찜질방 = Korean Sauna (with the Osters!)

This is Rebekah and I out of our minds excited because we are about to experience something amazing! It's something that we had been looking forward to since the first Korean drama we ever watched! That experience was the 찜질방, or public bath house!

We went to a large and popular sauna that is very close to our apartment and that was recommended by a friend. The entrance was very fancy, reminding us that this was a special treat for date night, not a trip to the YMCA.
The whole concept of the public bath house is that it is a place for families and couples to hang out, relax, have fun, and improve their health. It is also a cheap place to stay the night, since it is open 24hrs. Once inside, we changed into matching shorts and shirts, which was half the fun!


The building consists of common areas, all with heated floors perfect for lounging around on, plus various rooms and activities.

There are places to eat and buy snacks, an arcade, a nail salon, different massage parlors, spa treatments, and a large variety of saunas.

There were saunas made of wood, salt, jade, and brick, all with specific temperatures so you can customize your sweat level! Some of the saunas are warm like a summer day, perfect for napping, and there was even a cold room!

Here we are inside the medium temperature "oven", which had wooden floors, brick walls, and smelled like barbeque.

We ate at the sit-down restaurant wearing our matching outfits, which felt super relaxed. We ordered 비빔밥 (Bibimbap = veggie and rice bowl) and 동가스 (Tongaseu = Japanese fried pork).


After enjoying dinner, we sat on the warm floor in the common area to play a storytelling card game that the Osters gave us for Christmas!

Next, we explored the rest of the building, had ice cream, paid a few bucks to use massage chairs, spent more time in the saunas, and took a few naps!


Finally, we split up by gender to experience the public baths. Rebekah and I swallowed our self-consciousness to strut around in our birthday suits with the Korean ladies! Inside the no-clothes-allowed section were various hot tubs of different temperatures. Let's get real for a second. Skinny dipping in a hot tub is fabulous! There was also a very cold tub, which we dipped our toes in but didn't take the plunge.
Beside the hot tubs, there were a lot of showerheads set up for washing up. We didn't get the "bring you own soap" memo, so we showered at home. Although it sounds strange, the public bath experience was so fun, and I am so proud of us for our bravery!


After the whole night, we felt so relaxed and invigorated! For the same price as dinner and movie, it was the perfect vacation date night.