Discover how Busan is becoming a global wellness destination, embracing Korean wellness culture, and inspiring visitors during World Wellness Weekend.
As the world turns its focus to health and wellness, Busan is emerging as a leading destination for wellness tourism. In celebration of World Wellness Weekend, we sat down with Laura McLuckie, the official Busan ambassador of the event, to discuss city’s unique wellness offerings and Korea’s growing reputation in wellness tourism.
But, what is World Wellness Weekend?
World Wellness Weekend is an annual event that encourages people worldwide to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Held every third weekend of September, this global initiative unites wellness professionals, businesses, and enthusiasts in a weekend dedicated to health and happiness.
The event promotes various wellness activities like yoga, meditation, fitness classes, spa treatments, nutrition workshops, and more, offering free or discounted access to encourage participation. The goal is to inspire individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles while creating a sense of community across different cultures.
World Wellness Weekend has been running since 2017. It was founded by Jean-Guy de Gabriac, an international wellness expert, with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging people to prioritize their well-being. Since its inception, the event has grown significantly, attracting participants from all over the world and becoming a global movement for wellness.
With participants in over 140 countries, World Wellness Weekend emphasizes the importance of preventative healthcare and empowers individuals to make positive, lasting changes in their lives.
Website: https://world-wellness-weekend.org/
World Wellness Weekend in South Korea!
If you are in Korea this weekend, be a part of the wellness activities in Korea and take a break from your hectic routine. To give you more information about the rejuvenating weekend, we sat down with Laura McLuckie, Busan City Ambassador of the event from WellMi Wellness Solutions.
Key Takeaways from the Interview
- Busan as a Wellness Hub: Busan is emerging as Korea’s top wellness destination, with its blend of mountains, ocean, and city life, offering a comfortable, inviting atmosphere for visitors.
- World Wellness Weekend’s Impact: This year’s event has been a turning point, with partners like Park Hyatt and Paradise Hotel using it as a springboard for year-round wellness programs.
- Traditional Meets Modern: The event balances traditional practices like tea meditation with modern innovations, such as the unique floating sound bath.
- Emphasis on Social Wellness: Korean wellness highlights social interaction, as seen in jjimjilbangs, where community and relaxation go hand in hand.
- Sustainable Wellness: Wellness is about simple, sustainable habits. The goal is for visitors to leave knowing they can easily live a more balanced, healthy life.
- Unique Experiences: The floating sound bath, combining sound therapy and nature, offers a standout wellness experience in Busan.
- Year-Round Wellness Focus: The programs launched during World Wellness Weekend are designed to continue, promoting wellness in Busan long after the event.
You can check out the detailed interview below.
The Interview
Q: You have quite a lot of events in Busan specifically, other cities are also participating. But I see that Busan has the most contribution to this event, why is that? What sets it apart from other cities in Korea?
Laura McLuckie: So, my company—WellMi Wellness Solutions—started as a volunteer project. Over the years, we just saw this growing need for wellness services, especially for the general public. We weren’t even thinking about wellness tourism at first. The reason? People in Korea are generally, as you know, very stressed. It’s a polychronic environment, right? We’re always doing this, this, this… there’s a million things happening all the time.
And, you know, Korea still has the highest suicide rate in the OECD. There’s a real need for well-being enhancement. The easiest way to tackle that is by offering something fun, something people actually want to get involved in—something that naturally has a positive knock-on effect on their wellness. So, we started a long time ago, and I’ve been an ambassador for World Wellness Weekend for a while now. But this year, we’ve been super active. It’s been hard to get Koreans to participate in something free, honestly. Yeah, but this year has really been the ‘Big Bang’ year, if you will. I think it’s going to be a huge step forward for Korean wellness specifically.
We’re seeing a lot of bigger hotels now really jumping on the global wellness hospitality trend. Busan, in particular, is changing how it thinks about well-being, about wellness. What sets Busan apart from the rest of Korea is that we have everything. Mountains, the ocean, a vibrant city—and there’s also this neighborhood feel. You can go anywhere in Busan and feel comfortable. It’s not an overwhelming place to be. That’s really important for wellness. And, of course, the infrastructure in Korea is fantastic. In my opinion, Busan is Korea’s premier wellness destination. It has the potential to be one of the best in the world.
Q: Thanks to K-beauty, the cosmetics industry is now focusing on wellness too. Do you see that influencing the wellness tourism experience and World Wellness Weekend in Busan?
Laura McLuckie: Yeah, absolutely. For the wellness tourism experience, I’ve definitely seen it change. People used to think wellness was just yoga or meditation, right? But now, it’s more about long life, feeling happy, and feeling good about yourself—even your face. You see consumers changing how they spend their money. A lot of them are really interested in the anti-aging benefits of things.
They want to preserve their health, so they’re turning to different therapies and lifestyles. That’s really impacted how we’ve been able to expand our business. Right now, my biggest wellness partner is Park Hyatt Busan. They’ve been phenomenal in creating a wellness experience—not just for their guests but for their staff too. We’ve helped overhaul their well-being programs, and that’s still a work in progress. But it’s exciting.
Paradise Hotel, another client of ours, is also stepping up. It’s great to see even traditional Korean institutions expanding their mindset by adding wellness programs. They see the benefit for their guests, which, of course, means money. But it’s still nice to see them embrace wellness.And once the bigger institutions do it, you see others follow suit. It’s been really interesting.
Q: Are these wellness experiences limited to just the Wellness Weekend, or are your partners offering them year-round? How does that work?
Laura McLuckie: That’s a great question. World Wellness Weekend happens every third weekend of September, and it’s usually around the Chuseok holiday, which has been a bit of a challenge in past years. But this time, not so much.
All the events we’re doing now, we plan to continue offering them in the future. Our partners—Park Hyatt, our partners in Ulsan, the Banyan Group, Cassia, and Sokcho—they’re all on board to keep working with us beyond the weekend. They’ve actually used World Wellness Weekend as a launchpad for how they want to move forward with wellness initiatives. Because honestly, this is the biggest thing in hospitality right now.
Q: How do you think World Wellness Weekend can promote Korea’s traditional wellness practices to a global audience? Are you including elements of traditional wellness, or is it more focused on modern practices in the program?
Laura McLuckie: So, in terms of tradition, we’ve got a lot going on. When we think of traditional Korean wellness, we usually think of things like temple stays, tea meditation, those kinds of practices. And yes, we do have tea meditation in the program. We’re also offering some Tai Chi—not exactly traditional Korean, but it’s got a Korean twist.
Now, we don’t have traditional Korean medicine, since you need to be a licensed doctor to practice that, and we’re not working with any doctors for this event. But we are promoting meditation and working with partners in the Korean Buddhist community. So, in a way, we’re promoting traditional “K-wellness”. It’s all about integrating those traditions into modern life.
For example, we have jjimjilbangs and saunas, which aren’t just about cleansing the body—they’re also about social wellness. Korea has a real strength when it comes to social wellness, and that’s something we’re highlighting. My company focuses on the 8 dimensions of wellness, and Korea excels in social wellness. We’re encouraging conversation and connections, which is so important. Koreans are typically quite reserved, but if you look at the jjimjilbangs, everyone’s in their pajamas, sitting on the floor, chatting with their neighbors. It’s a beautiful blend of tradition and this very natural, human connection.
Apart from that, we’ve included some food and beverage offerings with our partners, but we’re not traditional Korean wellness specialists. We specialize in a variety of things, but yes, we do have partners who are upholding the Korean side of wellness.
Q. What are the traditional Korean elements included in the Wellness Weekend?
Laura McLuckie: Yes, we do! We’ve partnered with a traditional hanok house in Ulsan. You know what a hanok house is, right? Our partner, Dadam Hanok, there is offering traditional tea meditation, and they’ll also have a hanok stay program. We’ve sent some of our instructors to lead handpan meditation, as well as ice-breaking and team-building activities. So, we do have that traditional element integrated into the experience.
Q: Are there any must-do experiences during this three-day weekend that you’d recommend visitors shouldn’t miss?
Laura McLuckie: One of our favorite experiences, which you won’t find anywhere else in Korea, is the floating sound bath. We benchmarked other areas, but this is something unique. We did one this morning at Park Hyatt, which was the first hotel in Korea to offer it, and also at Paradise Hotel.
It’s a fantastic experience. You’re in the water, listening to beautiful sounds—the ocean, nature—and you’re lying back, fully relaxing, maybe stargazing or watching the clouds. The vibrations from the cymbals are incredibly therapeutic, healing both mind and body. It’s not only a deeply relaxing experience but also rooted in scientific practices of energy healing.
Q: What do you hope visitors will take away from their wellness experiences, specifically in Busan or Korea?
Laura McLuckie: I hope people leave with a deeper understanding that wellness isn’t just about a yoga class or adding something extra to their routine. It’s about small, sustainable habits—things that make you feel good and a little healthier. I hope they realize how easy it is to live a more balanced life and, most importantly, that they deserve to feel good every single day.
Wrapping up
If you’re looking for a rejuvenating weekend in one of Korea’s most dynamic cities, don’t miss World Wellness Weekend in Busan. With a variety of events designed to refresh your body and mind, there’s no better time to visit.
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