Last Sunday, I went to my first jimjilbang here in Korea.
Jimjilbangs are basically public bath houses where people can go sit in hot tubs, saunas, or take a rest on the heated floor for a while. All of the main bath areas where the hot tubs, showers, and massage tables are are gender segregated because everyone walks around completely naked in these areas. I knew people would be naked, but I honestly had no idea they literally just walk naked from one section to another without covering themselves up.
The other areas in the jimjilbang are unisex so a lot of people actually go on dates here, and families bring their kids to just hang out in the main common room for a day or weekend outing. In all the unisex rooms, including the hot and cold saunas, people are wearing the uniform given to them by the jimjilbang. Just like the gyms here, there is one uniform for women and a slightly different color shirt for men. Because you can sleep in these places, sometimes people go there specifically for a cheap place to sleep rather than paying for an expensive taxi home or a motel in the middle of the night. I think they generally cost between 8,000 and 12,000 won and you are allowed to stay for something like 12 hours under that entrance fee.
I went with 3 of my friends to
Dragon Hill Spa at Yongsan Station. You go in, pay the fee, and they give you 2 small towels, a uniform, and a bracelet with a number on it. Then you go find your bracelet number on a tiny locker meant just for your shoes so you don't walk around with your shoes on inside the spa. Then, you go through to the male or female sections to find another larger locker with your number where you can store the rest of your clothes and things. We got naked right away and headed to the hot tubs. At first, I was totally not comfortable with this, but the longer we were there, the more I got used to it. When in Rome... I guess.
There are a bunch of different hot tubs with varying temperatures, jets, and minerals. We wandered around to a few different tubs, and then Kristen and I got a scrub down by ajummas wearing black bras and panties. This ajumma was no joke. She sloughed my body of a boat load of dead skin. It was absolutely disgusting and wonderful. It's also kind of weird because you're laying naked on a table, being twisted into all sorts of awkward positions by a middle aged woman.
]
After the hot tubs, we put on our uniform and went out into the unisex area where there are multiple snack bars and crowds of people just lounging around. We went into some of the saunas of different degrees and materials, where I felt like I was going to suffocate. Korean people were just in these pyramid saunas reading books, relaxing, and not sweating at all. Typical. My first jimjilbang experience was a perfect escape from the freezing cold winter, and I will definitely be going back for some relaxation.
