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There was a time when “the gym” was the automatic answer to “Where are you going after work?”
Today, routines look different. People are sweating in saunas, scaling climbing walls and rolling on jiu-jitsu mats. The purpose of exercise has shifted too — it’s less about aesthetics and more about living longer, healthier lives. For many people in their 20s and 30s, leisure is being reorganized around wellness.
Why this shift is happening now
Several factors overlap. First is a growing focus on slowing biological aging. Since around 2024, young Koreans — and globally, Millennials and Gen Z — have adopted diets lower in refined carbs and habits aimed at slowing the body’s aging process. Trend Korea 2026 coined the term “health intelligence (HQ),” reflecting a view that health is a skill to study and manage, much like IQ. Exercise, then, has moved from shaping appearance to a tool for designing lifespan and quality of life.
Second is fatigue from dopamine overload. As short-form video, nonstop notifications and endless social feeds consumed more attention, people began seeking physical experiences outside the digital stream. While climbing you must focus on the next hold. On the jiu-jitsu mat you have to attend only to your partner’s movement. And it’s hard to scroll a phone inside a sauna. These activities demand full attention and are serving as ways to recover mentally through physical engagement.
Third is community. Traditional gyms are often solitary. Climbing gyms invite people to solve the same problems together, and jiu-jitsu requires a partner. Social saunas function as places to sweat together and form loose social ties. For a generation exhausted by relentless online interaction, simply sharing a space without constant information exchange can feel restorative.
Sauna: once for older adults, now a social space for people in their 20s and 30s
Saunas that used to sit off to the side of neighborhood bathhouses are now drawing lines of young people. Finnish-style saunas, contrast-therapy facilities that alternate hot and cold baths, and design-forward social saunas have popped up across Seoul. On social platforms, sauna write-ups are appearing much like café reviews.
For these users, saunas offer an escape from digital dopamine and a chance to reconnect with bodily sensation, while allowing casual social contact without heavy information exchange. Thermal therapy — alternating hot and cold baths — has gained attention as a form of biohacking. Medicine recognizes benefits for sweating and circulation, but people with cardiovascular conditions should consult a physician first.
Climbing: the puzzle-like thrill of scaling a wall
Indoor climbing, especially bouldering, has become one of the fastest-growing sports among people in their 20s and 30s. The global climbing-wall market was about $1.17 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 7.58% to roughly $2.1 billion by 2033. In Seoul, bouldering-focused gyms have proliferated. The appeal is closer to solving a puzzle than to traditional exercise.
Routes are set by colored holds, and when you reach for the next one there’s little room for other thoughts. You can climb solo or tackle the same problem with others, which naturally fosters connection. The low barrier to entry — an admission fee and rented climbing shoes — helps, too. Expect strong finger and forearm soreness at first; the discomfort can be greater than newcomers anticipate, so start with about two sessions a week to let your body adapt.
Jiu-jitsu: more grueling than steady-state cardio
Jiu-jitsu has quietly broadened among working people in their 20s and 30s, with celebrity social media fueling interest. A clip of Mark Zuckerberg competing and earning a medal circulated widely, and training footage of athletes like Kylian Mbappé drew attention. Local celebrities and influencers posting photos in gis have expanded the sport’s visibility domestically. Because jiu-jitsu requires a partner, sparring develops whole-body muscular endurance and flexibility. Its low-impact nature reduces joint injury risk, and weight classes help overcome size differences — factors that have attracted more women to training. Expect initial costs for a gi (about 100,000–200,000 KRW (roughly $75–$150)) and monthly dues (about 100,000–150,000 KRW (roughly $75–$112.50)), after which equipment costs are minimal.
How to read this trend
Look at what these activities share and the pattern becomes clear: process matters more than outcomes. Satisfaction comes from completing a new route or landing a technique, not from a specific body-fat percentage or number on a scale. Community follows naturally — repeated visits to dojos, gyms and saunas build relationships. A generation accustomed to online communities is finding offline solidarity in these places. The mix of social media and these activities also fuels a feedback loop: bouldering sends, jiu-jitsu sparring clips and post-sauna skin-care notes become shareable content, lowering perceived barriers to entry.
The global wellness market grew to about $5.8 trillion in 2024 and is projected to reach $14 trillion by 2032. In Korea alone, the sleep market expanded from 480 billion KRW (about $360 million) in 2011 to 3 trillion KRW (about $2.25 billion) in 2021 — more than sixfold in a decade. A generation designing daily routines around exercise, recovery, sleep and diet is reshaping consumer markets. Health spending that once ended with a gym membership is now expanding into a broader, deeper industry.
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