On 'Jimjilbangs'

Jimjilbangs are a pretty common place to go (or at least try out) here in South Korea. They are public bath houses or saunas that help you keep up with your personal hygiene as you get bored with the same, old bath tub and find it inappropriate for a relaxing, night-time treat. Of course, for a Southeast Asian whose life back in her own country wasn’t much into the lavish “pampering”, it can really be a sophisticatedly cool experience. Then you talk to people and find out that there have actually been dirty connotations on preferring jimjilbangs for bathing, for the simple reason of being the “public” kind.

Bath houses are almost usually traced to the British, having established such places only for the elites back then. The introduction of bath houses into the British culture was primarily a response to the public's desire for increased sanitary conditions, so I don’t really understand where the dirty part comes in. I guess, maybe, as public houses became so popular and common— that they have also been opened up for the “non-elites”, it created a problem as the differences in personal hygienes of the sophisticated and the not-so sophisticated were highlighted. But I am being a bit discriminatory here. I’m sorry.

Bath houses are an ideal sleep getaway here in South Korea, when late night happenings or parties usually make it inconvenient for anyone to go home. Jimjilbangs are abundant in almost all areas, especially in Seoul, so it has always been all-worth it to pay 8,000won to 12,000 won for the first 12 hours to bathe and take a rest for the night.

Of course, there are more to just the usual 3 or 4 cold and hot tubs, plus a shower area per bath house. There are public sleeping quarters, floors and pillows everywhere to doze off. They make it more appealing and conventient for relaxation, as it sets up massage rooms, nail-art rooms, a skin treatment room, an exercise room, a lazy-boy area, a snack bar, an outdoor veranda, and even a smoking area. Skin, nail, and massage services all require a separate fee.



How it typically goes is you pay at the reception and leave your shoes in lockers usually around the receiving area. They will then give you towels and a jimjilbang uniform— either a bath robe or a shirt/shorts combo before you go to the general locker area where you place your stuff. The choices on what you want to do next in a jimjilbang are then boundless.

For a naturally self-conscious person like me, who have always enjoyed private moments in her bath tub, taking showers in a jimjilbang can be really uncomfortable. I remember the first time I went to a jimjilbang with two guy friends. Jimjilbangs separate the men and women’s actual bathing area (for very obvious reasons). Anyway, even if the locker rooms and bathing areas are separate for men and women, there are always common areas in a jimjilbang where men and women are allowed together. There are the snack bars, the lounge and TV areas, and the saunas. So it can still be a treat after all. I heard that there are some Koreans who go to jimjilbangs on dates ;-p

That first time I bared naked in a public bath house with these farer Korean “ajummas” (elder women) was personally quite a stir, for I remember being the only tan-skinned specie in the world of kimchi-bred, whiter skins. I just had to strut along anyway, and tell myself that at least, these women get to see a real, full butt. I rarely saw one. Haha.

You basically just have to get used to the casual atmosphere in a bath house because women walk like they are Eve’s in the garden of Eden. They can always just sit beside you in a bath tub and strike a conversation. Koreans do not really take even a tinge of discomfort on being naked.

Though it is generally a cheap alternative to an overnight accommodation, frequenting jimjilbangs can also get costly. The access of these public bath houses nevertheless re-affirms South Korea as such a convenient place to live in.

Pictures from:
Spa Lei
Cresyn Bldg., Lei Mong Town B1
Seochu-gu, Seoul, South Korea