December's things to do

This establishment is the Seoul outpost of the famed Pierre Hermé dessert shop that has spread from Paris to locations around the world. Pierre Hermé, known as the “Picasso of pastry,” is lauded for raising dessert into an art form. He received the Légion d’Honneur in 2007, one of the most prestigious awards in France. In other words, he's kind of a big deal—and with good reason. This luxurious dessert shop not just another brand name on a department store wall, its an art gallery in its own right. The most famous item is, of course, the macaron. They come in a variety of flavor like rose and pistachio, but his signature touch is the combinations like the famous Mogador macaron, a mixture of passionfruit and chocolate. Already an expensive confection in their native France, these macarons are priced at 4,000 won each, which is perhaps more understandable when you learn that they must be shipped daily from France to Korea. It's always a balancing act between quality control and logistics, but this shop is certainly doing its job of sharing world-class macarons with eager Seoulites.

Walk past the Namyeong Station in Yongsan into a small alleyway and you’ll see a hanok (traditional Korean house)—or just look for a house that stands out from the rest. It is at this 100-year-old house that Gangwonjung set up shop to serve its signature samgye-tang all year-round. Founded in 1978, the restaurant is now owned by Ham Ho-sik, the son of the founder. The quality of the samgye-tang is definitely one of the main reasons the restaurant has stayed open for 39 years. The commitment of the restaurant can be felt in a single bowl: using domestic poultry that is more fully grown than other restaurants, the broth is boiled for up to two hours to create a rich flavor. Be sure you get your fill for lunch or dinner (there is a break between three and five o’clock in the afternoon).

It might feel a little random to find this small oasis of tranquility amongst Namdaemun’s chaos, but the Salt Cave Healing Center is indeed located as soon as you come out of Hoehyeon Station’s exit 3. The center has been in service for 4 years now, and most visitors come for therapy usually during lunch time; there are almost no visitors after 5pm. The salt cave lends its name from a room made entirely from salt (walls, floor and even the ceiling). The point is to come here, relax, take a nap and heal yourself with whatever energy this natural element can fuse into you. After putting on the sanitary shoe covers, you will enter the frosty white room lit with a blue light. The 2-3cm thick walls are made from white plaster and to create a more cave like atmosphere, the ceilings have a few salt icicles hanging down. The floor, which is covered in white salt, looks like a soft beach sand but is far from. It almost feels like walking on a pile of snow that has melted and frozen about two times. Sun-dried pacific salt is what you are actually walking on. For those who are suffering from asthma, rhinitis (simply put certain kind of allergies) and are on the verge of getting a cold, breathing in some salt (1-5 micrometer) particles diffused in the air might help; so the center claims. Whether it’s the minerals, the ions or just plain fatigue, many people who come here get a deep (albeit short) sleep. There are around 6 beds made of wood, 2 of which are inside a private room. Just...