THE
NAKED TRUTH An
article about the mysterious Korean Sauna
No
I haven't joined a cult! This is a jimjilbang A.K.A
the family sauna. Cool uniforms huh?
The Korean sauna may seem a bit daunting if not outright surreal
for the uninitiated foreigner. All around you are people wearing
funny outfits that make them look like they are members of a
strange cult. Then they go inside these infernally hot rooms
that look like dungeons and sit on potato sacks.
Over
here, one woman with an uncomfortable look on her face is having
something done to her face with a piece of thread and lying
face down next to her is a woman with several jars of glass
stuck to her back. In one room, women are encased in big plastic
gowns. In the next room, people lying on the floor are being
stepped on by ajumas with badly tattooed eyebrows. In the women`s
section, several rough looking women wearing lace bras and undies
are scrubbing naked slabs of flesh with something that looks
like a brillo pad.
No, you
haven`t mistakenly entered a medieval torture chamber. This
is Korea`s version of the western day spa! If you`ve never
been to one of these public bathhouses then you don`t really
know what it means to be squeaky clean. Trust me on this.
You may walk in feeling like a dull coin, but you`ll walk
out feeling like a million bucks!
Unfortunately,
it`s extremely rare to find someone who speaks English at
the sauna therefore it`s quite easy to feel lost. What exactly
is the protocol at one of these establishments? What services
are available and what the heck are all these medieval torture
methods anyway?
Korea is famous for the kiln sauna known as the han jeung
mak. It`s a dark cave-like stone structure with a small low
opening. This traditional perspiration room dates back as
far as the 15 century. Burning pine tree wood heats up the
inside of the sauna. The staff will give you jute blankets
that look like potato sacks for you to sit on and cover yourself
with. These sacks protect you from the intense heat. Within
minutes of entering, it feels like you are baking yourself
in a pottery kiln or in the broiler of an oven. Inside the
han jeung mak, you might see eggs being hard-boiled or you
may see plastic bags stuffed with fruits percolating in their
own juices! The fruit concotions (usually pears or apples
infused with ginger and herbs) inside the plastic bags brew
in the han jeung mak for 4 days and the sweet juice that comes
out is sold as a hot or cold drink. This drink is especially
good for your throat and your body. It's delicious and there
is no additional salt or sugar added.
Click
the photos to get a larger view and an explanation.
Because the heat increases your circulation and makes you
sweat profusely, it has a relaxing cathartic effect. The han
jeung mak reportedly increases your metabolism as well as
helping to relieve shoulder, head and neck pain. It also improves
skin quality and loosens stiff muscles.
Other
types of saunas may be found as well. There may be wet saunas,
amethyst saunas and adobe saunas with dried herbs hanging
in sacks. There may also be saunas with black pebbles and
weird red lights or, saunas with scenic waterfalls encased
in glass. Saunas are a great place to stretch, deep condition
your hair or gossip with your cronies. If you are lucky, you
can even catch up on the latest Korean dramas.
Click
the photos for a larger view
If you
are brave and don`t have sensitive skin, you can try the body
scrub. Naked to the world, you will like down on a plastic
table. Here, ajumas wearing black lace bras and undies will
scrub you from head to toe with a special exfoliating glove.
(What scrubbing ajuma union decided on black bras and undies
as a uniform? Why not bathing suits?)
As a
connoisseur of body scrubs around the world, I must say, never
before have I seen so much dead skin come off the body. The
ajumas laugh with delight as the grey matter rolls off your
skin. {Ah!} they marvel as they show you the soiled glove.
You leave
two shades lighter than you came! Apparently, the heat of
the sauna prepares your dead skin to be removed and the material
of the exfoliating glove is highly effective. You do feel
a little bit like a piece of meat on a butcher`s table the
way the ajumas toss you around, but your skin is baby-smooth
afterwards. Sometimes, a massage or a facial follows depending
on what you ask for. Other services that may be available
are: nail care, depilation of the face using a piece of thread,
foot reflexology and eyelash perming.
Korean
massage or Ji-ap has elements of shiatsu, Swedish and Thai
massage. It`s a deep massage, not meant for sissies. If it`s
done well, it`s a real slice of heaven; if done badly, it
can be an hour of pure pain. Coy ladies beware! The ajumas
will massage all body parts including your stomach and breasts
and you won`t possess the language skills to advise then against
it.
Every time I go to the sauna, I can`t help but notice all
the strange body types walking around. Some women have strange
scars. Some women have inverted nipples or flat butts. Some
are really rotund, bony or rectangular. Some people have way
too much hair in places where the sun don't
shine. Then a fear strikes me. They must be scrutinizing me
in the same way! But alas, there is no time to be shy at the
sauna. Koreans have been bathing in public for ages and being
naked together actually fosters a feeling of camaraderie.
Next,
onto the shower area. Grab a little plastic stool to sit on
and plunk yourself in front of a mirror. The shower will prepare
you for the baths. Please remember to make sure all traces
of soap are completely rinsed off before entering the baths.
Being soapy when entering the baths is a complete no no. Depending
on the size and sophistication of the sauna, there will be
several types of baths. Some are extremely hot and effervescent.
Some are made with clay, ginseng or green tea and each bath
may have a different temperature or mineral content. Depending
on its content, each bath may be beneficial to people who
suffer from neuralgia, rheumatism, blood circulation problems,
heart disease or neurological disorders.
Click
the photos for a larger view
Sometimes
there are alternative medicine therapies available which may
look very strange to western eyes. There is a mugwort treatment
therapy called SSuk Jim, in which a lady will sit on a special
wooden chair with a hole on the seat. An ajuma boils a concotion
of herbs in a clay pot (mugwort, green tea and some others
which don't have an English translation). The medicinal vapor
comes up from the hole in the chair treating gynecological
disorders such as menstrual irregularity and cystitis.
Click
the photos for a larger view and explanation.
There
is also an old-school treatment called buhwang where bell
shaped vacuum compressors are used to draw bad blood out of
the body. Round red marks stay on your skin where the compressors
are applied. The marks fade in about a week but until then
you get to look like you were attacked by aliens! Buhwang,
also known as cupping, is used to cure lower back pain, constipation,
or stitches in the neck or the side.
The
sauna for men is usually a place to sleep or to talk business.
After a rough night of drinking soju and singing karaoke far
from home, a man can stumble into one of these 24 hour saunas
and have a nap and a cleanse for the price of the
.... ..........Buhwang
or "cupping"............
....admission fee.There is no need to be homophobic
at the male sauna.
..........................................................
One will often see men scrubbing each other. It is
nothing to be alarmed about.
There
are also family saunas known as Jim Jil Bang, which are unisex.
At the Jim Jil Bang, there are two distinct areas. The dry
area is an area that typically has different types of saunas,
massage chairs, restaurants or exercise rooms. Since men and
women will be together in these areas, one is obligated to
be clothed in the pre-issued the uniform which is usually
a robe or a big t-shirt and baggy shorts. The wet area is
a separate area where you take a shower, get a body scrub
and bathe in the different tubs. This wet area may also have
different types of saunas as well. Clothes are not allowed
in this segregated area. (No bathing suits in the tubs, please.)
Some of the fancier Jim Jil Bangs have sleeping rooms (just
like a hotel!), big screen TVs and even internet rooms. At
the end of it all, you can have your picture taken in a traditional
Korean dress!
A word of warning to neat freaks or squeamish people, the
Korean sauna is not your cup of tea.
Prices
to enter the sauna are anywhere from 5000-20000 won. The price
for a body scrub ranges from 12,000 won to 28,000 won. Massages
go for 30,000- 120,000 won.
Hurest
Well Being Club-
This modern jim jil bang is only 2 years old and has amazing
city views. It's one of the nicest saunas in Seoul. This place
is conveniently located and the decor is very pleasant. It's
on the 15-17th floor of a big building in Myong Dong.
Myong Dong Tower, 31-1 Myong Dong 2-ga 778-7700 http://www.hurest.co.kr/
Central Spa-
The entrance to this sauna is in the underground area in front
of the Marriott Hotel. They say it's subway line 7 exit 4.
02-6268-3400 (The photo of the fancy jeweled sauna was taken
here.) www.centralspa.co.kr
Chunjihun This sauna is in Myong Dong.
Subway line 4 exit 9. Exit and tun left on the first alley.
Look for the building with a red sign called the Sunshine
building. It's in the basement of this building.
02-318-8011 http://www.chunjiyun.co.kr
Myong
Dong Han Jyu Mak This sauna is in Myong Dong.
Subway line 4 exit 9. You will see it on the corner when you
exit.
02-752-7506 http://www.246mdeste.co.kr
There
is also an old-school treatment called buhwang where bell
shaped vacuum compressors are used to draw bad blood out of
the body. Round red marks stay on your skin where the compressors
are applied. The marks fade in about a week but until then
you get to look like you were attacked by aliens! Buhwang,
also known as cupping, is used to cure lower back pain, constipation,
or stitches in the neck or the side.