So, Korea has been conspiring to make me crazy.

Last week, we ordered lunch, and attached to the packages were coupons. The coupons seemed to be advertising some sort of spa, but there was a picture of a person’s feet sitting in a pool surrounded by fish. We asked our Korean friends what this one, and the response was AWESOME. They’re called “Doctor Fish”, and when you put your feet in the pool, they eat the dead skin off your feet. Since I have scary Hobbit-feet, and the Doctor Fish experience seemed to be pretty cheap, we (well, I—Trish only agreed when I said I’d pay) decided we had to try it.

We got to the spa, and paid our entrance fee. When we got to the locker area, our self-appointed guide indicated that we had to take off our clothes. ALL of our clothes. Now, at this point, Trish and I were sort of questioning how putting your feet in a pool of piranhas might be improved by nudity. Eventually, the guide gave up and got us a set of spa clothes to wear. Suitably attired, we went in search of the fish. The first room we went into was full of pools of water of various temperature, and a veritable plethora of nude, Korean women. Of course, we were the only ones a) not Korean and b) not naked, so we stood out like sore thumbs. We peered into the various pools (trying very hard not to overtly peer at anything else), but no fish. Lots of women washing each other (as an aside, isn’t this the WEIRDEST leisure activity you’ve ever heard of? Korean women are generally quite modest, but not while at the sauna. I can’t imagine calling a bunch of friends and inviting them to go get naked and wash each other), but no Doctor Fish. Eventually we found the right pool, and there were NO naked people. Now the actual Doctor Fish experience was pretty crazy. It’s like having a bunch of tiny suction cups grabbing your feet; it’s almost electric. We took pics and video that Trish will have up on her blog soon. It’s pretty funny, especially since Trish freaked out ;)

After the Doctor Fish experience, I had a massage at a new shop that opened near our school. I was pretty excited about it, but the results were, in a word, weird. The massage people ALSO thought I should be naked (or close enough). After politely declining to completely disrobe, the massage started. They used an electric roller that is supposed to be “good for health”. After that, they used their hands, followed by this strange suction cupping. They started with teeny suction cups, which they dragged down the length of my body and arms, before pulling them off with a pop. Afterwards, they used great big suction cups, which left some large, oddly shaped marks ALL OVER MY BODY. It’s pretty hot.

The final Korea-is-out-to-get-us experience was our latest shopping trip at E-Mart yesterday. The condensed version is that I have decided that is should NOT be so freaking difficult to buy unscented toilet paper. Period.