Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eschoonard]

Anyone have a good thread on the etiquette and info on Jjimjilbangs. They sound interesting but I don't know much about them.

[NYC_Gal]

First: are you male or female?

[eschoonard]

male... they sound relaxing... but a little nerve racking at the same time. Pushing the boundaries of what I'm used to as far as interaction. Guess I Don't know much about them.

[PatrickGHBusan]

They are relaxing.

They can be unnerving for some people who are not used to them or insecure.

You have to go in there, follow the rules of use and just relax....

Jimjilbangs are places you wear a robe so no need to worry about being nakedwith others if that bothers you. The only areas in a jimjilbang where you have no clothes is the onchon or spa\bathouse.

They vary in quality and in what they offer as well.

For what its worth, I used the public bath numerous times a week, the onchon or spa once a week and took my son to the jimjilbang often.

[Jane]

Try the one near Yongsan station first if you are unsure. I haven't been there myself but it seems to be one that a lot of foreigners go to, so they will be more used to seeing non-Koreans there.

See here for a step-by-step to the Korean sauna or jjimjilbang:

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?gotoPage=1&cid=626600

The sauna I'm thinking of is called the Yongsan Dragon Hill Spa, and is listed at the bottom of the page at the link above.

Enjoy!!!

[NYC_Gal]

I like Itaewon Land. They're pretty foreigner friendly.
If you like boys, try the Hamilton Hotel
If not, stick to Itaewon Land or the one near Yongsan. I prefer IL because I can have a nice western breakfast when I get up. Yum! Pancakes!

[Khenan]

I've been to several, though none of the big name ones, and none of them have been particularly shady. Most have been fairly nice, and all were relaxing. If you're interested, I recommend just getting drunk some night and sweat it out atthe nearest place to your house. If they ask you what you want, "shower" will usually get the point across.

[Chucky]

You just get a locker key and pajama clothes. Walk in and put your stuff in the locker.

If you wanna go into the saunas and hot tubs and all that you get naked at the locker and walk in the shower area.

The pajama clothes are for sleeping and for the male and female mixed areas. But in the all male shower area being naked all the time is pretty much the norm.

Just go in and try it. It's no big deal.

[daxdefranco]

This is the best resource I know...I always check it out if I'm traveling outside of Seoul so I have an idea of where to stay:

http://saunasinkorea.blogspot.com/

Contrary to what's been said on here, I prefer the small local saunas to the ones near the center of town. I've been to Itaewon land and it's by no means bad (and I've also been to the Hamilton Hotel once and didn't realize it had that reputation...I thought it was pretty nice, actually). Last year I lived in Geoyeo-dong on the east side of the city near Jamsil...there was a local sauna/jimjalbang there that is still my favorite. I've never had an issue with koreans being weird around me (well, once I got hit on by an old korean guy...but...it's the exception to the rule) and you won't get any more stares than you do just walking down the street on an average day.

[NYC_Gal]

Small ones are lovely, but I use Itaewon Land because I don't want to have to catch the last subway home, and do enjoy a late night soak followed by a scrub, then sleep.

[Caffeinated]

Dragon Hill Spa is a good starter since they have English signs and the workers are used to dealing with foreigners. Wish they had more pools to soak in in the men's area tho.

[bedhead]

i've hit them up all over korea, and wherever you are, its all very straightforward, and the people there are live and let live. i think i've only been approached once. its one of the best deals around. but dont let the guys there try to feed you any of those hard boiled eggs!

[jinks]