Neck and shoulder manual therapy in Dongnae, Busan: Bareunmom Sugi

Why I booked Bareunmom Sugi Care in Dongnae

I've done Pilates for over 6 months, and when I got an InBody scan, I was told my muscle mass was low but my left/right balance was good. Part of why I kept up with Pilates was that my instructor always encouraged me positively, and best of all, she'd do about 5 minutes of manual therapy on me after each class. I remember how amazing and refreshing that felt!

Ever since then I'd wanted to get manual therapy again, so this time I booked a Light Care session at Bareunmom Sugi Care (바른몸 수기케어) in Dongnae through Naver Reservations and paid a visit. It was in a quiet residential area between Dongnae Daewoo Apartments and Minam Elementary School.

Inside Bareunmom Sugi Care: the space and the therapist's certificates on the wall

This is the interior of Bareunmom Sugi Care in Dongnae, visible right as you walk in. It's not a large space. You could tell right away that it's run as an appointment-based, private 1:1 operation.

The wall was covered with physical therapist licenses and certificates of completion. Don't get posture correction care from someplace sketchy without proper credentials — go to a place run by a verified, licensed physical therapist.

Photo diagnosis: not tech neck, but a head lifted too high

They took front, left, and right photos and checked my basic posture and skeletal alignment. Here's the shocking part — I'd been working hard to lift my head up so I wouldn't get tech neck, but it turned out I'd lifted it too much and actually needed to pull my chin in slightly.

Seeing the photo myself, my head really was lifted too high! They said the rest of my posture looked fine, probably just stiff from being photographed, and that I just needed to pay more attention to my head position. Phew — what a relief.

The physical therapist explained that from overcorrecting to avoid tech neck, the muscles around my neck and shoulder trapezius had actually shortened. So today's session would focus on posture correction for the neck and shoulders.

The therapy room and the 30-minute hands-on treatment — how much it hurt

After the photos and a quick check of my condition, we went inside to this treatment room. There was a treatment bed for manual therapy, exercise equipment, and a bench.

I'd planned to film myself getting the posture correction and manual therapy, but I just couldn't. It hurt more than I expected. It hurt so much I nearly spilled secrets I don't even have. The physical therapist said it's normal for it to hurt, and that it's actually a good sign since it lets you confirm the problem areas right away.

What the 50-minute Light Care session includes, and how my neck felt after

• 5-minute quick consultation, photo shoot & post-photo diagnosis
• 10 minutes of physical therapy and shock wave therapy
• 30 minutes of manual therapy
• 5-minute finishing physical therapy

The whole manual therapy session ran about 50 minutes. Getting up after the manual care, I was sore but my neck and shoulder line felt noticeably lighter. If you've been agonizing over posture and body correction but hesitating because of the price of manual/posture therapy, trying Light Care first is a solid way to decide.

Bareunmom Sugi Care package prices and validity periods

Packages deduct 1 credit for Light Care and 2 credits for Basic Care.

• 5-session package ₩165,000 ▶️ ₩155,000 (valid 2 months)
• 10-session package ₩330,000 ▶️ ₩300,000 (valid 6 months)
• 20-session package ₩660,000 ▶️ ₩580,000 (valid 1 year)
• 30-session package ₩990,000 ▶️ ₩840,000 (valid 2 years)

Since the packages are designed around personalized care, sharing with someone else is limited to one time — worth keeping in mind. If you need to transfer it within family, or you'll be away for a long trip abroad and worried about the expiration date, it's best to just talk it over with the physical therapist.