A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR THE FAMOUS KOREAN DRY SAUNA (JJIMJILBANG)

Don’t be afraid and let’s get naked. Here are 12 steps for your exploration to exotic Jjimjilbang. The moment you step inside, you will surely get a bit embarrassed with naked Koreans running around. But don’t be a chicken! This is Korea. Let’s get started by going naked first. 

Step 1. Admission

Jjimjilbang has bath, enormous sauna and other facilities like PC cafes and cinemas that have nothing to do with sauna. If you are up for all these facilities, all you gotta do is to pay 2,000 won on the top of the bath fee. This price includes sauna wear rental.

Step 2. Take off your shoes

Make sure you go into the bath for your gender. First thing you see is shoe rack. Put your shoes in the rack, lock it with the key placed on the rack and bring the key to the locker.

Step 3. Find your locker

Some places use same key for the locker and shoe rack, but at some places, you might have to replace your shoe rack key with a locker key. If there is no one stopping you from going into the locker room, this place must be of the former. 

Step 4. Go naked

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Go stark naked and put everything in the locker. Then go into the bath. Don’t think anything too sexy that might bring changes to the status of your body. Korean people keen on staring at foreigner’s body. 

Step 5. Have a shower

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Soap is ready. So please take a shower before you dip yourself into a tub. If you do not, Koreans would not be very pleased to see your stuffs floating on the water. 

Step 6. Have a bath

Usually there are bath tubs with various hotness - extremely hot, just hot and cold. You should just start with the hot tub. Not hot enough? Then try the extremely hot one then the cold one in turn. This is Korean way to have a bath.

Step 7. Wear sauna wear

If you've had enough bath, dry yourself in the locker room and put on the sauna wear you rented. Women are not advised to wear a bra. It will be soaked in sweat anyway. Don’t forget to bring a towel.

Step 8. Try different sauna rooms

There are loads of sauna rooms. All you have to check is the thermometer placed on the door of each sauna room. Don’t be too surprised to see a room with 80 degree Celsius, it won't burn your body too bad.

Step 9. Have a bit of snack

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Now you are all of a sweat. You will want to quench your thirst at a cafeteria. You can have whatever you want, but you must follow Koreans’ Jjimjilbang tradition of having boiled egg and Sikhye. Some Koreans go to the Jjimjilbang just to enjoy the combination of the two. Frozen Sikhye right after hot sauna feels fantastic.

Step 10. Get some sleep

If you want to spend a night, Jjimjilbang could be the cheapest option. You could see dungeon style small rooms. Since pillows and mats are readily placed, you could just go in at your preference or you could just lie down on the lobby. I am sure there will be plenty of bodies lying around sleeping here and there. Some places offer sleeping rooms for each gender.

Step 11. Get yourself sorted & dry your hair

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If you're done with sauna, come back to the locker room and have a bath or shower. Hair dryer is 100~200 Won for 3 minutes. If you do not have coins, you could just use fans.

Step 12. Wrap up

Put your sweaty sauna wear in the basket placed in the locker room, put on your clothes and shoes. Don’t forget to return the key or you will have to pay fee for that. It’s all done now. Where do you want to go next?

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Written by Karly


She graduated in a university in Korea double majoring in social studies and political science. After graduation, she worked for a while at the Nation of Assembly of Republic of Korea, but now she is working as a reporter. Having a life goal of being a Asia-specialized travel reporter, she travels around the world in her spare time.