Never Judge a Jjimjil Bang by its Lights

This past weekend, we took a road trip to southern South Korea. There is a lot to say about this trip but I've decided to write about only one part of the experience.

We decided that we could save money by staying the night in a jjimjil bang. Jjimjil bangs are Korean bath houses. Yes, you do bath naked in front of total strangers but mom, don't worry, the baths are segregated. I know that this sounds like a terribly awkward situation but it is actually fun.

The way that jjimjil bangs usually work is that you pay around 7-8 thousand won for unlimited use of the showers, saunas, and common room. When you pay the cashier, you receive a pair of "stylish" pj's which actually resemble PE uniforms. After you get your pj's, the men and women part ways and head off to their designated areas. Each area, well, at least the men's area, has a locker room where you undress and get any towels or wash clothes that you need. These are Korean sized towels which does cause some anxiety at first. Then you can go to the shower room. This is were the strangeness happens. The first time I went to a jjimjil bang, I was told that it is very important to thoroughly wash even if you are already clean. I guess this is to relieve any suspicions that the oegugins (foreigners) are trying to spread their diseases. I would like to point out that it is not uncommon to see fathers and sons scrubbing each other. This sounds very strange to westerners but it isn't that weird to be around. Also, there is not nearly as much staring as one might think.

After a good thorough scrubbing, it is time to get in the hot/cold baths. This is where a good jjimjil bang differs from a mediocre jjimjil bang. The jjimjil bang that we stayed at in or near Tongyeong had a very bright and luxurious facade but the interior was just mediocre. It only had one hot bath and one cold bath. The jjimjil bang in Ansan that I've been to, was much better even though it is in a building complex.

In the bath rooms (not to be confused with bathrooms), most jjimjil bangs also have steam rooms and massage tables. There is something fun and relaxing about going from hot to cold then back to hot baths and then relaxing in a steam room. Being naked does take getting used to but it really isn't that bad. Most of the anxiety is nothing more of encountering the unfamiliar than anything else, but I digress.

When you have had your fill of being naked, you can dry off and put your pj's on. In the locker room, you can also use take extra time to clean your ears, brush your teeth, blow dry your hair, etc. After you finishing primping and putting on your pj's (making sure they are not on backwards of course), you go to the common room. The common room will have a snack bar, massage chairs, exercise equipment, PC's, a TV, and floor mats. It also has heated floors or ondul flooring. This is where we slept even though there was a separate sleeping room in the Tongyeoung jjimjil bang.

Everyone except for Joey, our Korean friend, had trouble sleeping. Our "bedding" consisted of a slightly larger towel and, if you are lucky, a "pillow." The pillows were hard foam blocks and in some cases, blocks of wood with a semicircle cut out for your head. Despite the minor discomforts and chorus of snores, jjimjil bangs are fun and cheap places to spend a night or just an evening.