Jjimjilbang (찜질방): Visiting a Korean Spa and Sauna in Seoul (목욕탕 - 실로암 사우나)

Nothing is a more immersive Korean cultural experience than to visit a Korean Jjimjilbang (찜질방) also known as a Korean bathhouse (목욕탕) and/or Korean sauna (사우나).
In this travel video from Seoul, South Korea we take you to our favorite Korean Jjimjilbang - Silloam Fire Pot Sauna ((실로암불가마사우나). Located from within walking distance of Seoul station this 24 hour Korean bath house is kind of known as my home away from home considering I've been going there almost daily.
Audrey, on the other hand, was a total Jjimjilbang newbie, and I had no idea how she would react to her first experience. Although she avoided the naked sauna section, my favorite part of the whole experience, we ventured upstairs to floors two through five to experience all of the unisex areas including the traditional Korean restaurant, snack bar, lounging and sleeping areas and rooms, gym, arcade, PC bang and sleeping caves.
The procedure for entering a sauna is always the same. First you pay at the counter, where you're handed your outfit, before entering the male or female changing room where you remove your shoes and place them into a small shoe locker. Once you retrieve the key from that locker you greet another attendant who hands you a key for your main locker where you change your clothes by either stripping down naked or putting on your shorts and t-shirt.
In the naked sauna bathing area you can go from various kinds of saunas (jade to minerals), steam rooms, hot tubs and showers.
When you get hungry consider trying any of the following Korean food staples found at a Korean Jjimjilbang:
식혜 (Sikhye) Korean sweet rice drink
팥빙수 (Patbingsu) Korean dessert with shaved ice, beans, fruit & syrup
미역국 (Miyeokguk) Korean seaweed soup
맥반석 계란 (Gyeran): slow cooked baked Korean eggs
Overall a stay at a Korean Jjimjilbang shouldn't cost more than ₩10,000 (day) to ₩15,000 (night). Be sure to check it out!
The Korean Sauna we visited (directions):
Silloam Fire Pot Sauna (실로암불가마사우나)
49, Jungnim-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
서울특별시 중구 중림로 49 (중림동)
Hanja (沐浴湯 - 房)
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Jjimjilbang (찜질방): Visiting a Korean Spa and Sauna in Seoul (목욕탕 - 실로암 사우나) Travel Video Transcript:
Well hello hello. For today's video we're going to take you to a Jjimjilbang (찜질방) which is a Korean bathhouse and spa.
Yeah, so this Korean sauna (사우나) is really popular - especially on the weekends with families. People of all ages. So we're going to give you a complete tour aside from the naked parts.
Yeah, because there is more to a bath house than just scrubbing down and getting naked. Apparently, they also have rooms where you can nap, watch Korean dramas, eat food. So we're going to show you all of that.
And the place we're taking you is probably one of the most famous bathhouses in all of Seoul. And it is massive. There is basically five floors. So we're going to give you a really good tour of that. Let's go.
So we've been in the Jjimjilbang for a few hours and I think we're ready to wrap up the experience. This was my first time here and it was pretty cool. Even though I didn't go in the showers or the sauna. Maybe next time. Maybe next time. Well, I got the full experience here and I have to say for the price you pay it is only ₩10,000. Ten thousand Korean Won. Which is about roughly say about nine US dollars.
Just a bit over that. It is incredible value. Like I think something like this maybe in North America or Europe might be fifty or one hundred dollars. So to be able to come here for such a cheap price and experience all of these cool rooms and get full access for the sauna and Jjimjilbang.
It kind of feels like you're going to a hotel for the weekend. Or like a spa. It really does Yeah, so you're just very relaxed and lounging around. It is a pretty cool experience. You can see why it is so popular here in Korea and if you find yourself traveling in Seoul or anywhere in Korea, because you can find these all over Korea, definitely check out a Korean sauna, Korean bathhouse and Korean Jjimjilbang.
This is part of our Travel in South Korea video series showcasing Korean food, Korean culture and Korean cuisine.
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network