PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province — Tucked away from the usual tourist trails, a three-story building stands steeped in mountain greenery and calm.

Overlooking the mountains and the meandering river is the Meditation Room, where a handful of guests sit on legless floor chairs, their eyes closed. The only sound in the silent room is the sound of deep breathing at regular intervals.

“It’s liberating,” says Kim Mi-hye, one of the six guests meditating at Trivium, a wellness center that primarily offers meditation.

“The mountain view out the window, the coziness of this floor chair and the silence all add to the sensation. I can calm my thoughts and clear my head,” Kim says of her morning meditation session.

Kim, a 44-year-old Pyeongtaek resident, and the five other mothers in the room, all in their 40s living in the same city, represent a group with the second-highest repeat visits, according to Moon Sun-hee, the Trivium CEO.

“Women in their 30s are our main client base and together the two age groups make up roughly 70 percent of Trivium visitors,” Moon says.

Moon, who launched the center in November 2022, had wanted a “space to calm the mind,” one absolutely free from outside noises, including those from a meditation instructor.

Learning how to meditate on one’s own was long overdue, Moon stresses, explaining that her space is dedicated to “encouraging people to self-meditate.”

“A space that makes you feel calm just by being there is what we have always imagined,” Moon says, adding an obsession with natural tranquility had led her and her husband, a landscape architect, to Trivium’s current location in rural Pyeongtaek, nestled in the woods with limited access via public transportation.

Finding own ‘scents’

Trivium offers more than a meditation program. An hourlong aromatherapy session focuses on making your own fragrance with a mixture of essential oils, ranging from lemon, orange, bergamot to peppermint and lavender.

Moon helps participants find the scents they like, explaining how each scent can not only boost mood, but also aid in creating a sense of calm and well-being. Lavender, for example, has been found to calm people, reduce anxiety and help one sleep.

“Identifying which scents I’m most attracted to is the first step toward finding out my emotional needs,” Moon says, noting tired and listless participants are likely to single out citrus blends such as lemon and orange.

At the end of a one-on-one session, participants take home their own fragrance, a blend of four to five notes they have mixed themselves.

Nam Hye-suk, 47, took home one of the ready-made oils Moon has on shelves for first-timers, who want to see how comfortable they are with spraying essential oils in the air or on the skin for a relaxing ambiance.

Essential oils are not formal treatment for medical conditions, but she has seen essential oils soothe her children, Nam adds.

Wellness in spotlight

Trivium is among the list of recommended wellness travel destinations jointly released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and its affliate Korea Tourism Organization. Launched in 2017, the annual list is prepared through surveys and on-site visits.

Also among the 88 wellness businesses on the list are Heidi Haus, Tea Therapy and Herb Island.

Heidi Haus, in Seocho-gu, Seoul, is a wellness complex comprising an independent studio for yoga, pilates and an indoor gym catering to those serious about a well-rounded fitness routine, including trap bar deadlifts and hill repeats. The center also has a swimming pool, a cafe and a restaurant.

A cafe that is committed to wellness, Tea Therapy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, aims to introduce a wide variety of refreshing and therapeutic teas. Traditional Korean herbal teas, believed to have been used by royalty, are served with snacks and salads. The cafe runs a session teaching people how to prepare the teas.

Meanwhile, Herb Island, in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, offers more hands-on programs. Guests are invited to try essential oils for foot baths, breathe in essential oils and take part in gardening. Guests can stroll around the gardens and trails lined with therapeutic plants like peppermint.