When in Rome (or Korea as the case may be)...

Unfortunately (well, actually, fortunately), this post will be picture free. Why? If you can't figure that out from the context, you'll have to live with not knowing.

One of the things that everyone is supposed to do in Korea is go to a Korean jimjibang (or bathhouse). So...we thought we'd go and it was quite the experience! Now, I'm not squeamish about public bathing—I'm part Finn after all—I grew up attending sauna. On top of that, one of my favourite activities in Turkey was going to the hamam. However, in regards to the jimjibang, it might have been a good idea to have a first experience in a place where people spoke English!

Our first hurdle was actually finding the jimjibang. It turned out to be on the top of an unfinished department store building. Don't get the wrong idea though, once we found it, it was actually quite posh. However, the surprised look and lack of English at the front desk should have been a warning signal... We didn't take it that way though, instead we walked into the women's section a bit unsure of what to do, and, oddly enough, being the only people with clothes was more awkward than being without!

Once the awkwardness wore off, though, things were better...but keep in mind that that didn't happen until we were clothed again! The fact that we had to dress in the supplied orange uniforms helped us feel like we fit in—even though that's actually quite hard to do as a blond in an Asian country. The purpose of the supplied clothing was to give us access to the co-ed restaurant/TV room/games room downstairs. Yes, I am serious! You don't go to a jimjibang just to bathe, you go for the whole day (and night—accommodation is also provided). You can play pool, check your email, watch TV, eat dinner, and a whole host of other activities—it was rather impressive actually.

However, for a supposedly relaxing environment, there seemed to be a distinct lack of relaxing experiences. Clearly the pools and saunas upstairs were meant to be relaxing (even if it was more awkward than relaxing for us—the random foreigners), and perhaps that was meant to make up for the other areas. In the TV room, for example, you could lounge on the hard wooden floor or relax against a log to watch TV, or in the sleeping rooms you could curl up for the night on the same wooden floor with a hard foam block masquerading as a pillow!

Don't get the wrong idea though, we were all glad we went...and we'd probably all go again (I know I would). After all you can't beat the price (five dollars for the spa and a night's accommodation) and besides it's one of those quintessential Korean experiences. A jimjibang is to the Koreans as a sauna is to the Finns.