Jjimjilbang

찜질방, or jjimjilbang, is the word for Korean Spa. One of my dear TESOL colleagues has introduced me to this wonderful world of hot and cold rooms, heated floors, and delicious snacks to share while lazing about.

The first time we went was a couple of years ago, and I had visions of a Japanese sento dancing in my head. Boy, was I surprised!

Instead of communal baths separated by gender, women and men proceed to their segregated locker rooms and put on a drab T-shirt and pair of shorts handed over by the spa. Then, you enter the spa space, which is usually a few rooms of varying hot/cold temperatures to relax as you wish.

The area that connects all these rooms is usually a heated floor for those that need a timeout from the temp extremes, and all sorts of pleasures are provided to while away the time. You can read manga (Korean, of course!), share lovely bowls of noodles, or watch Korean dramas on the ubiquitous TVs.

冬のソナタ, imported from Korea, was huge when I worked in Japan

After you've sweat and shivered enough for your liking, you go back to your locker room and proceed to shower/soak in the areas provided. This is the closest thing to the sento experience...except the various pools have chlorine for sanitary reasons. What a shame! Still, it's nice to sit neck-deep and have your muscles turn to jelly after sweating your brains out.

The last time I visited with my pal was during the Thanksgiving break, and I hope to squeeze in another visit before vacation is over.