While I did not quite encounter a fully authentic Korean spa, I did get a taste of the Jjimjilbang experience while staying at the Grand Hyatt Seoul…an interesting cultural episode.
A Luxury Jjimjilbang Experience At Grand Hyatt Seoul
It had been over a decade since I last spent a night in Seoul and I really wasn’t into any sort of wellness at that time like saunas or steam baths. Now I sit in those after my workouts and it has become an important part of my routine…it’s also a time I use to meditate/pray.
A Jjimjilbang is a traditional Korean bathhouse and a cultural fixture in South Korea. These public bathhouses include gender-segregated Mogyoktang areas with hot and cold tubs, steam rooms, saunas, massage, and body scrubbing areas. They also include common areas with relaxation zones in which you can rest, eat, drink, and in some cases even sleep.
Indeed, my spa at the Grand Hyatt Seoul did not provide the full experience, but the Mogyoktang area was pretty authentic. There were saunas, steam rooms, cold plunge pools, and hot tubs. There was also little communal shower areas where you could dress and scrub your body before jumping in the pool or sauna while sitting on a stool that was only a foot off the ground.
And full nudity.
I find that interesting since it can vary so much from country to country, even within a region. I’m neither prudish nor unaccustomed to naked people. Spending so much time in Germany, where nudity in public baths is not only required but co-ed, I’ve seen bodies of all shapes and sizes and there’s frankly nothing prurient about it.
In Korea, the spa is truly a place where you let it all hang out. Quite a contrast from LA where people come into the sauna in their workout clothes or at least wrapped from neck to knee in towels. It wasn’t just in the sauna or steam room, though, but also in all the pools and even the lounge. And the place was packed!
Next time I’m in Korea, I’ll visit a “real” Jjimjilbang but at least I got a taste of one at the Grand Hyatt, though I hope to try out a traditional kiln sauna next time, which the hotel did not have. I appreciate that South Koreans take their spas very seriously!
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