritation while soothing both body and mind. Jasmine, on the other hand, is famous for its calming floral scent that melts away stress and anxiety. A soak here often leads to better sleep and softer, more hydrated skin.
Hinoki Pool: With wooden walls and submerged seats, this one feels like bathing in a Japanese forest. The hinoki wood aroma deeply relaxes you, eases muscle tension, and even supports the immune system thanks to its natural aromatherapy benefits.
Lemon Pool: Filled with the fresh scent of citrus, this pool is refreshing for the skin, boosts your mood, and leaves you feeling recharged with its zesty fragrance.
Rooibos Pool: The water looks a bit like diluted antiseptic. Rooibos is a South African herbal tea rich in natural antioxidants, especially polyphenols. In a spa soak like this, it mainly benefits the skin, promotes relaxation, and provides a light detox effect.
Cold Pool: Perfect after the hot baths—it closes up the pores, stimulates blood circulation, eases sore muscles, and gives a refreshing energy boost with its cool temperature.

After finishing my first onsen session, I changed into the spa clothes and headed over to the jjimjilbang area. From the locker room, you go upstairs to get there.

As you go upstairs, there’s already a hallway with a guide on “How to Enjoy the Jjimjilbang.”

In this hallway, you’ll also find restrooms for both men and women. Let’s head straight inside!

Right after entering the hallway, there’s a table and some chairs where you can sit back and relax in front of a fish pond.

The first area looks like this—when I arrived, lots of people were still sleeping here (well, it was still super early in the morning!). There are wooden chairs, and if you want to rest on the floor, you can grab a mat to use.

There are two sleeping caves here, one right next to the other. The upper level is also open for use if you’d like to rest there too.

But before trying out all these facilities, I really needed some rest—in other words, time to sleep! The sleeping area is upstairs, so off I went. By the way, once you’re in the jjimjilbang area, it’s mixed for both men and women. The room only has pillows, and trust me, don’t sleep right in front of the AC—it’s freezing cold! There were quite a lot of people sleeping here too. I’d say there were more than 20 sofas in total, with around 7 still available.