You must have already heard about Jjimjilbang, either in a drama or in travel guides. This sauna is very popular in South Korea, where you can also spend the night for a few cents. But do you really know what the Jjimjilbang offers? Here is an overview of what you can expect in this Korean sauna!
What is it?
First of all, let’s see what this term means. The term “Jjimjil” refers to the fact of causing a phenomenon of sweating and curing various diseases thanks to hot water or sand. While the term “Bang” simply means a room. Jjimjilbang” means public baths with heated rooms where you can take care of your health.
The rooms are composed of ochre, charcoal, or even salt, and offer temperatures between 40 and 80℃. Inside these rooms, you will be able to release stress through sweating processes while taking care of your skin. You can also find many rooms of water and baths.
Jjimjilbang has a reputation for being not very expensive. The minimum fee will be 10,000 won for adults, while children will pay a little less.
How does it work?
Upon arrival, you will be provided with towels and pajamas. If you are tired, you can rest directly in the large common room. As for the shower, you can buy shampoo and shower gel for the public baths.
Be careful, if you want to enjoy all these services you have to get naked. If you are modest, it is not advisable to do all these activities. However, you can enjoy a good night’s sleep with your nice clean pyjamas!
What can I do?
Once you are well rested, you will probably be a little hungry. But don’t panic! The Jjimjilbang offers you good food and some snacks to invigorate you. You will be able to taste the flagship drink: Sikhye. This sweet and alcoholic drink made of rice, will give you a little boost to enjoy the other activities.
Indeed, we can also find a lot of activities and services within the establishment such as video game rooms, massage parlors, movie projection rooms, manicure, etc.
However, it is good to know that these services are not free. In addition, you will need cash as the establishments do not usually take credit cards.
As you can see, the Jjimjilbang is an experience not to be missed if you are in South Korea, so don’t forget to go there in order to fully live your typical Korean stay!
See you next week. Bye !
Ambre
Sources
https://www.thekoreandream.fr/blog-coree-du-sud/quest-jjimjilbang-sauna-coreen/