Bath houses or Jjimjilbang 찜질방 are an incredible feature of Korean culture. Our favorite one was Spa Land at Shinsegae 신세계 (the world’s largest department store). It was very close to our apartment and we could ride our bikes there in 10 minutes. You can see Shinsegae in the pic below – it has the red flower symbol just above it’s name.

Here is an excellent article with a photo slide show about Spa Land on CNN

You’ll notice I don’t have any photos inside Spa Land – just the outside and mall area. This is because walking around in a naked area with a camera is frowned upon. That’s right, and I’m not talking about the locker room. Upon entering the Spa, women and men go off to their segregated locker rooms. Here you have a choice: You can go out exit 1 toward the co-ed area after putting on your spa clothes (they provide it upon checking in), or option 2 – you get fully naked (except for your locker key around your wrist) and enter the Spa area.

This photo is courtesy of Shinsegae. Each tub has varying temperatures – ranging from ice cold to really hot. Some also have jets throughout to provide a very relaxing massage.

A VERY important note – bathers must shower off thoroughly BEFORE entering the tubs. There are rows of showers off to the side with soap and washcloths to do this. Some people think its a little gross to enter in a shared tub with other naked people – but think about a public pool. Does a bathing suit prevent the water from reaching any area of your body that would be exposed if you were naked? How many people really shower off and scrub themselves clean before entering a pool?

The actual mall is huge, but even Spa Land itself, within the mall, is sprawling as well. There are outdoor heated foot bath areas, movie rooms, dozens of sauna room with varying temperatures and themes, cafeterias, lounging chairs with personal TV’s and much more.

Here is a good NYTimes article published this year about Korean Spas

Above is a pic inside the mall area of Shinsegae

After leaving the bath house, I felt incredibly relaxed. The water is pumped from underground and has natural minerals that make your skin feel great. I would typically stay in the Spa (with heated tubs and jets) area for 90 minutes and I would alternate between cold (55 F or 65 F) baths, hot baths (105 F) and jet tubs (85 F).

This is the view from the restaurant area of Shinsegae – the marquee theater for the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).