One Night at the Jimjilbang

I recently did something totally weird and crazy that could only happen in Korea (or maybe another Asian country.) I spent the night at a Korean jimjilbang (sauna.)

It was about 1 AM and I had spent all day out with my Korean boyfriend Jae Hyun. We were about a 20,000 won cab ride from my apartment (about $18) and the bus to his town had stopped running long ago. Luckily, because Jae Hyun is Korean, he knew of the best alternative. For 10,000 won you can stay at the jimjilbang for up to 12 hours and make use of all its services, like sauna rooms, movies, books and comics, and games (maybe the games weren't free... I don't know.)

After we paid at the counter and they gave use two towels and the uniform, Jae Hyun went into the mens locker room and I went to the womens. I had to take off my boots and put them in a shoe locker. Then I walked into the main locker room, which was all steamy. Korean women in various states of undress were walking around. I found my numbered locker and changed into the uniform. For women it is an oversized pink v-neck t-shirt with long matching pants. The uniform is the same for men, only white. Honestly, the uniform is kind of hideous, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. Barefoot, wearing only the uniform and underwear (and my locker key around my wrist), I went on a quest to find Jae Hyun. He had told me to meet him "by the stairs" in the co-ed common area. I got totally lost and discovered the bathroom, a sink area, a weird room that had random stuff in it that looked like a sewing or storage room, and a huge room with pools and sinks that was so steamy you could barely see. Eventually I had to go up to the woman manning the toiletry counter and say "Namja-chingu. Odisseyo?" which best translates into "Boyfriend. Where?" When I speak Korean, I sound somewhat like a caveman. She understood and pointed to a door that had plastic flaps on it so men couldn't see inside. I then descended into... the jimjilbang.

I was instantly uncomfortable. First of all, the outfit was hideous. Second, I was the only foreign person there. Korean people kept walking by and staring at me and I was already uncomfortable and wanted to cry. Plus, I couldn't find Jae Hyun. There were two lower levels, each of them a big room with people just chilling or sleeping on the floor. There was a little cafe, a game room, and various sauna rooms attached to the main room. Eventually I found Jae Hyun, who had been busy procuring two mattresses and two Korean pillows (square and kind of hard, but really comfortable) in a dark, quiet corner for us. It was late so we fell asleep almost immediately. Around us, people were sleeping or lounging around, whispering, reading comics, or watching the TV.

We were woken up at like 3 AM by a bunch of rude American men who I can only assume were army guys. Although I am a foreigner in Korea myself, I really despise most other foreigners here. Like, 90% of them. Some of them I ardently dislike. They make no effort to learn about and assimilate into Korean culture, don't learn any Korean, can't read Hangeul characters, and are loud, rude, and disruptive. Most foreigners, whom I am just kind of ambivalent about, just really don't care about Korean culture and might eat Korean food sometimes, but just hang out at foreigner restaurants, bars, and clubs all the time. Unfortunately every single army guy I have ever had the displeasure or meeting (usually late at night yelling "Hey baby where you goin'?" as I walk on the street from one place to another) has been part of the former group. So rude, obnoxious, loud, and annoying. These men who were obviously drunk were running up and down the stairs, screaming expletives, and one of them even ran into the women only sleeping room. I was about to go fight them but I had already taken my contacts out and was blind as a bat. All the Korean people were annoyed and angry. Thanks, army dudes, for contributing to the already less-than-stellar reputation of Americans overseas. Eventually (like 20 minutes later) they either quieted down, passed out, or got kicked out. We went back to sleep.

I next woke up with the realization that a loudly snoring man was passed out on the floor next to me (VERY VERY next to me), not even on a mat. I hate when people snore. It is so annoying. If you know you snore, why would you go to a place where people go to sleep? Very inconsiderate. When he rolled over and briefly stopped sounding like a chainsaw, I was able to fall asleep again... at least until I woke up and realized he was rolling onto my sleeping mat in his sleep, and one of his legs was ON ME. I kind of freaked out and he was snoring again and Jae Hyun was like "Can you sleep?" and I was like "NO" so he found us a more quiet spot. We slept until 10 PM, and it was much better despite the fact that I woke up with two peoples' feet dangerously close to my face.

In the morning, we took a shower. Jae Hyun had prepared for an overnight stay at the jimjilbang (whereas I had only brought my contact lens case and a little makeup) and let me use his shampoo and body wash. You can buy some in the locker room for a small price. I walked, petrified with terror, to my locker to take off my clothes. Nudity in Korea is much more common than in the US. People were chatting naked, drying their hair naked, and putting makeup on naked in the locker room. I was staring at the floor and trying not to freak out. Then I just took off my clothes, carried my towels and shampoo and body wash to the bathing room, and jumped into the first pool I found. It was like a jacuzzi so I sat there for awhile trying to figure out WHERE you took the shower. You had to sit on a little plastic stool in front of your own mirror and showerhead and just shower there. While you were sitting down. Naked. With people all around you.

Well, whatever, I did it, and then changed back into my clothes. I went to the sink area and paid 10 cents to use the hair dryer for 2 minutes. I managed to make my hair and face look acceptable and retrieved all my belongings from the locker, threw my uniform and towels in the dirty clothes bin, and met Jae Hyun back at the desk and returned my keys. Before we left he also showed me the cold room, which was like a freezer, and the sauna rooms, one of which had rocks on the ground. They were so hot! The sleeping area was already really hot, and I couldn't be in there for too long before I felt like I was going to pass out.

While I have definitely emphasized the strange and terrifying aspects of the jimjilbang, I can honestly now say that.... I enjoyed it. I think we are even going to go back this weekend. It definitely beats paying for a cab home. This time, I will bring my own shampoo and body wash, though, and a comb. And I won't be as terrified to disrobe.

So, while the jimjilbang was a new and initially scary experience, it was ultimately adventurous, exciting, and tons of fun. I'm glad I finally got to experience this important part of Korean culture!