One thing that I love about Korea and that I'll miss when I go back to France is going to the sauna (찜질방 jjimjilbang) with friends. This is the best relaxation technique I know. And yes, all the girls (and mostly old ladies) are naked in the same room. And yes, you will see your girl friend naked if you go with her. Of course, when you get to the "unisex" rooms, everyone has to put their pyjamas on.
When you arrive at the jjimjilbang, you will get a key to your locker, a pyjama and tiny body towels (so you can't hide). First, remove your shoes and put them in the shoes lockers at the entrance. Then, get naked in the girls lockers/change room if you're a girl (go to the boys side if you're a boy, no peeping! ^^)
Once you're naked, take a shower first, and go to the baths! You can try different temperatures. When you're getting too hot or done with bathing, you get get a body scrub or massage (not for free) or you can go back to the change room and put on the pyjama provided, you and your friends will look really funny in it but it's fine. In the unisex rooms, you can do pretty much everything: get a massage on massage chairs, eat, watch TV, read books and comics, play games, do sports, go in a cold room, go on the internet, etc. It depends on the sauna. They don't always have all those facilities.
Also, the jjimjilbang are usually open 24 hours so if you're really tired after clubbing all night, it's the best time to go!
If you're really hungry, you can usually find a korean restaurant too. On the rooftop, there was a barbecue and on the first floor, a korean restaurant :)
Where to go?
- Dragon Hill Spa at the exit of Yongsan station, it's huge and luxurious, entrance is around 10,000 so it's luxurious but not expensive, that's the best! They even have outdoor baths.
- Sup Sok Han Bang Land (24 시간 숯가마) in Sinchon, this one is more traditional but you can go chill in the forest and cook some potatoes so that's great. The pictures in this post are from this jjimjilbang.
