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boatofcar
Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Location: Sheffield, UK
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Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:26 am Post subject: |
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hellofaniceguy wrote: |
And my 02. worth. Korean bathhouses? Dirty. Think abut this for a minute.
The hot and cold pools. The water is NOT filtered. You have people who scrub their body and DON'T rinse off and still jump into the pools. I've seen it and I'm sure you have also. Leave the sauna, sweat pouring off you and hop into the cold pool! I have never seen a sauna in korea that filters the water. It gets changed once or twice a day. Japan? Yes the water is filtered and cleaned. Not korea. I know a few people who caught the crabs in these saunas. The blankets in the sleeping rooms are not washed daily. The towels that the saunas give you to dry off usually are not washed in hot water. I'm not bad mouthing korea saunas, I have been to a few but most are dirty. Even the fancy looking saunas that are expensive to enter do not filter the hot/cold pool water. People are peeing in them also. I'd think twice. The saunas are good things but many are lacking customers who use good hygiene. If you are lucky enough, you might have been using one when it was being cleaned. I was and never did return. |
Does any of this bother anyone else? |
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Homer Guest
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:02 am Post subject: |
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Not really...consider the who wrote it.... Also, look at how it is written, how can you take it seriously ? |
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boatofcar
Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Location: Sheffield, UK
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Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2007 4:59 am Post subject: |
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Homer wrote: |
Not really...consider the who wrote it.... Also, look at how it is written, how can you take it seriously ? |
Sorry...I'm still new here and don't know who to take seriously or not... |
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newintown
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:57 am Post subject: |
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my experience of the bathhouse was entirely unintentional. at the time of signing up for 3months of expensive gym i didn't realise it doubled as a local bath house. the first time i went i actually cried when i left. i am BIG (by korean standards) and extremely pale. i was really shocked how rude & blatant my fellow bathers were, pointing and openly discussing my bits
now, i opt for in/out shower approach. i bring my own bath towel to run from locker to shower & back, and it is not an experience i enjoy. i would love to try all the pools, but i just cannot stand the stares. |
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Homer Guest
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Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:06 am Post subject: |
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No worries boatofcar.
newintown I am sorry you had such a bad experience(s) and I understand your feelings towards the bath houses. In my experience, the stares go away after a while as people get used to seeing you there or you just do not notice them anymore. This of course depends on each person and how they react to things as well. My friend Frank is 6' 4'', has red hair and visits the bath houses regularly. He got stares the first few times but they stopped quickly enough. He also goes to the spa (hot springs) regularly and except for the odd stare the issue has stopped. Everyone seems to have different experiences-reactions to this...good luck out there anyway newintown. |
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Tokki1
Joined: 14 May 2007 Location: The gap between the Korean superiority and inferiority complex
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:21 am Post subject: |
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Rand Al Thor wrote: |
been here almost 6 years and haven't gone. No nerve. Plus I'd rather go with someone who knows the ropes than faking it by myself.
I'm not much into public nudity - I hated public showers back home too...at the gym etc |
Lol Rand Al Thor...the Dragon Reborn.
I've also been here since 2001 and have never gone. I'm not into sausage fests. I work out every day and shower at home. The room of soapy Koreans just doesn't appeal to me. |
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The Bobster
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:20 am Post subject: |
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Tokki1 wrote: |
I've also been here since 2001 and have never gone. |
I can sympathize, but give it a try just once and you'll be hooked. I've been here since fall of '99 and I think it was 4 years later I finally went into one. Worked at a hagwon with both a health club and a sauna in the basement of the building. Didn't have to teach until 2 pm on MWFs, so guess what I did 3 times a week? Yep, first one, then the other ... best way to be nice to your body.
Well, second best, anyway ...
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the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:08 am Post subject: |
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The Bobster wrote: |
I can sympathize, but give it a try just once and you'll be hooked. |
My ass. I went once and am I quite the opposite of hooked. |
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Homer Guest
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:50 am Post subject: |
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Not everyone likes going there thats for sure. But I would say give it a chance before you condem it.... |
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d.coles
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Bucheon
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone with piercings had any problems? I've read about tattoos being scratched and grabbed, but I am concerned about piercings if I go. I have some piercings in unconventional, normally hidden by clothes places and I don't think I could handle a random person grabbing at me, even if it is just out of curiosity *yikes*. |
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recycledartgirl
Joined: 15 Jul 2010
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Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:13 pm Post subject: OK, you have me convinced |
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I want to try this sometime. But is there one in Seoul that you like the best? How do I go about finding one that is foreigner-friendly? Do you all have a favorite location? |
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Gom
Joined: 05 Oct 2010
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:41 pm Post subject: |
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I've only been in Korea for 5 weeks as of yet but I have been meaning to go to a bathhouse from day 1. I am not particularly happy with the notion of stares and the like but once I get over myself I am sure I will love going.
Now to find somewhere local...haha
d.coles wrote: |
Has anyone with piercings had any problems? I've read about tattoos being scratched and grabbed, but I am concerned about piercings if I go. I have some piercings in unconventional, normally hidden by clothes places and I don't think I could handle a random person grabbing at me, even if it is just out of curiosity *yikes*. |
My girlfriend is coming over to Korea soon, she has a few tattoos and piercings so this worries me too. I guess you have a choice of either putting in a retainer, taking them out temporarily or just risking it and seeing what happens! |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 8:08 am Post subject: Re: OK, you have me convinced |
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recycledartgirl wrote: |
I want to try this sometime. But is there one in Seoul that you like the best? How do I go about finding one that is foreigner-friendly? Do you all have a favorite location? |
There's a great one in Gangnam. It's about 20minute walk from the station. It's a big place and has really fancy facilities, and yet it's only 10,000 Won. After you go in, the men and women go to separate floors. In the men's section, in the actual bath hall there were 3 hot baths. A regular hot bath but at the ends you could either sit on the edge of a shelf or lay back on a slope like being in a reclined chair. So you could have just your face sticking out of the water. Then there was the very hot bath. I was there one day and the water was green. The next day it was red. Don't know why though. And there was a hot bath with tea instead of water. The hot baths had stone tiles, not ceramics. There was a cool (room temp) large bath/pool. In it there were various high pressure water jets for getting a massage. And the cold bath (about 15C). There was a wet steam sauna room. That room had the walls completely covered with semi-precious stones (mainly jade, amethyst and rose quartz and some murals made of other polished stones like agate, onyx and tiger's eye). There was a dry hot spiced room. The walls were adobe-ish and one wall was made of burnt wood and had a dozen sacks of spices hanging on it. Nice smells. And there was an ultra hot dry room. It was like sitting too close to a fire. You could literally feel your skin starting to burn and when you inhale you really feel the heat. This place also had the usual massage, haircut, cool room, private rooms, etc. There was also a little cinema where they showed TV and movies. And the sleeping rooms. There was one room with bunk beds and another with the regular rubber mats. There was a co-ed sauna room and refreshment area on the main floor. It was one of the nicer city bath houses that I've been to.
I've been to a few that were nicer in the countryside, in resort areas that were a bit better and had natural water (someone told me that this place in Gangnam also had natural water but i'm not sure).
If you want, PM me and I'll show you on a map where it's located. |
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Easy Rider
Joined: 20 Oct 2010 Location: Korea
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:21 am Post subject: |
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Korean bathouses are my church / sanctuary.
The stares aren't so bad, I've found a smile or a 'hi' will shock them out of their curiosity / bewilderment and they'll either then feel too self conscious to continue staring or will come and converse.
Nothing beats a good alternating dips between hot and cold pools, then sauna and steam several times finsished by an invigorating 5 min dip in the cold pool.
I come out feeling fully revitalised, cleansed inside and out and with a raging appetitie!
Definitley one thing I will bring home from Korea with me that I continue doing. |
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Caffeinated
Joined: 11 Feb 2010
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:09 am Post subject: Re: OK, you have me convinced |
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recycledartgirl wrote: |
I want to try this sometime. But is there one in Seoul that you like the best? How do I go about finding one that is foreigner-friendly? Do you all have a favorite location? |
Itaewonland in Itaewon (go out exit 3 and keep walking til up to a big flight of stairs on your right) and Dragon Hill in Yongsan are foreigner-friendly with English signs and staff that speak minimal English.
I wish the staff knew enough English to tell the foreigners who insist on wearing their underwear in the pools to go away tho. |
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