Monday, October 27, 2008

A night in the Jimjil-bang

Friday, October 24 2008

This past week-end I went on another road trip... 4 hours away from where I live, to Jeollabuk-do. We left on Friday night and stayed over in a Sauna/Jimjilbang.

Sauna's / Jimjilbangs are very popular in South Korea. It is 24 hour a public bathhouse where you pay a minimal entrance fee and you are issued a pair of shorts & a t-shirt.

After showering, you can soak in a hot tub, or lie in one of the treatment rooms (salt room, ice room etc...). There's also a gym, PC room, beauty treatments etc. And then, you go to the sleeping room and try to sleep anywhere you can find an available space on the floor!

I stayed in a Sauna on Friday night. It wasn't my first time in one, but was still an exciting experience. For an un-initiated foreigner, walking around in one's birthday suit may seem daunting, but after a while you realize that no one really cares or is looking at you.
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Outside view of the public bath house

Ladies locker room

You can even buy underwear & other necessities there!

Gyming @ 02:15!


What the public bath looks like

The sleeping area ... you just crash anywhere!


My sleeping mat, pillow & blanket
(It's difficult to have a good sleep with some people snoring in the room!)

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