Comments on: Naked in a Korean Bathhouse

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 17 Sep 2016 18:09:15 +0000

Do you think you’ll ever visit a co-ed nude bathhouse? For all you know, you might see some really handsome, well-hung guys there!

By: Christine Kaaloa

Christine Kaaloa — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 23:41:41 +0000

In reply to Jacquet.

Jacquet: Did you read the guide I have on Suwon? Highly recommended j-bang in there. One of the best I’ve experienced: https://grrrltraveler.com/countries/asia/korea/what-to-do-in-suwon-in-48-hours/ =)

By: Jacquet

Jacquet — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 00:56:19 +0000

Just arrived in Suwon for a couple of months and i can’t wait to try! I loved going to onsen in Japan (especially Kurama, in the woods outside of Kyoto), it looks quite similar. Oddly enough, when I mentioned the idea to my Korean girlfriend, she looked quite embarrassed… I won’t forget to buy a small towel before :).
Great blog, thank you.

Mathieu

P.S. : when do you intend to write a “best spots to go climbing in Korea”? 😉

By: Christine Ka'aloa

Christine Ka'aloa — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:30:50 +0000

In reply to Andrew.

@Andrew: I find foreign guys either love the bathhouse or hate it. You’re one of the exceptions on loving it. Hope you and your wife still occasionally visit a jjimjilbang for old time’s sake. Seoul’s got some great ones I hear… I’ve been meaning to get to one out there!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:42:12 +0000

Oh, man! These were one of my favorite spots while in Korea, but only in the wintertime. It’s one of my survival secrets during the cold. You just have to find a calm jjimjilbang otherwise it will be sooo loud.

Even after I met my girlfriend I was able to make it into a date night–we would separate for an hour or so and join together in our loaned clothes and watch tv and even have a meal sometimes. Good times, great article.

By: Christine Ka'aloa

Christine Ka'aloa — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 02:37:56 +0000

In reply to 3gyupsal. @3gyupsal: wow, it sounds like you've gotten much more of a grittier experience than me. I think if I were a guy, I'd probably not want to go at all. I can't imagine soaking in soup or having a gangster pee next to me while I showered. yikes.

By: 3gyupsal

3gyupsal — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 05:13:03 +0000

I doesn’t happen all of the time, but it happened enough to make me try to go there when it wasn’t busy. Surprisingly what I found even more disgusting was the way that the hot tub water could take on a garlic odor as if it were turning into some kind of soup stock.

But I shouldn’t really trample over your beautiful description of how relaxing the public baths and saunas are. The bath house that I went to most often, was a part of a health club that was on the eighth floor of a home plus. So you would get both the casual sauna customers, and people showering up after a workout. (And for some reason, a lot of gangsters. Usually the only people in Korea who get tattoos are gangsters, and every time I would go there I would see someone with a full body dragon or tiger tattoo.) Also you are right. When I went to that health club I would end up rushing through the workouts so that I could go sit in the sauna. It kind of defeated the purpose of exercising because I would just end up wanting to go stew for a bit, and in that situation I would end up willfully ignoring the guy relieving himself next to me.

By: Christine Ka'aloa

Christine Ka'aloa — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 10:12:25 +0000

In reply to 3gyupsal.

@3gyupsal: eeew! Is that what really goes on in the men’s section– it’s one big urinal?! I don’t even want to think what the pools are like. Gross– kinda takes away from the bath experience, huh?

By: 3gyupsal

3gyupsal — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:56:06 +0000

It must be a better experience for women. For dudes you always get someone brushing their teeth and spitting, or peeing next to you while you are in the shower stall, I don’t mean stall, I mean wall of shower heads, so there is little protection for your feet from someone’s bad aim. But yeah, women are probably a lot less gross so you might not have as much to worry about.

By: Christine Ka'aloa

Christine Ka'aloa — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:54:05 +0000

In reply to Hannah. @Hannah: I've heard about that and totally want to try it! I've not been to a real luxury one yet, so I'm hoping to get that experience. I love these spas!