Naked and Zen in Spa Land The Korean Jjimjilbang

It was our first night in Busan; walking around the neighbourhood, Vi told me about the public baths she used to go to with her family when she was still a kid. Then, motivated by her story, the cold night air, and the free time we had on our hands, we decided to go to a jjimjilbang, a large, gender-segregated public bathhouse in Korea.

We took the subway, leaving Yin in the hostel as she wasn’t feeling well. We read and reread the map and asked around before finding ourselves in front of the Korean Jjimjilbang Spa Land.

Busan Spa Land Jjimjilbang

Spa Land Jjimjilbang looked so luxurious that I almost chickened out. I was already running low in Wong, and we were only halfway into the Korea trip. We decided to check the price first. It was 12,000 KRW for four hours per person. Ten bucks. I could pay for that, so we did (after I asked the counter lady to confirm it was 12,000 KRW twice). They gave each key and a towel and pointed us to the lady’s section.

Before we go any further, I want to tell you that I have been to a spa. A spa for me is a sauna, facial, and body massage and soaking oneself in a milk bath for a half-hour. I also have been to a public bath before; I bathed naked with my besties in a private Onsen in Koyasan. So yeah, I knew the drill, or at least, so I thought.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked into a massive room with naked women galloping around me. They were changing and chit-chatting, drying their hair, talking on the phone, and standing in front of the vending machine NAKED. I almost choked with all the nakedness. The fool I was, I didn’t know I would also be naked in five minutes.

I gave my best puppy dog eyes to Vi. I was hoping that would change her mind to run back to the entrance. But I was too late. She had stripped herself naked. I always thought I was the bravest in any group, but that was before I met Vi. This girl has balls. Whether it’s because she has (virtual) balls or because she is so fair and smooth, Vi looks as comfortable as the rest of them.

Vi was waiting for me to get naked. I texted Jik as many of the curse words as I could type before stripping down. The only thing I could do after putting the phone down was to curse myself for “embracing” winter by not shaving in a long time.

NAKED!!!!!!

Finally, I, the NAKED hairy brown girl, held my head down, walked across the hall, and entered the next room, the public bath area. I was so different from the rest of the women there, you guys! I felt like everyone was staring, and I could feel my heart becoming smaller and smaller by the minute. After the excruciating shower, which we had to do it properly and way longer than if we did it in private because we had to convince the hundred soaking women there that we were squeaky clean enough to join the fun, I entered the warm bath and finally, finally, could relax a bit, which got easier over time.

My First and Best Jjimjilbang Experience

The Jjimjilbang was huge. The women’s section had seven hot tubs inside and two outside, varying from 2 to 46 degrees. We spent some time inside before soaking at the nicer and quieter one outside. We then tried the 78-degree sauna and called it a day again, or so we thought.

I quickly changed into the loose-fitting clothes provided after doing the walk of shame back to the changing room. We then used the toiletries provided: lotion, face cream, and sanitized combs and went to find the snack area. We wanted to eat something light before going back.

Jjimjilbang-ing To The Max

We didn’t expect the public bath and sauna area to be only a tiny part of the spa land. We walked past a gift shop, a restaurant, and a tarot reading room into a stretch of a hundred beach mattresses, complete with umbrellas, all indoors. This was the relaxation area where they had sleeping quarters for the guests to relax. There were exciting rooms, and there was even a second floor! This place was massive.

We finally found the snack stall in the corner. Vi told me it is customary to eat eggs after public bathing. She learned it from a Korean drama. So we got the eggs and sat in the lounge area. It was a vast open-concept room with a heated floor. While cracking the baked eggs open, I planned to bring my Amma here one day. I must! It’s a fantastic place.

13 Spa Rooms

After some time of relaxing and half-sleeping in the lounge room, we started to check out all 13 of the spa rooms. Each of them was designed uniquely to give different benefits.

We finally returned at 11 PM, but not before soaking our feet in the hot outdoor footbath. Heavenly! Especially during the winter.

The Jjimjilbang was heaven. I could feel all my worries wash off, melt away, and evaporate. It was the best ten bucks I had spent in a long time. If I lived in Busan, I would register to be a member immediately. So when you visit Busan, please drop by the Spa land Jjimjilbang so you can thank me later.

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