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Themes · The public bath
The jjimjilbang: how it works찜질방
Hot and cold pools, saunas, rest halls where whole families sleep on the floor in pyjamas. The jjimjilbang is where Koreans unwind — and the experience that most intimidates visitors. Here is how to go about it.
Updated 7 October 2026
Two areas, two sets of rules
A jjimjilbang has two parts. The baths, separated by sex, where everyone is completely naked: pools at different temperatures, showers, steam room. And the common area, mixed, where you wear the shorts and T-shirt provided: hot rooms, rest rooms, restaurant, sometimes a games room and cinema.
You can use just one or the other. A place with baths only is called a mogyoktang or a sauna.
Step by step
Entrance
You pay at reception: about ₩12,000 to ₩20,000, a little more at night and on weekends. You are handed a key wristband, two small towels and the outfit.
Shoes
You put them in the locker whose number matches your key, just past the entrance.
Changing room
Men and women part ways. You undress completely and put everything in your locker. The wristband is also used to charge what you buy, paid on leaving.
The shower
Compulsory before entering a pool, and thorough: seated on a stool, soap and shampoo provided. Long hair is tied up.
The pools
Warm, hot, very hot, cold: you alternate. No swimsuit, no towel in the water, no diving.
The scrub
Optional: a professional scrubs your whole body with a rough mitt on a table. Allow ₩25,000 to ₩40,000, in cash. Vigorous, radical, and your skin will never have been so soft.
The common area
You put on the outfit provided and head to the mixed section: hot rooms of clay, salt or charcoal, an ice room, mats for a nap.
Leaving
Back through the baths, a last shower, and you settle your tab at reception as you hand in the key.
What people do there
Domes heated from 40 to over 80 °C. You lie on a mat for a quarter of an hour, then dash to the cold room.
The classic duo: eggs slow-baked in the hot rooms, their shells browned, and sikhye, a sweet rice drink served ice cold. You will also find seaweed soup, ramyeon and shaved ice.
The towel rolled into two ears on your head, seen in every TV drama. Ask your neighbours to show you the fold.
Many places are open day and night and let you sleep there, on a mat in a common hall. Noisy and bright: a stopgap after a late train, not a real night.
The questions people ask
Nudity
It is the main mental block, and it vanishes in five minutes: nobody looks at you. Koreans have been going with their families since childhood.
Tattoos
Tolerated in the great majority of places today. A few upmarket or hotel venues refuse them: a glance at the reviews avoids the surprise.
Children
Welcome. Small children go with either parent, up to about four years old.
Periods
During your period, avoid the pools; the common area remains accessible.
Glasses and jewellery
Leave them in the locker: heat damages frames and silver tarnishes in mineral water.
How long
Two to three hours to enjoy it. The basic ticket generally covers around twelve hours.
Where to go
The easiest for a first time, with English signage: Spa Land in the Shinsegae department store at Centum City, Busan, or the Aquafield complexes on the outskirts of Seoul. Pricier, prettier, calmer.
Rawer and more authentic. Addresses open and close: search 찜질방 or 사우나 in Naver Map and look at recent reviews.
Spa towns such as Onyang, Suanbo or the Dongnae district of Busan offer the same thing with naturally hot water.