The Making of an American K-Pop Star: for People Who Love Music in Korea 

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I walk by that studio every morning on my way to the treadmills and elliptical machines in my apartment complex gym. Usually I just stop for a minute and watch, because they always look like they’re having the time of their lives. Bless their hearts, they try so hard, but most of the ladies—my age or older—aren’t exactly training to be the next American K-Pop Star. But today was different. Today they opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and pulled me right in.

Table of Contents

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• My First Korean Thai Massage
• The Experience
• The 5 Senses
• The Cost of a Massage Today
• The Wellness Scene in South Korea
• Final Thoughts
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Exercise Monotony

The Making of an American K-Pop Star

Today I stepped onto the treadmill, ready—if not exactly excited—to run for 45 to 60 minutes. Are you a treadmill person? Because I am definitely not. I barely finished my warm-up before I heard the music start around the corner, and that was all it took for me to abandon my plan.

I told myself to resist. The memory of opening the sauna door a few months earlier was still too fresh. Twenty sets of eyes—and twenty sets of bare breasts, among other things—followed my every move. I wasn’t eager to repeat that moment, or to be the one to finally confirm or deny the rumor that all Black people are born knowing how to dance.

I am a contributor to KoreabyMe, an online magazine for expats living abroad in South Korea. Check it out here.

Practice what I Preach

Dance out of My Comfort Zone

I stopped at the door and peered into the crowded room. Then I practically hurled myself across the threshold, trying not to look as nervous as I felt standing in front of a room full of strangers. I’m not sure I pulled it off. But I slipped into a spot on the back row, directly behind the instructor, hoping I could at least follow her movements if not her words.

The room was lined with mirrors on both sides, so no matter where I stood, I had a clear view of how off-beat I looked. And I know I looked off-beat. The first aerobics class you walk into—no matter how well you dance or how quickly you follow directions—can determine whether you ever show up again. And that’s before adding the certainty that not a single instruction would be in English.

But this is where perspective taps me on the shoulder. Because truthfully, I would have been just as nervous stepping into a class full of Black women—knowing exactly how shaky my comfort level with dancing has always been.

Travel Doesn’t Change You, But it Should—my Observations from Years of Travel.

K-Pop Star Wannabee

All About That Bass

All of a sudden, every eye was on me—again. Before I could step back, a few women nearly tackled me with enthusiasm and pulled me into the studio.

“Hi,” one of them said, beaming. “I’m glad you are here. What is your name?”

“I’m Stacey,” I answered, trying to steady myself. “And I’m happy to be here too.”
The room erupted into claps, and whispers of Stacey floated across the studio like a gentle echo. Then the instructor dimmed the lights, and the room fell quiet in an instant. The shift in their energy was almost theatrical. Those sweet, welcoming ladies suddenly transformed into full-blown video vixens.

The studio turned into a nightclub at 9 a.m. Neon lights washed the wooden floor in geometric patterns, shifting with the beat. Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass dropped from the speakers, forever marking itself as the first song I “danced” to in a Korean nightclub. And those ajummas did not play. They snapped into performance mode, each one a wannabe K-pop star in sensible shoes.

The music never let up. Song after song rolled in with barely a breath between them, and it stayed that way for a full hour—an hour I will never forget.

Flashdance or Dirty Dancing

The only breaks we got were the moments when the instructor—who felt more like a cheerful drill sergeant—paused to correct someone’s form. I couldn’t understand most of her words, except hana, dul, set (one, two, three). But tone doesn’t need translation. I felt her nudge all of us when the energy dipped. The women laughed at themselves. I laughed at myself. We all tried harder. It felt like a shared promise: if we were doing this, we were doing it together.

Her choreography wasn’t bad. In fact, some of it surprised me because I actually kept up. But then came the floor work, which pulled me straight back to memories of Flashdance and Dirty Dancing—scenes I never expected to reenact in a Korean aerobics class with women twice as bold as me.

And then, just like that, it was over.

The instructor flipped on the lights, returning us to reality. Everyone lifted their arms once, bowed, and began filing out with a calm I hadn’t seen during the chaos of the workout. One of the women pressed a room-temperature bottle of tomato juice into my hand with a smile that said you made it. We took a few pictures, my face still flushed and their faces full of pride that I’d stepped in at all.

I don’t know if this class will become part of my weekly routine. But it broke the monotony of that treadmill run, and it reminded me how good it feels to be pulled into someone else’s world—welcomed, challenged, and seen. And who knows? Maybe this is my only chance to channel the inner K-pop star I didn’t even know I wanted to be.

Reflecting on My First Time as a Podcast Guest 

How to Have a Better Expat Experience:

1. Broaden your comfort zone, take small steps, say yes when you can, laugh at yourself, and let the moment teach you something.
2. Ask questions, don’t assume, and accept help when it comes because people usually offer more than you expect.
3. Go where the locals go, try the places they love, and let everyday life guide you beyond the expat bubble.
4. Connect through social media, share your world, listen to theirs, and build simple bridges through curiosity.
5. Keep an open mind, adjust your reactions, and avoid placing your American habits where they don’t fit.
6. Give yourself grace on the hard days, take breaks, find comfort food, rest your mind, and remember that this phase always passes.

What do you think… what are your tips for making your ex-pat experience better?

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