A jjimjilbang is the name for a public bath house. Public meaning no privacy. Public meaning everyone naked. Public meaning you better be mentally prepared for some stares.
I've been to one of these spas once before in Hungary and decided that, though awkward, it is rather refreshing. So, last night after work, after talking about going for weeks, Amy (my Korean friend/recruiter) and Maggie (Chicago friend) decided to go. There are many of these all over the city, all open 24 hours. The largest one in Asia is also supposedly in Busan. But we went to one that Amy prefers and frequents.
It was 4,000 won (or 4 bucks) to get in. This gets you a locker and entrance into the ladies' bath area. So you strip and just walk in. There are lots of shower heads, a cold pool, a hot pool and saunas. First you are supposed to wash off. Then you are supposed to have your mother/sister/friend scrub you down. Then you rinse and sit in the hot pool. Let me just say that I am an intense lover of HOT water. I mean this is something I can't live without, but that spa water was almost unbearable after 10 minutes or so. Of course Maggie and I, being the only foreigners, were the only people with bright pink skin. But actually we weren't stared at as much as I would have expected. At least not while we were looking.
In these spas, there are old women who offer a scrubbing service for a little extra money. So for $15, we laid down on their tables, and were scrubed and buffed and massaged and slapped for about 40 minutes. And throughout the entire process, we had a fresh cucumber mixture on our faces. And at the end, this amazing, sweet-smelling mixture of milk and honey and ginseng was rubbed on us to make our skin smooth. Amy said that the old women kept saying, "beautiful, beautiful" the entire time they were working on Maggie and me. After this we sat in the sauna to sweat and then jumped in a freezing cold pool. Going back and forth between hot and cold is supposed to keep your skin firm. Many Koreans do this for hours. We stayed until almost 1 am. I woke up this morning feeling cleaner and smoother than ever, so I'd say that was 20,000 won well-spent.
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3 comments:
Do you remember how we only found the naked pools because we got a bit lost? Haha...and then the massage rooms - i think we were both in some serious culture shock!
sounds a lot like the turkish baths in istanbul, except there you lie down on a huge heated (by unseen coal stoves underneath) marble slab that's been there since the 1500's under a stained glass rotunda. very cool! ...then very hot...hehe. the women who give massages there are topless, pert near nude, and about 70 lbs on the other side of obese. boy, are they strong!
any way, based on the fact that my friend kathy and i managed to go 3 x's in three days, my prediction:
jessica=3x's/wk at least, and will return to the states with the SMOOTHEST skin around, and a habit that'll be hell to break! way to enjoy korea, jessica!
I do remember that, Jane, although now it is a bit fuzzy. Perhaps because I was in such serious shock at the time.
Carol, that turkish bath sounds amazing! You're right, I am going to start frequenting these places. So long, farewell to any inkling of self-conciousness.
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