Jjimjilbang

On the last full day in Seoul, after a wander through the fish market we headed over to Dragon Hill Spa for a Korean Jjimjilbang extravaganza.

At first Ano appeared less than enthusiastic, but he perked up a bit when we reminded him that food would be involved. When we first entered, after paying our whopping $10 entry fee – which provides a 12 hour pass with access to all of the saunas, pools, and heated rooms – males went off to one side and females to the other. In the segregated areas we stripped down and headed for the scrubbing zone before climbing into the various tubs (ginseng, herbal, warm, wicked warm, blazing hot). Trust me when I tell you it’s worth paying a little extra to buy a scrubbing from one of the women working the scrub stations – I lost about a pound being exfoliated within an inch of my life while Izzy watched wide-eyed.soaking!

After an hour or two of soaking, we put on the shorts and tshirts provided by the spa, and headed up to the “mixed” area, where men, women, and whole families were sprawled on the heated floors drinking icy beverages while popping in and out of various saunas (charcoal, Jade, an ice room). We wandered upstairs to the Korean Barbeque Restaurant, and then had ice cream, all without leaving the building. Other folks were eating a traditional jimjilbang treat – eggs baked in their shell inside the hot saunas.

At hour four, Ano was all in – and wondered if we could hang out another hour…an official jimjilbang convert. As for me, I’ve already shopped online for the exfoliating scrubs used at Dragon Hill – although I have a feeling it won’t be quite the same experience at home. ~Jenny