Going to a Korean Jjimjilbang

Are you thinking about going to a Korean jjimjilbang but are a little intimidated by the language barrier, the unknown, and the nakedness? Don't fret, I explored Siloam Sauna in Seoul, scoped it out, and got you covered!

How to Get to Siloam Sauna

To get to Siloam Sauna take the subway to the Seoul station, use Exit 5, take the escalator's up to the sky bridge. You'll see the sign on the building as you walk across the bridge.

A lil Sauna Info

A lot of cultures have their own version of the bath house or sauna, a tradition that can be found as far back as 2500 BC. Modern bath houses offer much more than a soak in a warm bath or access to a hot sauna. I’ve been to the Hungarian bath houses in Budapest and experienced a traditional Russian sauna in Ukraine; I was eager to check out the Korean version.

What is a Jjimjilbang?

Korean jjimjilbangs are more than just a bath house or sauna; they serve many purposes in Korea, including stress relief, detoxification, and a place to sleep for the night. Having spent half a day in a jjimjilbang, I’m not sure what could be more relaxing.

Use of the hot tubs, saunas, health rooms and general entertainment areas are included in the cost of admission. Getting a massage, your hair done, manicure, pedicure or body scrub is an additional cost, but still reasonable. Most Korean jjimjilbangs also have an exercise room, arcade, theater, restaurant, library, computer area, meeting rooms, norarbang (karaoke), and many more conveniences catering to your relaxation needs. But more than just relaxation, the baths and saunas are also used for the health benefits they provide.

The baths and saunas are infused with different minerals, herbs, crystals and other elements that have healing properties and detoxification benefits. Regular visits to Korean jjimjilbang baths improve health by ridding the body of hard metals, improving circulation, reducing stress and relieving pain. Korean jjimjilbangs are also great low budget places to rest your head for the night.

They are often used by people staying out late partying who miss the last subway home, or by businessmen who are in Seoul for the week and home on the weekend. Sleeping accommodations are either in capsule beds or on straw mats in a large open room (they even have special snoring pods for those loud sleepers). Overnight stays start at 20,000 won per night ($20), a steal in Seoul.

Let’s Get Naked

After paying my 10,000 won (about $10) I followed the signs to the women’s bathroom. There were some English signs, but the information was limited, so I had no idea what to expect or really what to do. But off I went.

Stop 1: Women's Locker Room

As I turn the corner into the bathroom, which really should be called a locker room instead of a bathroom, I see hundreds of lockers in a large room with naked Korean women of all ages, sizes and shapes walking around, some applying face masks or body lotion, others drying their hair or talking with their friends.

Before I could join this group, I had to take my shoes off and put them in a separate group of lockers. Removing the key from the shoe locker, I head to a desk on the right to exchange it for my general locker key, 2 hand towels and sauna garb (an orange shirt and red shorts). I find my locker, but do I get naked now? Or do I put on the clothes they gave me? While I’d never shy away from nakedness, I didn’t want to inadvertently walk somewhere in the buff, only to find everyone else dressed and offended. It’s like people’s worst nightmare, showing up somewhere and being the only person naked!

I slowly took off my jacket and pretended to organize my things while I watched as other people came in, trying not to be creepy, scoping out what they did. I decided to just go for it, get naked and explore. After an initial wrong turn, (I walked into the hair and nail salon with only a small orange hand town covering my front bits), I finally found my way downstairs.

Stop 2: The Baths

Jjimjilbang rule #1: Before anyone goes into the baths, you must thoroughly clean yourself. There are bays of showers and I lather up. I see mostly older women sitting on white, plastic stools at the showers thoroughly cleaning themselves. I see women with suction cup looking things on their back that almost look like little tentacles. I got a few stares, but I expected it as one of three non-Asians I saw all day.

Surrounding the shower area are four pools of water of various sizes, two massage hot tubs, two saunas, an area where women are lying down on hot wooden planks, and what looks like a massage area. I make the rounds… (no cameras allowed here, obviously)

Jade Bath (37C, 99F) meant to promote peace and tranquility, relieve pain and detoxify the body. A large jade stone is submerged in a 300m-deep aqua-filter that feeds the bath. This was my favorite bath, perfect temperature for me and so relaxing.

Mugwort Bath (41C, 106F) I drink Mugwort tea but never thought I’d be bathing in it. Mugwart is high in calcium and various vitamins. It is especially helpful for women’s health problems like menstrual pain. I couldn’t last here for more than a minute, too hot!

Charcoal Bath (37C, 99F) with logs of charcoal at one end. Charcoal is an excellent detoxifier and has anti-bacterial properties. Soaking in this bath is great for your skin. Fun Fact: You’ll see logs of coal in bathrooms here to purify the air.

Cold Bath. I’m not sure what the temperature was, but it was cold! Hopping back and forth from the hot and cold water improves circulation and rejuvenate you. Like, duh … any super cold water will wake you the fuck up!

Massage Bath (37 C, 99 F) with jets, similar to what you’d find in America. I checked out both the standing and sitting massage baths.

High Heat and Medium Heat Saunas similar to the saunas you are used to in America. I’m not a big fan of saunas… here or elsewhere.

Stop 3: An Uncomfortably Relaxing Scrub

After spending a significant amount of time soaking in the baths, I decide to check out the area with the massage tables. I heard about the jjimjilbang body scrubs: they make your skin feel smoother than it’s ever felt before!

I walk up and point to the service I want – a 20-minute scrub for 20,000 won ($20). I opted for the shortest scrub after talking with the only other non-Asian I saw in the baths, who just finished a 40-minute scrub that included an oil rub down. She warned me it is far from relaxing, so 20 minutes is a good start. I wash my body and a woman in underwear and a bra tells me to hop up on the plastic-covered table, face down. Wearing two course scrubbing mitts, she begins to vigorously rub me down, starting with my legs and moving up to my neck and shoulders. It didn’t feel good, but somehow there was an element of relaxation to it.

As I flip over, so she can rub down my front, I see small piles of wet light brown skin on the table. So much of it! Who knew so much dead skin was living on me!? While she was grabbing my leg and lifting it here and there, getting very thorough in her rub down, I imagined standing up at the end covered in red marks and scratches. After 20 minutes, she takes a bucket of warm water and throws it across my body before lathering me up with soap. She finishes with a few hard, open handed hits to my calves, hamstrings and lower back, and tells me to wash up.

To my surprise, there aren’t red marks, no evidence of the harsh rub down I just experienced, other than incredibly smooth skin. Really, the smoothest my skin has ever felt. I touch myself in awe for a few minutes before heading upstairs to explore the other four floors of this amazing place. The second and third floors have a restaurant, computer area, gym, theater, massage parlor, arcade, table tennis, and large rooms with mats, chairs and TVs where people can relax or sleep. But the fourth floor is where I’m headed.

Stop 4: Fomentation Rooms

Sometimes Korean words just don’t translate well into English, or they don’t even have a corresponding word in English. This is the case with Fomentation: the word used to describe the rooms on the fourth floor of the jjimjilbang.  The literal definition of fomentation is “the action of instigating or stirring up undesirable sentiment or actions.” Hmm, sounds kind of ominous.

What I found on the fourth floor was a fun house of different therapeutic rooms. With each door I opened, I would enter a new environment, different color, smell, temperature, element, and therapeutic benefit. Some of the rooms were empty, some had one person or many relaxing, reading, listening to music or sleeping. Whatever kind of relaxation you want, it can be had in these jjimjilbang rooms.

High temperature sauna (86 C) detoxifies the body and is good for body pain. There is an hourglass in there to let you know when you’ve been in long enough to reap the benefits. I couldn’t make it.

Ice Room (-8C) is right next to the high heat sauna. Coming from the high heat sauna into the Ice Room is electrifying to say the least. You are definitely rejuvenated.

Oxygen Room (28C) is exactly what it sounds like. Hanging in that room will replace any loss or lack of oxygen cause by environmental pollutants.

Charcoal Room (22C) is purified air through the use of charcoal. Charcoal blocks absorption of harmful electromagnetic waves, increases blood flow, and enhances metabolism.

Loess Ball Room (50C) is filled with little, heated balls of compacted sediments that helps digestion, improve blood circulation and metabolism. You can lay on the balls or walk around on them.

Salt Room (60C) is filled with pebble sized salt crystals that you can lay on or walk across. Salt kills germs that live on our skin and makes skin shiny and elastic.

Jade Room (60C) is filled with hot bean-sized gravel balls made of granite. You can lay on or walk across the granite balls to help release toxins from the body, while enhancing blood circulation and metabolism.

Adios Siloam Sauna

After exploring the five floors of this magical jjimjilbang and passing out for a bit in the Oxygen Room, I head back down to the Women’s Bathroom, where it all began. I change out of my jjimjilbang-ware and back into my normal winter clothes. I was beyond relaxed. I pay my tab – no money exchanges hands in the jjimjilbang, all charges are put on your tab, tracked by your locker number, and paid when you leave. I slowly exit, meander down the driveway and make my way to the Seoul Station.

See ya soon Siloam Sauna, very soon.