Jimjilbang - Korean Sauna

I forgot to post about this in all the excitement of traveling to Seoul and abroad, but my last Thursday off before vacation I went to a sauna, AKA jimjilbang with Anna. I was expecting an experience like a Japanese onsen, but it was definitely different than I imagined. 

We paid 9,000 won (about $9) to get in and that allowed us access to the saunas, baths, and upstairs relaxation room. It also got us some swiggity swag prison-orange chic pajamas to wear around the relaxation room on the third floor.

First thing we did was bathe, which was challenging considering the jimjilbang didn't provide anything other than bar soap (unlike onsens which usually provide shampoo at least), and there didn't seem to be any kind of shampoo/ soap/ conditioner/ body towels for sale anywhere. 

It was really nice to relax in the pools after bathing. There were three different temperature hot pools and then a cold pool at the end of the room. There were also a couple saunas. We sat in the "cooler" sauna for maybe five minutes and sweated our asses off. It was horrible. 

Many of the women in the sauna were walking around with sucker welts on their skin. At first I thought it was some strange skin condition but I guess there's a therapy where people vacuum suction their skin and it makes them feel healthier. It's an Asian therapy. I looked it up when I got back from the sauna, but I don't remember what it's called. Regardless it left large circular welts on these women's skin and it looked scary. I bet those bruises last for at least a week....

Once we were done bathing, we went upstairs to the relaxation room and bought snacks, sat in the massage chairs, attempted to do yoga, and laid around. The jimjilbang provides mats for people who want to stay the night or just lay around, so we dragged some mats into one of the warm rooms and properly passed out. 

Even though it was pretty cozy, it wasn't a good night's sleep because there were other people in the room, particularly men, who kept coughing and moving around and snoring. Also the warm room became less cozy and felt more like a sauna as the night progressed. But it was a good experience that I'm glad I didn't pass up. Can't wait to go again! ...But maybe not spend the night...

Our stylish orange PJs 

Chilling in the bone crushers.... I mean massage chairs....