Korean-style postpartum care is rapidly gaining popularity. As the customer base has expanded from Korean mothers to mothers of other ethnicities, high-end postpartum centers are springing up.
According to the postpartum care industry, there are now more than 20 postpartum care centers in Southern California alone.
“Just a few years ago, there were less than 10 postpartum care centers in the Los Angeles area,” said Julie Kim, CEO of SanhooUSA, which has been in business for 16 years. “With the popularity of the Korean culture and the benefits of Korean-style postpartum care being recognized, we now have more than 90 percent of our customers being non-Korean and English-speaking second-generation Koreans.”
Postpartum care companies operate in different ways. Either the mother stays at the center for a period of time, or the caregiver visits the mother’s home.
According to SanhooUSA, the cost is $8,400 (for six weeks, seven days a week) if the postpartum caretaker lives in the mother’s home. Happy Mom Postpartum Care provides care at $1,300 (for one week) if the caretaker commutes from the mother’s home.
There are also hotel-style postpartum centers. For Zette postpartum care center in the Los Angeles area, the cost varies slightly depending on the room type, but it costs around $6,300 for a minimum two-week contract. The center provides massage, meals, newborn care, snacks, cleaning, laundry, and more, so mothers can relax and recover in the comfort of a hotel. According to Zette, it is currently fully booked through May.
Another company, MK Postpartum Care, has a number of mothers from overseas. Due to the high number of moms, the center is booked up until July.
“Women who have Korean friends or are just interested in Korean culture in general come here because they’ve heard about Korean-style postpartum care,” said Michael Kim, CEO of MK Postpartum Care.
The growing interest in Korean-style postpartum care has led to a surge in demand, with high-end postpartum centers popping up. Bloomberg reported on March 12 that high-end postpartum centers are emerging in San Francisco, New York, and other cities across the country.
“One high-priced maternity center, which charges $1,700 a day, has a waiting list of 4,000 people,” Bloomberg said, adding that “some of them offer high-end amenities and even golf courses.” One postpartum center set to open in California in mid-March is even located within a resort. According to Bloomberg, it has received a whopping $60 million investment from a venture capitalist.
The reason for the popularity of Korean-style maternity centers is that the full-service concept of maternity care is relatively unique in the United States.
“To put it simply, mothers of other ethnic backgrounds have not received this type of postpartum care because they did not know about it,” says Kim, CEO of SanhooUSA. “Most mothers go home from the hospital after giving birth, and they have never experienced this kind of service, from newborn care to restoring the mother’s body, which is why it is more popular.”
Not surprisingly, the lack of a healthcare system is one of the reasons behind the rise of Korean-style postpartum care centers. “The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world where maternity care is not covered by health insurance,” Bloomberg noted, “which has led to an increase in postpartum depression and complications.”
BY YEOL JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
